Head of Legal

sennder; Berlin; Vor Ort; EUR 180.000 - 240.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

Equity (potential)

Performance bonuses

Zusammenfassung

sennder is seeking a Head of Legal in Berlin to lead the legal function and align it with commercial priorities. You will report to the CEO and shape strategy across governance, contracts, regulatory compliance, and transactions.

The role requires a German law degree with 12+ years of post-qualification experience, proven leadership of European teams, and fluent German and English drafting and negotiation capabilities.

Qualifikationen

• Qualified lawyer with a German law degree or EU equivalent.
• 12+ years of post-qualification experience, combining in-house leadership with a strong firm background.
• Strong drafting skills in German and English, with excellent negotiation abilities.

Aufgaben

• Act as the primary legal advisor to the CEO, leadership team, and Board, flagging risk and offering pragmatic solutions.
• Lead and mentor a multi-disciplinary legal team across commercial, regulatory, IT & data law, and compliance.
• Oversee commercial contracting, governance, and cross-border transactions including M&A and JV work.
• Advise on strategic risk, liability, and commercial terms across shipper, carrier, and platform products.

Kenntnisse

Leadership

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Drafting (German & English)

Ausbildung

German law degree (Volljurist/Assessor) or EU equivalent

12+ years post-qualification experience

Jobbeschreibung

Head of Legal

sennder HQ Berlin • Legal • In office • Full-time

sennder is Europe's Leading Digital Freight Forwarder. In a traditional industry, we're moving fast and focusing on the digitalization and automation of road logistics. By leveraging our proprietary technology, we're building an ecosystem that is leading the industry into the 21st century.

We are looking for a Head of Legal to lead our legal function in Berlin. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will serve as the most senior legal leader across the group, setting the strategic direction for all legal, and governance matters. This is a defining leadership role at the heart of a fast-moving logistics marketplace, significant influence on company strategy, and the opportunity to recalibrate the legal function towards a stronger commercial focus, aligning the team with the business’s profitability priorities.

What you will do ...

• Act as the primary legal advisor to the CEO, leadership team, and Board of Directors, flagging legal risk early and offering pragmatic, business-oriented solutions at the highest level.
• Lead, mentor a multi-disciplinary legal team across commercial, corporate, regulatory, IT & data law, and compliance. Fostering a culture of proactive, business-embedded legal partnership, and AI adoption.
• Oversee the full spectrum of commercial contracting, including shipper and carrier agreements, SaaS and technology contracts, NDAs, and partnership arrangements, ensuring quality and consistency at scale.
• Advise the executive team on strategic risk, liability exposure, and commercial terms across the shipper, carrier, and platform product lines.
• Supervise and support sennder’s corporate governance framework, including board administration, entity management, and shareholder matters across multiple European jurisdictions.
• Own and evolve standard contract templates, playbooks, and legal operations processes, driving efficiency and scalability across the function.
• Lead the structuring of complex cooperation and transport framework agreements and oversee the resolution of contractual disputes and litigation matters.
• Support corporate transactions including acquisitions (M&A), cross-border joint venture projects, investment rounds, due diligence processes, and post-acquisition integration work.
• Manage the company's compliance framework, including transport regulations, anti-bribery, competition law, sanctions, data protection (GDPR), and ESG-related legal requirements, partnering closely with the DPO.
• Manage relationships with external counsel across Europe, optimizing cost, quality, and strategic alignment.

What you will bring ...

• Qualified lawyer with a German law degree (Volljurist / Assessor) or equivalent qualification from an EU jurisdiction; additional common law qualification is a plus.
• 12+ years of post-qualification experience, combining senior in-house leadership with a reputable law firm background.
• Proven track record of leading and developing legal teams in a multi-jurisdictional European environment.
• Deep expertise in commercial contracting, and regulatory compliance, preferably with experience in logistics, marketplace, tech, or platform businesses. Extensive experience in handling cross-jurisdictional matters is essential to succeed in this role.
• Strong understanding of EU regulatory frameworks relevant to logistics, digital platforms, data protection, and emerging technology regulation.
• Commercially minded with the ability to translate legal complexity into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders and board-level audiences.
• Strong drafting skills in both German and English. Fluency in both languages is required.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills with a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach to risk.
• Comfortable setting direction in a fast-paced, evolving environment, managing competing strategic priorities, and making decisions with imperfect information.
• A natural leader: collaborative, proactive, and eager to build a function, not just advise a business.

Why choose sennder...

We believe in empowering our people to grow beyond their limits, embrace challenges, and create solutions that drive our collective success. Our culture thrives on entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, and collaboration.

Dynamic Scale-Up

sennder is at a pivotal stage – transitioning from a scale-up to a sustainably growing company. This means we move fast and constantly push ourselves to improve. Joining us means being part of an ambitious, international team of talented individuals who value teamwork as much as bold thinking. Face‑to‑face connections across our offices remain central – it's not uncommon to travel to our offices across Europe to collaborate as we tackle challenges and celebrate wins, together.

Put Your Stamp on the Industry

We operate in a complex and ever-changing industry where your ideas and efforts have tangible, transformative impact. This is your chance to be hands‑on in creating sustainable, meaningful solutions that help businesses thrive.

Employee Well‑Being

We make mental wellbeing and engagement a priority through initiatives like our sennCare program, a partnership with nilo (global wellbeing platform), and regular satisfaction surveys via Culture Amp. And most importantly, work alongside people who truly care about you as a person. There is something special about the people at sennder that goes beyond just ‘work’.

Your Growth, Rewarded

We believe in rewarding our team for their commitment and contributions to our long‑term success. Our compensation package may include performance bonuses, referral rewards, or equity that align with our goal of building a thriving company together. We're excited to grow with you!

Vibrant Workspaces

Our offices are equipped with healthy snacks, focus zones, and social areas to keep you energized and connected. When you walk into a sennder office, you immediately feel the sennder spirit: our shared culture paired with each location’s own unique character. Highlights include a slide in our Wroclaw office and a sunny rooftop terrace in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Milan! We also enjoy coming together regularly, from monthly aperitivos to spontaneous team moments.

We celebrate diversity and value your character just as much as your skills. If you don’t meet every requirement, don’t worry, we still encourage you to take a chance and apply. Bring your authentic self and help us shape the future of logistics in Europe.