Chief Legal & Governance Officer

ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences; Spain; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona seeks a Head of Legal Affairs to build and lead its internal legal function and become the institution’s senior legal reference. Reporting to the Executive Direction, the role combines senior judgement with hands-on work, playing a pivotal part in governance, IP, research agreements, and regulatory compliance across ICFO.

The successful candidate will design processes, templates and knowledge base, lead the legal team, oversee

Qualifications

• University degree in Law and appropriate professional legal qualification.
• At least 8 years of relevant professional legal experience.
• Strong practical knowledge of the Spanish and/or Catalan public-sector legal framework.
• Solid professional experience in intellectual property, research agreements and/or technology-transfer matters.
• Demonstrated experience independently handling complex legal matters and negotiations.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills.
• Fluent in Catalan, Spanish and English, including legal drafting.

Responsibilities

• Act as ICFO’s senior legal reference and advise the Executive Direction on complex matters.
• Oversee the quality and management of legal matters across the institution.
• Map legal risks and define the operating model and priority of the Legal function.
• Provide senior legal guidance on governance, transparency, conflicts of interest and public funding requirements.
• Monitor regulatory developments and support their interpretation and implementation.
• Provide expertise on IP, research agreements, technology transfer and collaborations.
• Support governance, boards, internal regulations and regulatory documentation.
• Lead the Legal team and coordinate external counsel when required.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Contract drafting

Legal advisory

Public law

English proficiency

Education

Law degree

Job description

ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona seeks a Head of Legal Affairs to build and lead its internal legal function and become the institution’s senior legal reference. Reporting to the Executive Direction, the role combines senior judgement with hands-on work, playing a pivotal part in governance, IP, research agreements, and regulatory compliance across ICFO.

The successful candidate will design processes, templates and knowledge base, lead the legal team, oversee