Legal Counsel - Central Europe

Our mission and customers: We are creating the freedom for SMEs to succeed by delivering Europe's leading finance workspace with banking at its core, augmented by financial tools. We are proud to be rated 4.8 on Trustpilot, based on 55,000+ reviews. Our culture puts customer satisfaction at the core of what we do, as proven by our Net Promoter Score of 75.

Our journey: Founded in 2017 by Alexandre and Steve, Qonto has grown to 1,600+ Qontoers serving over 600,000+ customers across 8 European countries. We have been profitable since 2023, and we are just getting started.

Our beliefs: We hire for skills and potential. With 80+ nationalities, 45% women, of which 56% of women in our leadership team, diversity isn't a program; It's who we are. We've built a discrimination-free hiring process because the best teams are built on merit.

AI at Qonto: AI is deeply embedded in how we work (here) - Every Qontoer gets unlimited access to the best AI tools. We want people who experiment without waiting for permission, push AI beyond the obvious, know when to trust it, and when to question it.

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Join us as a Legal Counsel for Central Europe and help us provide robust, day-to-day legal support across our fast-growing central markets (Netherlands, Germany and Austria), with a dedicated focus on the Netherlands. You will work closely with the team to de-risk our operations and enable local market growth and partnerships.

 

• Take ownership of the Netherlands legal scope: Act as the primary local legal point of contact, ensuring timely and high-quality support for local teams.
• Support the German and Austrian markets: Partner with our Senior Legal Expert to handle strategic legal topics and ensure business continuity in our central markets.
• Handle commercial and product topics: Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts, while ensuring legal compliance of new local products as well as managing local disputes and corporate formalities.
• Provide pragmatic legal guidance: Deliver clear legal analyses for local future developments and unblock business initiatives safely.
• Manage disputes: Handle pre-litigation and litigation matters when relevant to protect Qonto's interests.

• A highly transversal scope: You will be exposed to multiple fast-growing markets and diverse legal topics rather than being siloed into a single specialty.
• Autonomy with senior support: You will take ownership of your region while working day-to-day with a highly experienced senior peer who can help you navigate complex challenges.
• Cross-functional collaboration: You will partner closely with diverse local stakeholders, including Financial Crime, Operations, and Partnerships teams.
• Continuous improvement: We accelerate growth using structured tools inspired by Lean management. You will be immersed in this culture of continuous learning, which we call the Qonto Way.

🤝 About your future manager:

 

• His path? Ghislain has a strong international background, having studied law in both France and Germany. He began his career as a litigator (Avocat à la Cour) at top-tier international law firms like Hogan Lovells and Signature Litigation. He joined Qonto in 2021 and has consistently grown within the company, stepping up through various leadership roles before reaching his current position. 

• What he can bring to the team? With over five years of experience at Qonto, Ghislain offers a deep understanding of our legal framework and business operations. Fluent in French, German, and English, he brings exceptional expertise in navigating complex EU regulations, international commercial litigation, and high-stakes compliance investigations. As an experienced leader, he will guide the team with strong negotiation skills, strategic vision, and a robust international perspective. Ghislain values collaboration, clear communication, and a strong drive for problem-solving.

 

• Experience: You have at least 2 years of experience as a generalist in-house legal counsel, ideally within a tech/scale-up environment or a broader corporate setting.
• Commercial Expertise: Strong experience in negotiating commercial contracts and handling local corporate formalities. Exposure to banking or payments law is a plus.
• Languages: You have professional proficiency in Dutch (min. C2 level) and in English (min. C1 level). Fluent German is a big plus.
• Problem Solver: You know how to provide pragmatic, actionable legal advice in a fast-moving environment.
• Autonomy & Prioritization: You are comfortable managing multiple inbound requests from various local stakeholders, communicating clearly, and escalating when necessary.