Senior Legal Counsel (m/w/d) EHS – Berlin

Tesla Germany GmbH; Berlin; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Tesla seeks an experienced attorney to support EHS regulatory compliance and enforcement matters for its Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg and the broader EMEA region. The role requires hands-on engagement with air, waste, chemical, and water-related issues, and frequent collaboration with EHS teams and business partners.

The successful candidate will have strong German qualifications, 10+ years in environmental and workplace safety, and a track record across law firms, in-house roles, or agencies.

Qualifications

• Qualified to practice law in Germany with Staatsexamen.
• 10+ years of experience in environmental and workplace safety matters.
• Experience in law firm, in-house, or regulator settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide EHS legal support for Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg and EMEA operations, including regulatory compliance and enforcement issues.
• Counsel and train internal business partners on EHS laws and internal investigations.
• Collaborate with EHS teams and other partners to assess legal impacts on major business decisions.
• Manage outside counsel for EHS regulatory matters, investigations, and responses to information requests.
• Participate in administrative and judicial conferences and proceedings with environmental and health & safety agencies.
• Oversee EHS due diligence in real estate and M&A transactions and site remediation projects.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

First and Second State Examinations in Law (Staatsexamen)

Job description

What to Expect

Tesla is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and experienced attorney to support, collaborate with, and guide business partners at its Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region on environmental and occupational health and safety (EHS) legal compliance and enforcement matters applicable to automobile manufacturing, service & delivery, lithium refining and battery development, renewable energy products, and sustainable recycling programs for end-of-life product disposal.You must be ready to put on steel-toed boots and traverse our facilities to learn the business and help support operations on EHS legal matters. The position will be based at Gigafactory and travel will be required to other company locations as needed.

What You’ll Do

• Reporting to Tesla’s Associate General Counsel for Environment, Health & Safety, and Security, provide EHS legal support for Tesla’s Gigafactory and EMEA operations, including counseling on all aspects of air, waste, chemical, and water-related regulatory compliance, permitting, and enforcement issues


• Collaborate with the EHS teams on EHS initiatives and work closely with EHS and other business partners and leaders to anticipate, assess, and manage legal impacts on major business decisions


• Counsel and train internal business partners on EHS laws, regulations, compliance and safety-related internal investigations while staying current on emerging trends in all facets of environmental & health and safety laws and regulations


• Work collaboratively with other internal attorneys, legal professionals, and business partners across the company


• Manage outside counsel in connection with EHS regulatory agency matters, including investigating and responding to requests for information, inspections, and citations from occupational health and safety, environmental, and EHS-related agencies


• Directly participate in administrative and judicial conferences and proceedings with a wide array of permitting and environmental and health & safety regulatory agencies


• Oversee legal support for EHS due diligence in real estate and mergers and acquisitions transactions; oversee existing site remediation projects


• Provide legal compliance advice, drafting, and implementation support on EHS policies and procedures

What You’ll Bring

• First and Second State Examinations in Law (Staatsexamen) - or an equivalent qualification - with above-average results and qualification to practice law in Germany, with experience across EMEA


• At least 10 years of work experience primarily related to environmental and workplace safety and health issues in the manufacturing, chemical, or energy industry. In-house counsel experience preferred.


• The ideal candidate will have substantial work experience on sophisticated EHS legal matters in a combination of a law firm, in-house, or state or federal agency responsible for environmental, safety, and health regulatory oversight, particularly in the air, waste, REACH/chemical risk and management, dangerous goods, and other regulatory programs as well as occupational health and safety enforcement and compliance


• Demonstrated ability to work independently while being able to contribute successfully to cross-functional teams, and to work efficiently, prioritize workflow, meet demanding deadlines, and manage multi-faceted projects in a fast-paced environment, where demands and priorities change rapidly


• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex legal and technical concepts to a variety of internal business partners with varying degrees of familiarity with the field of EHS


• Ability to quickly absorb material and distill pertinent information to provide timely and effective counsel


• Comfortable rolling up his/her sleeves and being hands-on, with a mature, "can-do" attitude and the ability to instill confidence in oneself among business partners

Tesla is an Equal Opportunity / Affimative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.

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