Head of Legal - Central Europe

Head of Legal - Central Europe

Building a sustainable future, together.

At WSP, we design the future of our communities. As one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms, we bring together expertise across transport and infrastructure, buildings, energy, environment, water and advisory. Across Central Europe, we combine local knowledge with international reach to deliver projects that create a positive, lasting impact for clients, communities and the environment.
We are growing out Legal Team and are looking for a Head of Legal - Central Europe based in Netherlands or France to help us shape what comes next.

The opportunity

The Head of Legal, Central Europe is responsible for overseeing the legal function across the region, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, managing legal risks, and acting as trusted advisor to the President of the Central Europe region, the Country MDs and functional leads. The role involves leadership of a team of legal professionals, handling a broad range of legal matters, including corporate governance, client contracts, intellectual property, employment law and dispute resolution.

Additionally, the role supports the business in navigating complex legal and regulatory environments while protecting WSP’s interests and helping to drive the growth of the business and realisation of the Strategic Growth Plan.

How you will make an impact

Your main focus areas will include:

• To act as principal lawyer for Central Europe, which includes Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Turkey, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Portugal (and other countries as the region expands)

• Reporting to the General Counsel for the Nordics, Member of the Central Europe Executive Committee, supporting the Central Europe Region President, Country Managing Directors and function heads across the Region

• Promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in the operations of WSP working closely with Compliance and Ethics team

• Leadership and guidance of legal advisors across the Region (approximately13 people) to deliver on the fundamentals of regulatory compliance, client contract review and oversight of claims, disputes and litigation;

• Responsibility for succession planning and professional development of all legal team members

• Identifying potential areas of legal risk within internal operations providing advice and guidance to mitigate risks

• Managing relationships with external legal counsel, controlling external costs and driving best value from those relationships

• Supporting the business and having oversight of Corporate Governance for companies in the Region

• Supporting the business with M&A due diligence from a legal perspective and active participation in integration projects working closely with the Global M&A Team including corporate reorganization work

Responsibilities:

Responsible for risk mitigation and oversight of:

· Managing the legal budget for the Central Europe region working closely with members of the Global Legal Team

· Claims, disputes and litigation (including supporting response to Health & Safety and Ethics and Compliance related investigations)

· Employment and labour law matters, including works’ council and union negotiations and relations (working closely with HR leadership and Country MDs)

· Membership of regional crisis management “Silver” team

· Client contract negotiations including developing policies and processes relating to client contract risk management and developing standard terms and conditions

· Embedding the use of technology, AI and Global Capability Centre resources into ways of working in Central Europe

· Implementation of Global Delegation of Authority policy (GDOA) and Regional derivations; plus implementation of Opportunity Risk Assessment process

· Responsibility for input into Enterprise Risk Management

· Organising and participating as an approver in the Go-No-Go process for High Risk Projects as part of the Central Europe Regional Approval Panel (RAP) and ensuring preparation for Global Approval Panel (GAP)

· Working closely with the Global Head of Privacy to embed GDPR and Privacy program for the European business, liaison with regulators, responding to privacy breaches etc.

· Legal and regulatory compliance and associated reporting to the Regional and the Global business including IP, ESG, AI and Digital matters

· Corporate governance, entity maintenance and legal filings for all CE legal entities

· Training the business (and legal team members) on legal, compliance and risk related topics

Does not include:

· Indirect Procurement contract review (handled globally)

· M&A transaction execution (handled globally)

Life at WSP

When our people thrive, our projects thrive. At WSP, you will be supported to build your career, take on meaningful challenges and learn from talented professionals across a global network. We encourage flexibility, new ideas and growth in ways that reflect different career paths and ambitions.

Our partnership approach

We see recruitment as a two-way conversation. Our process is designed to be transparent, collaborative and respectful of your time. While each hiring process is tailored to the position, it typically includes:

• Introductory conversation: A first conversation with Talent Acquisition to discuss your experience, motivations and expectations.

• Technical and team interview: A discussion with the business manager and relevant team members to explore your technical background and future contribution.

• Final Intreview: A final discussion with senior leadership, where relevant, to review the scope of the role, team vision and potential impact.

Come as you are

We are building teams that reflect the diverse communities we serve. If you see yourself in this role but do not meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. Your background, perspective and experience might be exactly what we need to move forward.

All applications will be treated with confidentiality and considered under equal opportunities principles.

Ready to help shape what’s next?

If you are looking for a role where you can learn, contribute, lead or expand your impact, we would love to hear from you.

Apply now and discover what you can achieve with WSP.

Accessibility and adjustments

We want our recruitment process to be inclusive and accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the process, please let us know so we can support you.

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