For a financial services customer in Brussels, we are searching for a freelance senior Legal Counsel – Legal Ops & Contract Management to support the legal team across Belgium, serving as legal advisor for all business lines entities across the Belgium territory, including regulated entities and their branches and subsidiaries.
You will provide strategic and tactical legal advice, safeguard the customers interests under Belgian, and EU law, whilst ensuring regulatory compliance and enabling business growth in alignment with group standards and policies.
Responsibilities
Contract management
- Lead the negotiation, drafting, and review of contracts with clients, vendors, and partners across Belgium, ensuring protection of financial interests and risk management
- Implement strategies to mitigate legal and commercial risks; ensure compliance with group standards and applicable Belgian, EU law
- Ensure availability and updates of standard contract templates for commercial and technical teams; manage multi-jurisdictional implications
Regulatory & compliance liaison
- Support the group for regulatory and compliance matters across Belgium, coordinating and contributing to interactions with local authorities and regulators
- Oversee communications, contribute to regulatory inquiries answers, and ensure timely responses across all three jurisdictions
- Promote a culture of legal compliance across the Belgium and coordinate with the Compliance and FCC functions
Corporate governance
- Advise boards of directors and executive management of all Belgium legal entities and branches on legal matters, governance issues, and compliance strategies
- Assist with governance materials, board processes, and statutory obligations under applicable local laws
- Provide corporate secretarial support across Belgium
Dispute resolution
- Oversee and manage legal disputes or litigation involving Belgian entities; coordinate with external counsel and drive favorable outcomes
- Manage legal budgets and risk mitigation strategies across multiple jurisdictions Market awareness
- Monitor industry trends, regulatory changes, and competitive landscape across the Belgium payments sector
- Negotiate and review payment schemes agreements, advise on payment schemes strategies and provide assistance in connection with the customers attendance to relevant payment scheme committees.
- Provide proactive, actionable legal advice to maintain the customers competitive edge in the region Data protection and privacy
- Coordinate data protection initiatives across Belgium in collaboration with the DPO Office to ensure GDPR compliance and effective incident response
Training and knowledge management
- Design and deliver internal training on legal topics relevant to Belgium business operations
- Contribute to the knowledge base of the legal function across Belgium
Profile
- Master’s degree (LLM or equivalent) with qualification to practice in at least one Belgium jurisdiction
- Excellent written and spoken English; French proficiency highly desirable for regional coordination
- Minimum 8 years of international or multi-market legal experience (operations and contract management), including within payment market
- Strong knowledge of Belgian, corporate law; commercial contracts; dispute resolution; data protection (GDPR); and regulatory matters across Belgium
- Experience in payments, financial services, or regulated industries is highly desirable
- Outstanding negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills with proven strategic thinking and practical problem-solving abilities
- Proactive, resilient, solution-oriented approach with strong stakeholder management skills and ability to influence at all organizational levels
Additional Details
SENIORITY: Senior
START DATE: August
DURATION: 3-6 Months
EXTENSION: TBC
CONTRACT: Freelance
LOCATION: Brussels
ONSITE POLICY: Flexible
HOURS PER WEEK: 40
LANGUAGES: Fluent English
INTERVIEW PROCESS: 1-2 stages