Legal Officer

Legal Services is part of EMBLs Administration and Operations reporting to the Chief Operating Officer with lawyers based in Headquarters in Heidelberg (Germany) and in Hinxton near Cambridge (UK). The unit has overall responsibility for all legal matters involving EMBL both nationally as well as internationally. Given EMBLs status as an International Organisation its operation is governed by the rules of International Public and Private Law.

Your role

As Legal Officer you will be exposed to a wide variety of legal matters and be required to perform a broad range of legal work including research drafting negotiations etc..

The focus of this role is dealing with employment-related matters including day-to-day legal advisory to Human Resources and other stakeholders regarding the interpretation and implementation of EMBLs legal framework in the area of employment as well as advisory on employment-related disputes and other formal proceedings. The postholder will work closely with a Senior Legal Officer handling employment matters.

The role may also include other matters in the following fields:

• Relations with other international research or commercial organisations
• (Scientific) Cooperation agreements
• Research Grants & Consortia
• EMBL status/institutional matters (Privileges & Immunities Relations with the Host Countries)
• Relations with EMBL Member States
• Commercial contracts

It is envisaged that you will initially be trained and closely supervised by your supervisors so as to provide the necessary guidance and quality assurance. Over time the expectation is that you should be prepared to work increasingly independent albeit in close cooperation with the supervisors. From time to time you may also be required to liaise with and oversee the work of outside legal will report to the Head of Legal Services and be supervised by the Head of Legal Services as well as the Senior Legal Officer (Employment).

You have

As our ideal candidate you will have a masters degree (or equivalent) in law demonstrating an international focus in your academic career and ideally at least 3 years of professional experience (candidates with less experience may be considered if their profile shows a clear focus on employment matters). You are qualified to practice (although bar-admission is not required).

Excellent legal drafting skills are required and experience in the following areas is desirable: International Public and private Law International Civil Service Law Commercial Law.

You will bring strong analytical skills and the ability to identify problems and offer pragmatic options for solutions. You will have demonstrated ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore you are client-focused and if required can work to tight deadlines and handle a multitude of legal matters in parallel.

Excellent communication skills in English are mandatory.

You may also have

• Working knowledge of French is an asset.

Contract length: 1 year (absence cover)

Salary: Grade 6 monthly salary from EUR 4.58037 (after tax and before 13% EMBL social security deductions) plus other paid benefits

Hybrid/flexible working arrangements can be considered.

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven community-oriented and international. As an inclusive equal opportunity employer we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives:Salary free of income tax Monthly family child and non-resident allowances annual salary review pension scheme death benefit long-term care accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements

• Private medical insurancefor you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off:30 days annual leave per year in addition to public holidays

• Relocation packageincluding installation grant (if applicable)

• Campus life:Free shuttle bus (Heidelberg) library subsidised on-site cafeteria casual dress code extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg) 10 days of child sick leave generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers:Visa exemption education grant for private schooling financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page to find out more.

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders identities nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date