Senior Legal Counsel

DHL Supply Chain; Fatih; On-site; Confidential; Full time

Job summary

DHL Supply Chain is seeking a senior in-house counsel to provide strategic legal guidance on transportation, warehousing, e‑commerce fulfillment, distribution, and customs operations. You will draft and negotiate a wide range of logistics contracts, support commercial teams with risk assessments, and oversee real estate lease negotiations for logistics facilities.

The role requires deep knowledge of contract logistics, strong negotiation skills, and fluency in Turkish and English, with

Qualifications

• Law degree from a reputable university in Turkey (LL.M. preferred)
• Minimum 10 years of legal experience, ideally in-house within logistics/supply chain/transport

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal counsel on transportation, warehousing, e-commerce fulfillment, distribution and customs operations
• Draft, review and negotiate logistics contracts including transport, warehousing, leasing of facilities, and NDAs
• Partner with operational and commercial teams to assess risk on proposals, tenders, SLAs and KPI-based contracts
• Oversee legal aspects of logistics real estate transactions such as lease negotiations for warehouses and cross-dock facilities
• Monitor regulatory compliance with Ministries and authorities and manage disputes and investigations

Skills

Contract logistics expertise

Negotiation

Litigation knowledge

Regulatory compliance

Turkish & English proficiency

Power BI familiarity

Contract management software

Microsoft Office

Education

Law degree

LL.M. in Business/Contract/International Trade Law

Tools

Power BI familiarity

Contract management software

Microsoft Office

Job description

Join Our #TogetherUnstoppable Team at DHL Supply Chain! Are you ready to take your career to the next level? At DHL Supply Chain, we are committed to excellence in supply chain management and consulting, delivering top‑notch services across various sectors including consumer, retail, life science & healthcare, technology, engineering & manufacturing, and automotive. With operations in over 60 countries and territories and a workforce of around 120,000 dedicated professionals, we are proud to manage approximately 23 million m² of storage area across 2400 locations worldwide.

Qualifications

• Law degree from a reputable university in Turkey; LL.M. degree (preferably from abroad in English) with a focus on Business Law, Contract Law or International Trade Law
• Minimum 10 years of legal experience, ideally as in-house counsel within the logistics, supply chain, or transportation sectors
• Strong expertise in contract logistics, including drafting and negotiation of 3PL/4PL agreements, warehousing, freight forwarding, bonded warehousing, customs clearance, e‑commerce and multimodal transportation contracts
• Strong experinece and in dept knowledge about the sector specific litigaitons and its precedents
• Strong industrial relations and its related labor law matter knolwdge and strong experince in Union negotiations
• Experince in Life Science and Health Care legislations and regulatory matters.
• In‑depth knowledge on national and international transportation regulations, including CMR Convention, TIR regulations, INCOTERMS, FIATA standards, and customs law
• Familiarity with logistics‑specific real estate contracts, such as build‑to‑suit lease agreements, bonded warehouse regulations, and operational licensing
• Experience supporting operational teams and sales teams (warehouse, transport, procurement, and customer relations) with timely, pragmatic, and business‑focused legal advice
• Solid understanding of data protection (KVKK & GDPR) in the context of logistics operations (e.g., driver and tracking data, cross‑border data flows)
• Proven ability to manage disputes related to loss/damage of goods, delivery delays, service‑level breaches goods and liability insurances and its recourse processes, and cross‑border litigation
• Advanced experience in compliance and regulatory matters including Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce licensing, permits, and subcontractor due diligence
• Strong corporate secretarial experince, including MERSİS‑based processes, internal approvals, and holding structures
• Strong corporate governance skilss and mediaiton skils for amicable solution oriented directions to be given to the business
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to build trusted relationships across functions and seniority level
• Strong communication skills to articulate complex legal matters in a clear, pragmatic, and business‑oriented manner
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with proven ability to influence and align diverse internal and external stakeholders
• Strong negotiator with proven ability to manage teams in different diciplines and customers
• Strong business and commercial acumen to provide direciton to the operational, commercial and sales teams
• Excellent command of Turkish and English, both written and verbal
• Highly organized, analytical, and capable of multitasking in a dynamic logistics environment ,
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); knowledge of logistics/contract management software, power BI familiarity is a plus
• No restrictions on domestic and international travel
• Committed to a long‑term legal career in the logistics sector

Job Description

• Provide strategic legal counsel to the business on transportation, warehousing, e‑commerce fulfillment, distribution, and customs operations
• Draft, review, and negotiate logistics‑related contracts including transportation agreements (land, air, sea), warehouse operations, leasing of logistics facilities, supplier/vendor contracts, subcontractor agreements, and NDAs
• Partner closely with operational and commercial teams, offering risk assessments and legal guidance on client proposals, tenders, route optimization models, service‑level agreements (SLAs), and KPI‑based performance contracts
• Oversee legal aspects of logistics real estate transactions, including lease negotiations for warehouse and cross‑dock facilities with landlords
• Monitor and advise on regulatory compliance, including Ministry of Transport, Customs Authority, and Warehouse Safety Regulations
• Represent the company in logistics‑related disputes negotiaons, regulatory platforms, including but limited to cargo damage, demurrage, late delivery penalties, and liability claims
• Support internal investigations, ethics & compliance programs, labor diputes and conduct regular trainings for operations and management staff
• Track changes in local and international logistics laws and ensure necessary updates to internal policies and contract templates
• Manage experienced group of subject matter expert external counsels in litigation, insurance, labor law and IR and administrative matters, while having a strong supplier management skils in terms of cost efficiency and quality of legal services
• Contribute to regional legal projects and knowledge‑sharing initiatives within the legal function
• Act as an trusted business advisor and be the strong member ot the Senior Management Board of the Country headed by the the Country Managing Director