Product Counsel at Bentley Systems

Bentley Systems; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Bentley Systems is seeking an experienced Product Counsel in Dublin, hybrid role. You will advise on legal aspects across the product lifecycle, collaborate with Product and Technology leaders, and monitor regulatory developments to inform roadmap decisions.

This in-house role emphasizes practical business guidance and strategic risk management for a global software company. The position requires significant in-house experience, strong communication, and the ability to influence senior

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in Ireland, or equivalent qualification.
• 8–12 years of relevant legal experience, with significant in-house experience at a technology, SaaS, or engineering/infrastructure software company.
• Experience supporting global software products in privacy, data governance, IP, AI governance, cybersecurity, product compliance, cloud services, SaaS, APIs, or licensing.
• Strong understanding of modern software development lifecycles.
• Ability to influence senior executives in a complex global organization, particularly with product and technology teams.
• Experience operating in highly matrixed organizations with indirect influence.
• Strong systems thinking and commercial judgment.

Responsibilities

• Advise on product lifecycle from strategy through launch with legal guidance.
• Build relationships with Product and Technology leadership across Bentley's portfolio.
• Translate strategy and roadmap decisions into clear updates for LCA teams.
• Monitor regulations and tech trends to identify roadmap implications.
• Provide practical, scalable legal guidance to empower product and business teams.

Skills

In-house legal experience

Strong communication skills

Stakeholder management

Regulatory awareness

AI governance experience

Education

Qualified solicitor/barrister in Ireland

Job description

Location: Dublin, Ireland (Hybrid)

Position Summary:

Bentley Systems is seeking an experienced lawyer to serve as Product Counsel, who will be key to achieving our mission in reshaping how infrastructure systems and critical resources are delivered and optimized. Our software supports the design, build, and operation of global infrastructure across sectors like transportation, water, energy, cities, and industrial facilities. Our teams are focused on unlocking performance for our accounts by embedding AI into our products and technologies, providing unprecedented ability for our users to analyze, predict, and improve infrastructure systems. But as our solutions evolve, the legal, regulatory, commercial, and trust considerations surrounding our products also become more complex. The Product Counsel will help our product and technology leaders make the right decisions considering the intersecting complexities of these factors and balancing strong legal judgment with practical business acumen. In this role, you will help Bentley move faster and more confidently by bringing legal and regulatory thinking into product roadmap discussions. The Product Counsel will report to the Senior Director, Insights & Business Partnership (IBP) within Bentley’s Law and Corporate Advancement (LCA) organization. LCA is the steward of Bentley’s integrity, trust, and license to operate and grow. It houses core legal and compliance functions that protect the company and what it has built, as well as functions that advance the company and clear the way for what it intends to build next, like sustainability and education, government relations, and infrastructure policy advancement. IBP is the connective tissue between LCA and the rest of Bentley — facilitating two-way flow of knowledge and collaboration so the right teams have the right information at the right time to align, amplify, and accelerate Bentley's success. As the primary LCA business partner to Bentley's product and technology organizations, you will work closely with experts across LCA and the product and technology teams, playing a key role in helping Bentley innovate responsibly, strengthen account trust, and create durable competitive advantage.

Responsibilities:

• Roadmap partnership Serve as a proactive, embedded advisor through the product lifecycle — from early strategy and prioritization discussions through launch — bringing business and legal judgment to bear on decisions while they're still forming, connecting and collaborating with the right SMEs in the LCA team at the right time.
• Develop strong relationships with Product and Technology leadership, cultivating a deep working knowledge of roadmap priorities, strategic bets, and key build decisions across Bentley's product portfolio.
• Build genuine partnerships with LCA experts grounded in mutual trust, ensuring you amplify their reach and impact into Product and Technology.
• Two-way information flow Translate product strategy, priorities, and roadmap decisions into clear, timely updates for relevant LCA teams to ensure SMEs across the business unit can anticipate what's coming, align, and act accordingly.
• Act as an early-warning and opportunity-spotting connector: collaborate closely with LCA experts and the IBP team to monitor emerging regulations, industry developments, and technology trends to identify roadmap implications and ensure it reaches Product early enough to inform build decisions — so Bentley can compete and win.
• Bring a solutions-oriented, business-savvy approach to legal and cross-functional questions — representing LCA advice to protect the company while earning a reputation as someone who helps Bentley innovate and compete.
• Business enablement Empower product and technology teams to move quickly and confidently by amalgamating and translating complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical, scalable guidance.
• Partner with LCA and product teams to ensure product positioning, commitments, marketing claims, and contractual obligations remain aligned.
• Contribute to IBP's broader efforts to improve LCA's operating cadence, planning, and collaboration with the business, sharing insights from the product and technology relationship where relevant.
• Teamwork and culture Establish and maintain a clear, well-understood working model with LCA specialist teams so roles, handoffs, and decision rights stay well-defined as the relationship with Product and Technology deepens.
• Foster a culture of partnership, accountability, innovation, and sound judgment.
• Identify and leverage technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools to expand impact and improve the delivery of legal and business guidance.

This is a full-time individual contributor role expected to work 40 hours per week. Requires occasional domestic and international travel, estimated at up to 25%.

Required Qualifications:

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in Ireland, or equivalent qualification in another recognised jurisdiction, with relevant experience.
• 8-12 years of relevant legal experience, with significant in-house experience at a technology, SaaS, or engineering/infrastructure software company.
• Experience supporting global software products in one or more areas including privacy, data governance, intellectual property, AI governance, cybersecurity, product compliance, cloud services, SaaS platforms, APIs, or software licensing.
• Strong understanding of modern software development lifecycles.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and influence with senior executives in a complex global organization, particularly in product and technology teams.
• Experience operating in highly matrixed organizations and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong systems thinking: comfort connecting dots across roadmap decisions, market/regulatory dynamics, and cross-functional strategy.
• Strong business judgment and ability to balance risk management with commercial objectives.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into practical business guidance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in engineering, construction, or infrastructure-adjacent industries (AEC, industrial, utilities, or public infrastructure).
• Experience serving as Product Counsel, Technology Counsel, Privacy Counsel, Commercial Counsel, or a similar role within a software or technology company.
• Experience supporting AI-enabled products, developer platforms, digital twins, cloud services, or enterprise SaaS offerings.
• Familiarity with how regulatory or standards shifts (e.g., project delivery methodologies, safety or environmental standards) affect product strategy in infrastructure-related markets.
• Experience working within a US-headquartered publicly traded company environment.

About Bentley Systems:

Around the world, infrastructure professionals rely on software from Bentley Systems to help them design, build, and operate better and more resilient infrastructure for transportation, water, energy, cities, and more. Founded in 1984 by engineers for engineers, Bentley is the partner of choice for engineering firms and owner-operators worldwide, with software that spans engineering disciplines, industry sectors, and all phases of the infrastructure lifecycle. Through our digital twin solutions, we help infrastructure professionals unlock the value of their data to transform project delivery and asset performance. www.bentley.com

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Bentley is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers for employment all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, religion/belief, national origin, caste, age, or any other characteristic protected by local law or unrelated to job qualifications.

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