Legal Counsel Corporate, M&A and Finance

gategroup is a global food and hospitality company offering a full spectrum of culinary experiences and services for all tastes and preferences. We deliver operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving more than 700 million passengers annually in over 60 countries worldwide. We bring together the best culinary minds to shape the future of cuisine.

We are looking for a Legal Counsel Corporate, M&A and Finance to join our Zurich based team. Reporting directly to the gategroup General Counsel Corporate, M&A and Finance, the role supports all functions of the organization on corporate, M&A and finance matters, with particular emphasis on finance projects and capital markets financings.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide expert guidance on finance-related legal matters, with a focus on complex domestic and cross-border finance projects and capital markets transactions

• Ensuring compliance with applicable financial regulatory requirements and EU and Swiss stock exchange and listing regulations

• Supporting the structuring, drafting and negotiation of international bank financings and capital markets transactions, including syndicated and bilateral loans, structured finance (e.g. securitization, asset-backed lending) and debt capital markets transactions (e.g. term loan B, high-yield bonds, mezzanine financings, private placements)

• Drafting and advising on finance documentation relating to security packages, guarantees, subordination arrangements, credit facilities, term loan agreements, lease agreements, intercompany and third-party guarantees, cash pooling and recharge agreements, and related ancillary documentation, and drafting relevant documentation

• Advising and efficiently supporting stakeholders in group finance, treasury, controlling and tax teams as well as legal teams on group and regional level

• Supporting and negotiating domestic and international M&A transactions, including the due diligence process, and drafting relevant documentation

• Provide high-quality legal advice and efficiently support gategroup and its subsidiaries on general corporate and commercial matters, including with the drafting, reviewing and negotiating of all types of national and international commercial contracts related to procurement, corporate, HR as well as other legal matters with internal customers, suppliers and other third parties

• Support in legal fields of Swiss law like domestic litigation, enforcement law, employment law and similar legal issues

• Identifying risks and proposing solutions and guidance to support the reduction of risks and avoidance of disruptions to the business

• Drafting internal policies, including general directives, and procedures regarding professional standards, quality and risk management and related matters

• Manage the group’s contract template repository and advise internal customers on use of standard contractual documents

• Developing and providing relevant trainings to legal teams and stakeholders

• Managing and collaborating with external experts and international legal, finance and tax advisors, as needed, while effecting strict budget control

• Performing other duties as assigned by the General Counsel Corporate, M&A and Finance

Qualifications

Education

• Law degree from a reputable law school / university and admitted to a bar in the European Union, the UK or Switzerland

• Ideally supplemented by a post-graduate degree from a reputable law school / university

• Excellent academic credentials

Work Experience

• 3 - 5 years of relevant experience in an international law firm, financial institution, or multinational corporate environment

• Majority of experience in areas of immediate relevance to the role, i.e., handling of international finance transactions and as a second priority, experience in international M&A and corporate

• Comfortable working with senior stakeholders, advising and influencing on relevant decision-making levels

• Proven track record of working successfully in or with a wide range of jurisdictions and broad working knowledge of various legal systems

• Ability to perform each essential area of responsibility with skill, efficiency and practicality

• Solid experience working in an international and decentralized environment and in cross-cultural teams

Other Skills and Experience

• General agility, sound judgement and a highly developed legal and commercial sense with a pragmatic and solutions-oriented approach

• Spearheads legal projects, including finance transactions, manages them through to conclusion and conducts ongoing communication with senior management

• Team player in fast-paced and high-performance culture with highest levels of ethics and integrity

• Self-motivated, structured work approach, conceptual thinking, and strategic reasoning, while being hands-on and not afraid of making decisions

• Superior analytic and problem-solving skills, with outstanding attention to detail

• Strong business and operational acumen and ability to effectively balance legal requirements against commercial and operational needs

• Ability to handle multiple tasks, prioritize and deliver under pressure

• Excellent time management skills

Language / Communication Skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills that allow to effectively facilitate, influence and communicate with legal teams, senior management and other stakeholders as well as with external partners

• Effective negotiation skills

• Strong technical legal writing skills

• Fluent and articulate English speaker with advanced English drafting and writing skills particularly involving complex legal, commercial and operational concepts. Other languages advantageous