Job Title:
Legal Counsel (12-months contract)Contract Type:
Time Type:
Job Description:
We are seeking a Legal Counsel to join our Legal team in Geneva on a 12-month fixed-term contract to cover a maternity leave.
This role offers a unique opportunity to operate at the heart of a global commodity trading business, providing hands-on legal support to oil trading desks across multiple jurisdictions. The successful candidate will play a key role in managing legal risk, supporting commercial decision-making, and contributing to complex cross-border transactions and disputes.
Main Responsibilities
Provide legal advice to oil trading desks (operators and traders) on:
Sale and purchase agreements (spot and term)
Shipping, storage, transshipment and related contracts
Ancillary documentation (LOIs, guarantees, etc.)
Support contract negotiation and execution, working closely with internal stakeholders (compliance, credit, finance, tax, risk, insurance).
Advise on pre-contentious and contentious matters, including:
Trading and shipping disputes
Arbitration, litigation, mediation and enforcement
Management of external counsel
Provide legal input on commercial and corporate matters on an ad hoc basis.
Contribute to legal knowledge management, including:
Development of templates and precedents
Internal guidance and best practices
Collaborate across the global Legal team to ensure consistent and high-quality legal support to the business.
Profile
Several years of experience as an in-house lawyer or in private practice with strong trading exposure
Experience in commodity trading, shipping, or energy sector strongly preferred
Robust expertise in:
International trade
Commercial law
Dispute resolution
Strong commercial acumen and risk assessment capability
Ability to operate in a fast-paced, trading-driven environment
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
Capacity to manage multiple priorities under time pressure
High level of autonomy, rigor and pragmatism
Fluent English required (drafting and negotiation level)
Additional languages are a plus
If you think the open position you see is right for you, we encourage you to apply!
Our people make all the difference in our success.
Skills Required
- Several years of experience as an in-house lawyer or in private practice with strong trading exposure
- Experience in commodity trading, shipping, or energy sector
- Expertise in international trade
- Expertise in commercial law
- Expertise in dispute resolution (arbitration, litigation, mediation, enforcement)
- Strong commercial acumen and risk assessment capability
- Ability to operate in a fast-paced, trading-driven environment and manage multiple priorities under time pressure
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
- High level of autonomy, rigor and pragmatism
- Fluent English (drafting and negotiation level)
- Additional languages
What We Do
Gunvor Group is one of the world’s largest independent commodities trading houses by turnover, creating logistics solutions that safely and efficiently move physical energy, metals and bulk materials from where they are sourced and stored to where they are demanded most. With strategic investments in industrial infrastructure—refineries, pipelines, storage, terminals, mining and upstream—Gunvor further generates sustainable value across the global supply chain for its customers. More information can be found at www.gunvorgroup.com or @Gunvor
