Head of EMEA, Legal

Biotechnology is rewriting life as we know it, from the medicines we take, to the crops we grow, the materials we wear, and the household goods that we rely on every day. But moving at the new speed of science requires better technology.

Benchling’s mission is to unlock the power of biotechnology. The world’s most innovative biotech companies use Benchling’s R&D Cloud to power the development of breakthrough products and accelerate time to milestone and market. 

Come help us bring modern software to modern science.

ROLE OVERVIEW

We are looking for a mission-driven, collaborative, and highly motivated individual to join Benchling as a critical member of the legal team. As Head of EMEA, Legal, you will be a trusted advisor to Benchling’s EMEA teams, supporting revenue growth in Europe and guiding compliance across multiple jurisdictions. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced, pragmatic, and business-oriented attorney to provide comprehensive legal guidance across a range of matters, with a primary focus on commercial transactions and regional employment law. The ideal candidate will be based in/near London or Zurich.

What You'll Do:

• Commercial Transactions: Own and manage the full lifecycle of commercial contracts for our EMEA operations. This includes structuring, drafting, and negotiating SaaS agreements, professional services and outsourcing agreements, partner agreements, DPAs and security addendums, and other operational agreements for customers. You'll work closely with our EMEA sales and revenue operations teams to accelerate deals, provide strategic legal advice on complex issues, and ensure efficient, timely support for customer negotiations and other commercial transactions.
• Process Improvement: Collaborate with the Head of Commercial, Legal and other global legal team members to develop and implement efficient, scalable, localized contracting policies, practices, and processes. You'll also evolve and manage training programs for the EMEA sales organization on negotiation best practices and relevant legal issues.
• Risk Mitigation and  Business Partnership: Apply sound judgment to assess risks associated with non-standard legal positions and collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement practical mitigation strategies. You'll provide clear, concise guidance to senior stakeholders on legal risks and liabilities within proposed commercial transactions, finding creative solutions to drive successful deal completion while fostering positive internal and external relationships.
• Employment Law: Partner with our global HR, legal, and business leaders on a wide range of European employment law matters. You will proactively identify and mitigate employment legal risks and disputes leveraging your experience, and manage relationships with local outside counsel. You will also guide the business on hiring, compensation, commission plans, benefits, performance management, leaves of absence, and contingent workers across multiple jurisdictions. 
• Compliance, Data Protection, and Incident Response: Maintain a working knowledge of relevant laws and regulations, particularly GDPR, NIS2, and other customer data protection and cybersecurity laws, and advise on their implications for Benchling's business in EMEA. You will also help coordinate our incident responses in EMEA alongside our U.S.  legal and security team and outside counsel.
• Broader Legal Matters: Provide support and collaborate on other regional matters, including international expansion and general compliance.

About You:

• Experience: 10+ years of general in-house legal experience, with at least 5 years specifically focused on commercial enterprise SaaS transactions. Experience supporting sales and go-to-market activities in biotech, healthcare, or life sciences industries is a plus. Experience navigating employment law across multiple European jurisdictions is essential.
• Qualified attorney or solicitor (or EU equivalent) with experience in an English-speaking jurisdiction preferred.
• Strategic Thinker: Proven ability to provide entrepreneurial, pragmatic, and business-oriented legal advice, balancing legal risk with business objectives. You can translate complex legal concepts into actionable frameworks for non-legal colleagues.
• Autonomous and Collaborative: Comfortable operating autonomously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.  Also a team player who can build strong, trusted partnerships with leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional Communicator: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. You can advocate for a position without legalese, maintaining a collaborative and open-minded approach.
• Organized and Detail-Oriented: Highly organized, reliable, and diligent, with the ability to manage multiple issues simultaneously and set appropriate priorities.
• Growth Mindset: You embrace change and practice with kindness, humility, integrity, and humor.  You are also intellectually curious and proactively seek ways for the legal team to positively impact the business.

COMPANY BENEFITS - EMEA 

Benchling takes a market-based approach to pay.  The candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and work location.

Total Compensation includes the following:

• Competitive salary and equity
• Fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits
• Four months of fully paid parental leave
• Home office stipend (Remote Only)
• Mental health benefits + wellness stipend
• Learning and development reimbursement
• 25 days vacation days + public holidays
• Company-wide Winter holiday shutdown
• Sabbaticals for 5-year and 10-year anniversaries
• Remote perks including travel to hubs
• In-office perks (Zurich Only - In Office)
• Commuter benefits (Zurich Only - In Office)

#LI-Remote 
#BI-Remote
#LI-TD1

Benchling welcomes everyone. 

We believe diversity enriches our team so we hire people with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences. 

We are an equal opportunity employer. That means we don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Please be aware that Benchling will never request personal information, payment, or sensitive details outside of Greenhouse or via email. All official communications will come from an @benchling.com email address or from an approved vendor alias. If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent Benchling and are unsure of their legitimacy, please reach out to us at recruiting-fraud-alert@benchling.com to verify the communication.