Senior Legal Counsel, Employment Law

N26; Berlin; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal development budget

Work from home budget

Fitness & wellness discounts

Language apps

Public transportation pass

Relocation package with visa support

Job summary

N26 Inc. in Berlin seeks a Senior Legal Counsel for Employment Law to serve as the trusted advisor on individual and collective employment matters, ensuring compliance with German and EU regulations while supporting DEI initiatives.

You will lead negotiation strategies with the Works Council, review employment agreements, advise on employee relations, data governance under GDPR, and help design policies that balance business needs with legal risk.

Qualifications

• Qualified German lawyer with substantial experience in German employment law.
• Proven fluency in co-determination mechanics and positive relationships with employee representation bodies.
• Experience advising on both in-house and law-firm environments.
• Broad understanding of employee relations and organizational change management.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert, business-oriented legal counsel on individual and collective employment law including contracts, terminations, benefits and anti-discrimination topics.
• Lead negotiations with Works Council and co-create works agreements.
• Review employment contracts, offer frameworks and workforce templates to ensure fast, compliant operations.
• Represent the business in employment disputes and proactively defend against claims.
• Advise leadership on sensitive employee relations topics and governance best practices.
• Design internal guidelines to align with GDPR and privacy standards.

Skills

German employment law

Co-determination fluency

Negotiation skills

Employee relations

Education

German Staatsexamen

Job description

About the Opportunity

As our Senior Legal Counsel for Employment Law, you will be the go-to trusted advisor on both individual and collective employment law matters, ensuring compliance with local and EU regulations while supporting diversity and inclusion initiatives. This role manages negotiation strategies and leads complex works council negotiations, reviews employment related agreements, represents the company in employment disputes, and advises on employee relations issues. Additionally, it ensures proper data handling, maintains up to date knowledge of legal developments, and aligns organisational policies with legal requirements and best practices.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Strategic Advisory: Provide expert, business-oriented legal counsel on the full spectrum of individual and collective employment law—including employment contracts, compensation structures, terminations, benefits, and anti-discrimination topics.
• Works Council Partnership: Lead negotiation strategies and build constructive, collaborative relationships with the Works Council to co-create impactful works agreements.
• Agreements & Documentation: Review employment contracts, offer frameworks, and operational workforce templates, empowering People Operations to move fast while staying compliant.
• Dispute Resolution & Advocacy: Represent the business in employment-related disputes, proactively defending against claims while protecting our reputation and core values.
• Employee Relations Support: Advise leadership and people teams on sensitive employee relations topics, from performance management and disciplinary actions to complex grievances.
• Progressive Policy Design: Shape internal guidelines that champion fairness and comply with local laws, EU directives, and modern Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) best practices.
• Employee Data Governance: Safeguard employee trust by ensuring workforce data handling and retention practices remain strictly compliant with GDPR and privacy standards.
• Future-Proofing & Horizon Scanning: Stay ahead of key legal developments and EU directives, translating regulatory changes into proactive, practical business advantages.
• Complex Collective Negotiations: Confidently lead the end-to-end negotiation process on nuanced, high-stakes Works Council matters.

What you need to be successful:

• German qualified lawyer (e.g. German 1. and 2. Staatsexamen).
• Substantial experience practicing German employment law.
• Proven fluency in German co-determination mechanics and a track record of building positive, productive relationships with employee representation bodies (Works Councils).
• Relevant work experience either from a law firm or in-house.
• Experienced in organisational development and change management and you have a broad understanding of employee relations and employee representation.

Desired Personal Attributes

• Fluent in both German and English, comfortable negotiating and drafting in both languages.
• Solutions-driven approach with a knack for translating complex legal nuances into clear, actionable advice that supports business momentum.
• High emotional intelligence, capable of building seamless relationships across People teams, executive leadership, and employee representatives.
• Uncompromising ethical standards and calm discretion when managing sensitive matters.

Skills & Competencies

• Analytical & Drafting Excellence: Strong ability to synthesize legal research into crisp, persuasive, and practical documentation.
• Negotiation & Tact: Natural conflict-resolution skills with the diplomacy needed to navigate complex human dynamics and reach win-win outcomes.
• Creative Problem-Solving: Resourceful approach to tackling novel or ambiguous employment challenges.
• Agile Project Management: Structured and organised, with the agility to manage change and deliver high-impact initiatives smoothly.

What’s in it for you:

• Accelerate your career growth by joining one of Europe’s most talked about disruptors.
• Employee benefits that range from a competitive personal development budget, work from home budget, discounts to fitness & wellness memberships, language apps and public transportation.
• As an N26 employee you will have access to a Premium subscription on your personal N26 bank account. As well as subscriptions for friends and family members.
• Additional day of annual leave for each year of service.
• A high degree of autonomy and access to cutting edge technologies - all while working with a friendly team of peers of diverse nationalities, experiences, and backgrounds.
• A relocation package with visa support for those who need it.

Who we are:

N26 has reimagined banking for today’s digital world. Technology and design empower everything we do and it’s how we are building the global banking platform the world loves to use.

We've eliminated physical branches, paperwork, and hidden fees for an elegant digital experience and supreme savings. Giving people the power to live and bank their way is what gets us out of bed in the morning and inspires the work that we do.

We are headquartered in Berlin with offices in multiple cities across Europe, including Madrid and Barcelona, and a 1,700-strong team of more than 80 nationalities.

Equal opportunities for all

At N26, we believe our strength lies in our people and the varied perspectives they bring. We strive to build diverse teams that drive innovation and business success. We actively seek talent from all backgrounds and welcome applications from all genders, cultures, sexual orientations, abilities, neurodiversities, and ages.

We are committed to providing an excellent and accessible candidate experience. If you require any accommodations to make this process work for you, please let us know. We’re here to support you!

Discover more about Diversity & Inclusion at N26: https://n26.com/en-eu/diversity-and-inclusion