Legal Counsel

Company

Orcrist is building a next generation data intelligence platform using cutting-edge technologies. We provide solutions to empower our clients to take decisive actions in complex environments, supporting competitiveness, safety, and resilience. Our Mission is to develop intelligence fusion capabilities to connect any amount of data and sources.

Role

We’re a fast-growing tech company currently expanding across Europe. To strengthen our team, we’re looking for a Legal Counsel who will take ownership of legal, compliance, and contractual matters across several of our entities.

As our first Legal Counsel, you will own the end-to-end legal function at Orcrist and across the broader group. You will be the primary point of contact for all legal matters, from drafting and negotiating commercial contracts to advising on IT law, employment law, data protection, and regulatory compliance. This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role with significant scope to shape how we build legal infrastructure from the ground up.

What you'll do

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial contracts (client agreements, MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, vendor agreements, subcontracting arrangements).
• Own and maintain the company's contract template library and standard legal documentation.
• Ensure GDPR compliance and act as internal point of contact for data protection questions; liaise with external DPO as needed.
• Advise on public sector and defence-adjacent regulatory requirements, including export control and security-relevant contract obligations.
• Manage external legal counsel relationships — scoping, briefing, and quality-controlling outside advice.
• Support corporate governance across group entities, including shareholder matters, intercompany agreements, and subsidiary structuring questions.

About You

• Fully qualified lawyer in Germany with successfully completed First and Second State Examinations (Erstes und Zweites Staatsexamen).
• Admission to the German bar (zugelassene/r Rechtsanwalt / Rechtsanwältin)
• 4+ years of post-qualification legal experience gained in-house and/or in private practice, ideally combining both environments.
• Strong experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial B2B contracts, particularly in the areas of IT and software law, including software licensing, SaaS agreements, and IP-related clauses.
• Solid knowledge of German employment law and experience advising on day-to-day employment-related matters.
• Practical experience with GDPR and data protection compliance, including drafting and negotiating data processing agreements and handling data subject requests.
• Prior experience working at a large law firm.
• Pragmatic, business-oriented mindset with strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Comfortable working in a tech environment and learning digital tools quickly.
• Full professional fluency in German (native or equivalent) and English — contract drafting and advising in both languages.

Nice‑to‑haves

• Experience advising on public sector contracts or framework agreements (EVB-IT, VOL/A, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with export control law (AWG, AWV, Dual-Use Regulation) or security clearance-adjacent requirements under SÜG.
• Prior in-house experience at a tech startup or scale-up.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to build and own the legal function of a fast-growing deep-tech company.
• High level of autonomy and direct collaboration with founders and leadership.
• Broad exposure across commercial, technology, data protection, employment, and regulatory matters.