Senior Legal Counsel, Employment Law

About the Opportunity

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Strategic Advisory: Provide expert, business-oriented legal counsel on the full spectrum of individual and collective employment law—including employment contracts, compensation structures, terminations, benefits, and anti-discrimination topics.
• Works Council Partnership: Lead negotiation strategies and build constructive, collaborative relationships with the Works Council to co-create impactful works agreements.
• Agreements & Documentation: Review employment contracts, offer frameworks, and operational workforce templates, empowering People Operations to move fast while staying compliant.
• Dispute Resolution & Advocacy: Represent the business in employment-related disputes, proactively defending against claims while protecting our reputation and core values.
• Employee Relations Support: Advise leadership and people teams on sensitive employee relations topics, from performance management and disciplinary actions to complex grievances.
• Progressive Policy Design: Shape internal guidelines that champion fairness and comply with local laws, EU directives, and modern Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) best practices.
• Employee Data Governance: Safeguard employee trust by ensuring workforce data handling and retention practices remain strictly compliant with GDPR and privacy standards.
• Future-Proofing & Horizon Scanning: Stay ahead of key legal developments and EU directives, translating regulatory changes into proactive, practical business advantages.
• Complex Collective Negotiations: Confidently lead the end-to-end negotiation process on nuanced, high-stakes Works Council matters.

What you need to be successful:

• German qualified lawyer (e.g. German 1. and 2. Staatsexamen).
• Substantial experience practicing German employment law.
• Proven fluency in German co-determination mechanics and a track record of building positive, productive relationships with employee representation bodies (Works Councils).
• Relevant work experience either from a law firm or in-house.
• Experienced in organisational development and change management and you have a broad understanding of employee relations and employee representation.

• Fluent in both German and English, comfortable negotiating and drafting in both languages.
• Solutions-driven approach with a knack for translating complex legal nuances into clear, actionable advice that supports business momentum.
• High emotional intelligence, capable of building seamless relationships across People teams, executive leadership, and employee representatives.
• Uncompromising ethical standards and calm discretion when managing sensitive matters.

• Analytical & Drafting Excellence: Strong ability to synthesize legal research into crisp, persuasive, and practical documentation.
• Negotiation & Tact: Natural conflict-resolution skills with the diplomacy needed to navigate complex human dynamics and reach win-win outcomes.
• Creative Problem-Solving: Resourceful approach to tackling novel or ambiguous employment challenges.
• Agile Project Management: Structured and organised, with the agility to manage change and deliver high-impact initiatives smoothly.

What’s in it for you:

• Accelerate your career growth by joining one of Europe’s most talked about disruptors 🚀.
• Employee benefits that range from a competitive personal development budget, work from home budget, discounts to fitness & wellness memberships, language apps and public transportation. 
• As an N26 employee you will have access to a Premium subscription on your personal N26 bank account. As well as subscriptions for friends and family members.    
• Additional day of annual leave for each year of service.  
• A high degree of autonomy and access to cutting edge technologies - all while working with a friendly team of peers of diverse nationalities, experiences, and backgrounds. 
• A relocation package with visa support for those who need it.

Who we are: