We are seeking a Germany-based Senior Legal Counsel to serve as a key legal partner to the business, with a primary focus on German export control law and related regulatory frameworks. This role will take ownership of complex, high-impact matters involving military list items, weapons of war regulations, and broader German-specific legal issues, while partnering closely with cross-functional teams to enable the business to move quickly and responsibly. This is a hands-on role for a lawyer who is comfortable taking initiative, making judgment calls in novel situations, and driving matters from start to finish.
Responsibilities and Duties
- German export control & defense regulation
- Advise on and manage compliance with German export control laws, including:
- Military List (Ausfuhrliste)
- Weapons of War Control Act (Kriegswaffenkontrollgesetz)
- Foreign Trade and Payments Act and Ordinance (AWG / AWV)
- Assess classification, licensing requirements, and risk related to dual-use, military, and defense-related items.
- Interface with German authorities (e.g., BAFA) on licensing, inquiries, and audits.
- Support internal teams with clear, pragmatic guidance that prioritizes speed without compromising compliance.
- German-specific legal support
- Advise on other areas of German law relevant to a technology and aerospace/defense-adjacent business, including:
- Commercial contracts
- Regulatory and administrative law
- Corporate and compliance matters
- Data protection (GDPR) and employment law coordination (as needed)
- Act as the local legal point of contact for Germany-specific legal questions.
- Cross-border and international work
- Support cross-border transactions and operations involving Switzerland and the EU.
- Coordinate with external counsel in Germany, Switzerland, and other jurisdictions as needed.
- Partner closely with the General Counsel on complex or escalated matters.
- Ownership & execution
- Take matters from initial assessment through execution and resolution.
- Build practical processes and guidance that scale with the business.
- Identify risks early, propose solutions, and move decisively.
Qualifications and Skills
- Fully qualified lawyer in Germany (Second State Exam), or equivalent qualification with strong German law expertise.
- Deep, hands-on experience with German export control law, including military list and weapons of war regulations.
- Strong working knowledge of German regulatory and administrative law.
- Experience advising technology, aerospace, defense, or dual-use industries.
- Fluent in German and English (written and spoken).
- Familiarity with Swiss law or prior experience supporting Swiss-based entities or cross-border Swiss-EU matters.
- Experience with:
- EU export control regimes and sanctions
- Compliance programs and internal investigations
- Government contracting or regulated procurement
- Product classification and technical regulatory analysis
- Comfort working in fast-moving, ambiguous environments with limited precedent.
- Prior in-house experience, especially in a scaling or high-growth company.
Benefits
- Flexible working hours
- Stock Options
- Generous holiday allowance
- Pension plan
- Extended social security package
- Enhanced maternity & paternity leave
- Wellpass membership
About Auterion
We are building the leading software platform for AI-powered autonomous systems for enterprise and government customers. Our team is supporting the most important missions and solving the most challenging problems.
At Auterion, we bring together the sharpest minds who love to solve the hardest problems. Join a vibrant team built on innovation, openness, and excellence, where you’ll be empowered to develop ideas, collaborate across all levels, and make an impact that matters.
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What We Do
At Auterion we care about providing enterprise with an ecosystem of software-defined drones, payloads, and third party applications within a single easy to use platform based on open-source standards. We’re leaders in an open-source movement bigger than ourselves and we’ve been on the same mission for over a decade, since our co-founder Lorenz Meier created Pixhawk, MAVLink, QGC, and PX4 (the world’s most widely used open-source drone autopilot operating system). Our mission is to be the drone platform of choice for enterprise, government, and drone manufacturers while accelerating the drone industry by driving forward open standards to create a common, future-proof roadmap in a thriving, open ecosystem of buyers and vendors. At Auterion, we bring together the sharpest minds who love to solve the hardest problems. Join a vibrant team built on innovation, openness, and excellence, where you’ll be empowered to develop ideas, collaborate across all levels, and make an impact that matters.
