Director, M&A Legal @ UPM

Minjon Recruiting; Helsinki; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

UPM is seeking an experienced Director, M&A Legal to lead a new M\&A legal capability. The role reports to the VP, Chief Compliance Officer and M\&A Legal, ideally based in Helsinki, Finland, with hybrid work and international transaction exposure.

You will oversee mergers, acquisitions, divestments, JV activity and other strategic transactions across UPM’s footprint, developing consistent approaches, playbooks, and tools while coordinating internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in law or equivalent qualification required.
• Substantial M&A experience from reputable law firm or multinational.
• Strong leadership, transaction-driven mindset and business judgement.
• Excellent written and spoken English; Finnish or other language skills are a plus.
• Experience with due diligence, contract drafting and negotiation in complex transactions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate legal workstreams in acquisitions, divestments, JVs and restructurings.
• Provide pragmatic, commercially-focused advice to transaction teams and leadership.
• Coordinate due diligence and translate findings into protections and actions.
• Draft, review and negotiate transaction documents (SPAs, SHAs, ancillary documents).
• Plan signing, closing and transaction implementation activities.
• Collaborate with tax, compliance, finance and other functions on governance and risk.
• Manage external advisers and promote reusable M&A templates and tools.

Skills

M&A experience

Leadership

Contract negotiation

Stakeholder management

English proficiency

Education

Master's degree in law

Equivalent legal qualification

Job description

Hey lawyer with a proven track-record in M&A,

Are you ready to take the lead on strategic transactions in a multinational and multifaceted business environment? Do you find meaning in using your skills to promote sustainable and innovation-driven future in a global material solutions company?

If these sound like your career goals, please keep reading, because you could be the one we are looking for to join UPM as a Director, M&A Legal in a newly established role.

"UPM is entering an exciting phase where strategic transactions continue to play an important role in shaping our future. We are building a dedicated M&A Legal capability to support that journey, and we are looking for a business-minded lawyer who enjoys collaboration, takes ownership and thrives in helping organizations navigate complex opportunities and change."

Markus Skrabb, VP, Chief Compliance Officer and M&A Legal

As a Director, M&A Legal, you will join UPM’s Legal and Compliance function. The role is preferably based in Helsinki, Finland (or other UPM location), and you will report to VP, Chief Compliance Officer and M&A Legal.

In this role, you will take a leading, hands‑on role in mergers, acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures and other strategic transactions. You will operate across UPM’s business areas and geographical footprint, and work with business area leaders, senior management, Legal and Compliance colleagues, other corporate functions and external advisers. In addition to legal support in transactions, you will contribute to developing consistent, efficient and practical M&A legal ways of working across UPM.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• leading and coordinating legal workstreams in acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, reorganizations and other strategic transactions;
• providing pragmatic, commercially focused advice to transaction teams, business leadership and senior management;
• coordinating legal due diligence and translating material findings into contractual protections, risk-mitigation actions and clear decision‑making materials;
• drafting, reviewing and negotiating transaction documentation, including share and asset purchase agreements, shareholders’ agreements and ancillary documents;
• planning and coordinating signing, closing and transaction implementation activities;
• working with legal specialists and other functions on merger control, compliance, finance, tax, sustainability, employment, intellectual property, data protection and other relevant matters;
• managing external legal advisers, including scope, resourcing, quality and cost; and
• developing UPM’s M&A legal governance, templates, playbooks and transaction tools (including legal tech & AI solutions), and promoting lessons learned and knowledge sharing.

The role involves travel according to transaction activity. UPM’s team members currently work based on a hybrid work policy, but due to the collaborative and fast‑paced nature of this role, frequent office presence is preferred.

You could be an ideal candidate if you:

• are an experienced M&A lawyer with a master’s degree in law (or an equivalent legal qualification), who combines strong transaction expertise with sound business judgement and a practical, solution‑oriented approach;
• have substantial M&A experience from a reputable law firm, an international company or a combination of both, in which context you have led complex domestic and cross‑border transactions and have strong experience in legal due diligence as well as assessing, drafting and negotiating transaction documentation;
• take ownership, communicate clearly and move complex matters forward in demanding and time‑sensitive situations;
• are a credible leader and influencer who can build trust across the organization, aligning stakeholders with different perspectives, and influencing outcomes without relying on formal authority;
• understand transaction structures and the interaction between legal, commercial, financial, tax, regulatory and operational considerations;
• can translate legal risks into clear, proportionate and actionable advice and have strong leadership, influencing, project‑management, stakeholder‑management and negotiation skills;
• work effectively with business leaders, internal specialists, external counsel and counterparties;
• are proactive, structured and comfortable managing several workstreams under pressure; and
• have excellent written and spoken English (Finnish or other relevant language skills are an advantage).

Experience in listed‑company transactions, carve‑outs, joint ventures, merger control, foreign investment screening or post‑merger integration is an advantage.

UPM offers you:

• A meaningful role: You will contribute directly to UPM’s strategic development by supporting in transactions of significantimportance to the company.
• A key role with broad exposure: You will work across UPM’s businesses, functions, countries and organizational boundaries, including with senior management.
• An opportunity to build: As the first dedicated M&A Legal resource, you will help shape UPM’s shared M&A legal practices, governance, tools and institutional knowledge.
• Inspired and motivated colleagues: You will join an experienced, collaborative and international Legal and Compliance community.
• Development opportunities: The role offers varied and demanding transaction work and broad exposure to UPM’s businesses, strategy and operating environment.
• Responsibility for people and the environment: UPM’s ethical principles embrace people and the environment, and the company continuously works to build a more sustainable future.

UPM is a material solutions company, renewing products and entire value chains with an extensive portfolio of renewable fibers, advanced materials, decarbonization solutions, and communication papers. UPM’s performance in sustainability has been recognised by third parties, including EcoVadis and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. UPM operates globally and employs approximately 15,100 people worldwide, with annual sales of approximately €9.7 billion. UPM’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd.

Learn more about UPM here.

A security background check and drug testing will be performed for the selected candidate in accordance with the company’s recruitment guidelines and the Security Clearance Act 726/2014. UPM is a non‑smoking workplace in Finland.