General Counsel

SoSafe GmbH; Köln, München, Berlin; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days PTO

Wellbeing support

Parental leave

Development budget

Healthcare & pension

Virtual events & meetups

Job summary

SoSafe GmbH in Cologne seeks a General Counsel to lead the legal team and own the full legal function across commercial contracting, data protection, governance and regulatory risk.

You will partner with Sales, Product and Information Security to enable business growth, navigate AI regulation, GDPR, NIS2 and EU AI Act, and drive scalable legal processes in a fast‑growing SaaS company.

Qualifications

• 8+ years post-qualification experience in law.
• 3–5 years in commercial or contracting environment.
• Experience leading and developing a team.
• SaaS or technology business experience.
• Strong data protection expertise (GDPR).
• Nice to have: cybersecurity exposure and IP knowledge; distributed teams experience.
• 2nd German State Examination (Volljurist).
• Fluent German and English (written and spoken).

Responsibilities

• Lead the legal team: Manage and coach a team of 3 lawyers, setting clear priorities and fairly distributing work across the team.
• Build a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing and constructive feedback within the team.
• Support the professional development of each team member and plan for the team's growth as the business scales.
• Own legal strategy and governance: Set the legal team's strategy and goals in line with SoSafe's broader company objectives.
• Elevate on the market’s transition into AI and its application in the legal area.
• Oversee all core legal functions: corporate governance, contracts, compliance and regulatory risk management.
• Provide legal advice and risk assessment across the business, acting as the final point of escalation on legal matters.
• Ensure efficient internal processes and policies are in place and consistently followed.
• Monitor changes in the legislative and regulatory environment across Germany, Austria and Switzerland (and EU wide, e.g. GDPR, NIS2, EU AI Act) and translate these into practical guidance for the business.
• Partner with Sales, helping the team sell faster by supporting quoting, offer and contracting processes.
• Partner closely with Information Security on cybersecurity related legal and regulatory matters.
• Build strong working relationships across departments, making legal an enabler rather than a blocker.
• Manage the relationship and information flow between our external DPO and internal teams.
• Coordinate and manage external counsel where needed

Skills

Team leadership

Commercial contracting

Data protection law

Education

Second State Examination (Volljurist)

German law degree or equivalent

Job description

SoSafe has the ambition to become the leading human risk management provider in Europe. Our award-winning awareness platform triggers behavioural change by providing effective and engaging training and simulations on cybersecurity and data protection. Cybercrime is costing the world >$10 trillion annually and growing by 15% p.a. — we invite you to be part of the solution!

About the role

As General Counsel, you will lead SoSafe's legal team of lawyers and act as the primary legal advisor to the leadership team. You will own the full legal function, from commercial contracting and data protection to corporate governance and regulatory risk, while acting as a true business partner to Sales, Product, and Information Security. You will also be responsible for all Company Risk and Compliance matters. This is a hands-on, high visibility role for someone who wants to shape legal strategy at a scaling SaaS business, not just execute on it.

What you'll do

Lead the legal team

Manage and coach a team of 3 lawyers, setting clear priorities and fairly distributing work across the team

Build a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing and constructive feedback within the team

Support the professional development of each team member and plan for the team's growth as the business scales

Own legal strategy and governance

Set the legal team's strategy and goals in line with SoSafe's broader company objectives

Elevate on the market’s transition into AI and its application in the legal area

Oversee all core legal functions: corporate governance, contracts, compliance and regulatory risk management

Provide legal advice and risk assessment across the business, acting as the final point of escalation on legal matters

Ensure efficient internal processes and policies are in place and consistently followed

Monitor changes in the legislative and regulatory environment across Germany, Austria and Switzerland (and EU wide, e.g. GDPR, NIS2, EU AI Act) and translate these into practical guidance for the business

Partner with the business

Act as a strategic partner to Sales, helping the team sell faster by supporting quoting, offer and contracting processes

Partner closely with Information Security on cybersecurity related legal and regulatory matters

Build strong working relationships across departments, making legal an enabler rather than a blocker

Manage the relationship and information flow between our external DPO and internal teams

Coordinate and manage external counsel where needed

What you bring

Experience

8+ years post-qualification experience, including 3-5 years in a commercial or contracting environment

Proven experience leading and developing a team

Experience in SaaS or another technology business, with a solid understanding of technical and commercial dynamics

Strong track record supporting Sales teams and commercial deal cycles

Deep data protection law expertise

Nice to have: experience in cybersecurity, working alongside Information Security teams, exposure to intellectual property law, and experience working with distributed/remote teams

2nd German State Examination (Volljurist)

Fluent in German and English (written and spoken)

How you work

Strong analytical skills, with the ability to translate legal concepts into practical guidance for non lawyers

Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills

Pragmatic, business oriented and hands on, comfortable working under pressure and to deadlines

Well organized, detail conscious, and able to manage time and priorities independently

Discreet and trustworthy when handling confidential information

Comfortable working cross functionally in an interdisciplinary, fast paced environment

What we offer

33 days paid time off (PTO)

Wellbeing and financial support: Access to Open Up, corporate discounts

Parental leave

Individual Development Budget: a personal yearly budget to support your growth

Healthcare and pension plans, availability varies by region

Connection & community: Virtual events, collaborative team activities, and opportunities for local meet ups

*Perks and benefits listed above are for full-time employees and may vary slightly by office location. These are just a sample—you’ll learn more during the interview process.

About Us

At SoSafe, we’re on a mission to make the digital world safer by addressing the human factor in cybersecurity. As one of the fastest-growing security awareness scale-ups worldwide, we leverage behavioural science and data-driven learning to empower people against cyber threats. Our Human Risk Management approach helps organisations turn their employees into their strongest line of defence.

Backed by leading VCs like Highland Europe and Global Founders Capital, we’re rapidly expanding across the globe. We’re looking for team players who want to drive meaningful change in cybersecurity, take ownership of their work, and grow with us.

If you thrive in a vibrant, purpose-driven environment that values innovation, diversity, and collaboration, then this is the place for you!