Director Legal M&A

Location: Antwerp – flexibility available, including hybrid or remote working, with travel to Antwerp and other locations as required. 
Travel: Approximately up to 15%, depending on transaction activity and location. 
Reports to: Chief Legal Officer 
Contract: Permanent | Full-time 

Are you ready to take the lead on high-impact international M&A transactions? Join Sibelco as Director Legal M&A and step into a highly visible global role where you will shape complex deals from strategy to closing, partner directly with senior leadership and the Executive Committee, and influence some of the Group’s most important growth decisions. With real ownership, international exposure, and the freedom to make an impact, this is an opportunity to bring your legal expertise closer to the business and see the tangible results of your work. 

Responsibilities 

As Director Legal M&A, you will: 

• Lead the legal workstream for international M&A transactions, including acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, minority investments and carve-outs, from inception through closing and post-closing implementation. 

• Advise on transaction structure, sequencing, governance and execution strategy, identifying material legal risks and recommending pragmatic solutions. 

• Lead legal due diligence, prioritizing material issues and translating findings into clear, commercially focused recommendations. 

• Ensure legal risks are appropriately addressed through transaction structure, contractual protections, conditions, covenants, warranties, indemnities, insurance or other appropriate mechanisms. 

• Draft, review and negotiate complex transaction documentation, including confidentiality and exclusivity agreements, term sheets, share and asset purchase agreements, shareholders’ and joint venture agreements, investment agreements and related ancillary documentation. 

• Lead negotiations with counterparties and advisers, balancing robust legal protection with commercial objectives and execution certainty. 

• Manage signing, closing, conditions precedent and relevant post-closing obligations, including claims and purchase price adjustment matters where applicable. 

• Act as a lead legal adviser on strategic partnerships, business alliances, technology collaborations, joint ventures, minority investments and other business development initiatives. 

• Support selected Corporate Finance and Treasury projects, including debt financing, refinancing, facilities, guarantees, security arrangements, intercompany funding structures and related corporate approvals. 

• Coordinate legal input on merger control, foreign investment screening and other transaction-specific regulatory requirements, working with relevant specialists and external counsel. 

• Support internal governance and approval processes, including materials and legal input for senior leadership, the Executive Committee, Board of Directors and relevant Board committees where applicable. 

• Coordinate internal legal resources, regional Legal+ teams, external counsel and specialist advisers, ensuring effective delivery against project timelines and appropriate management of legal budgets. 

• Support the legal aspects of post-acquisition integration, divestment separation, transition arrangements, governance implementation, and legal entity restructuring. 

• Contribute to the development of transaction templates, checklists, playbooks and best practices, helping strengthen and continuously improve M&A legal practices across the Group. 

About You 

You are an experienced M&A lawyer who combines deep legal expertise with strong commercial judgement and a pragmatic, business-oriented mindset. 

• Master's degree in law and qualification to practice law in a relevant jurisdiction. 

• 8–10+ years of relevant post-qualification experience in corporate law, M&A and complex cross-border transactions. 

• Experience gained in a leading international law firm, a multinational company, or a combination of both. 

• Demonstrated experience leading M&A transaction workstreams and negotiating complex agreements across multiple jurisdictions. 

• Deep knowledge of acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, strategic investments, corporate restructurings, company law and transaction governance. 

• Strong ability to scope and lead legal due diligence, identify material issues, assess legal exposure and develop appropriate contractual and structural protections. 

• Advanced ability to draft and negotiate complex transaction, corporate development and financing documentation in English. 

• Exposure to corporate finance, restructuring, and post-closing implementation is an advantage. 

• Working knowledge of debt financing, guarantees, security, intercompany funding, capital management and related corporate approval processes. 

• Ability to identify and coordinate merger control, foreign investment screening and other cross-border regulatory requirements with specialist counsel. 

• Strong transaction project management capabilities, including workstream planning, stakeholder coordination, external counsel management, budget discipline, and deadline control. 

• Experience working with senior executives and governance bodies in an international, matrixed environment. 

• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex legal matters into clear and commercially relevant advice. 

• Full professional proficiency in English, written and spoken. 

• Additional languages relevant to Sibelco’s international operations are an advantage. 

• Willingness to travel internationally as required. 

Why Sibelco? 

This is an opportunity to take on a high-impact global role at the heart of Sibelco’s strategic growth agenda. 

• Take end-to-end ownership of complex international M&A transactions and strategic projects. 

• Gain significant exposure to senior leadership, the Executive Committee, and key decisionmakers across the Group. 

• Enjoy a high level of autonomy, trust and accountability in how you deliver. 

• Work across a broad strategic scope spanning M&A, business development and corporate finance. 

• Join a close-knit, supportive, and globally connected Legal+ team. 

• Contribute directly to Sibelco’s growth ambitions and 2030 strategy. 

• Work in an organization that is large enough to offer sophisticated international projects, yet close enough for you to see the impact of your contribution. 

• Help shape and continuously improve the way M&A legal work is delivered across the Group. 

Ready to bring your M&A expertise, commercial judgement and international perspective to a role with genuine strategic impact? 

We would be delighted to hear from you.