We are Europe’s flagship research laboratory for the life sciences – an intergovernmental institution performing scientific research in disciplines including molecular biology, physics, chemistry and computer science. We are an international, innovative and interdisciplinary laboratory with approx. 2000 employees from many nations, operating across six sites, in Heidelberg (HQ), Barcelona, Hinxton near Cambridge, Hamburg, Grenoble and Rome. Legal Services is part of EMBL’s Administration and Operations reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, with lawyers based in Headquarters in Heidelberg (Germany) and in Hinxton, near Cambridge (UK) at EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), which is a world-leading bioinformatics centre providing biological data to the scientific community. We have overall responsibility for all legal matters involving EMBL. Given EMBL’s status as an International Organisation, its operation is governed by the rules of Public International Law. EMBL offers and maintains a vibrant, cooperative, team-oriented and open working atmosphere, and Legal Services is a diverse team of different nationalities and gender. We are now looking for a Legal Officer who can draft, review, negotiate and advise on a wide variety of agreements including those for the procurement of goods and services. Given EMBL’s dynamic nature, coupled with its unique status, the EMBL lawyers often need to be creative, think outside of the box and deal with the unusual; this makes for an interesting and varied caseload. EMBL has a successful history in identifying and obtaining external funds to further its research activities. The current external grant income to EMBL is in excess of €70 million per annum and in 2023 we had 474 collaborative grants. In the UK, major funders include the European Commission, the US National Institutes of Health, UK Research and Innovation councils, Wellcome, and other charitable organisations (e.g., Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Cancer Research UK). In this role you will also draft, review and negotiate agreements related to research grants, related consortia and collaboration agreements and whilst it’s important that you can demonstrate a keen interest in this area, we are willing to provide training to the right candidate, on this aspect of your role, if necessary. We support hybrid working and whilst we are recruiting for a full-time post, we may consider part time (minimum 4 days per week) for the right candidate. If you don’t meet all of the requirements but you meet most of them and are interested, we still encourage you to apply. Your role You will be part of EMBL Legal Services under the local remit and guidance of the EMBL-EBI Principal Legal Officer based in Hinxton, near Cambridge in the UK, who you will report to. Main duties and responsibilities include: Drafting, reviewing, negotiating and advising on a wide variety of agreements including those for the procurement of goods and services including IT related contracts and those relating to external grant funding and research collaborations (we are willing to provide training on the latter if necessary) Day-to-day legal advisory to internal stakeholders on a wide variety of sometimes complex matters You are expected to work collaboratively and effectively with various stakeholders, both at Headquarters and locally; these include scientific clients and scientific service teams, Grants Office, Procurement, Technology Transfer/IP, Data Protection and Compliance You will have the opportunity to contribute to the development and improvement of processes You may be required to travel to Heidelberg, Germany from time to time to ensure alignment with the Legal Services team members based in HQ You will be provided with training and support to understand relevant processes, tools, systems and EMBL’s status as an intergovernmental organisation. You have We anticipate that you will have a minimum of 5 years relevant experience post-qualification; A law degree (or equivalent such as the PGDL in the UK ), and are qualified to practice (although current bar or similar admission is not required); The ability to deal with the unusual. A keen sense for developing practical solutions and problem solving, whilst ensuring risks are mitigated to an appropriate level is key; Demonstrated ability to work effectively independently, but you know when you need to escalate matters; We expect that you will have solid commercial contracts experience, gained either in-house or in private practice, ideally supporting the procurement of goods and services including IT contracts; Excellent legal drafting skills; Fluency in English, including excellent legal review and writing; Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate and manage relationships with a range of internal stakeholders; Strong analytical skills and proficiency in legal research; Ability to handle different legal matters in parallel; Tact, discretion, and the ability to work harmoniously in a multi-cultural environment. You may also have An LLM or other relevant advanced degree (e.g. PhD); Some corporate or governance experience; Relevant expertise gained in a scientific environment; Prior International Organisation experience; Fluency in other languages which are relevant to EMBL’s work (German and French as EMBL’s other two official languages, or Spanish or Italian). Contract length: 3 years, renewable up to 9 years. Salary: Grade 6 or 7, monthly salary of up to £4111.80 after tax but excluding pension and insurance contributions. Plus generous benefits. 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 insurance for 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 package including installation grant (if applicable) Campus life: Free shuttle bus (select sites), on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and 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 strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ & individuals from all nationalities. 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 15/05/2025