Corporate Counsel, Europe

Smartsheet Smartsheet · Seattle · Germany · Legal

Smartsheet is seeking an experienced Corporate Counsel for Europe, based in Munich, Germany. This role will be the first dedicated legal hire in Europe, responsible for the Continental Europe legal function. The role involves reviewing, drafting, and negotiating commercial agreements, serving as the primary legal point of contact for European operations, building the European legal framework, advising on data protection and privacy (GDPR, ePrivacy Directive), and leveraging company-provided AI tools to deliver legal training. The position requires a qualified German lawyer with at least 6 years of post-qualification experience, including in-house experience, and fluency in English and German.

What you'd actually do

  1. Review, draft, negotiate, and advise on a broad range of commercial and corporate agreements including SaaS services agreements, data processing agreements, employment contracts, marketing and sponsorship arrangements, and event-related agreements with a primary focus on contracts governed by German law.
  2. Serve as the primary legal point of contact for European operations, working independently to resolve day-to-day legal matters whilst collaborating closely with the wider legal team across global offices.
  3. Build and maintain the European legal framework, including localised contract templates, clause libraries, and internal playbooks tailored to German and broader European requirements.
  4. Leverage company-provided AI tools and deliver practical legal training and guidance to European teams on key legal issues, regulatory developments, best practices, and company policies.
  5. Advise on data protection and privacy matters across the region, with particular focus on the GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive, and engagement with EU and national regulatory authorities.

Skills

Required

  • German law expertise
  • Contract negotiation and drafting
  • SaaS agreements
  • Data processing agreements
  • GDPR and ePrivacy Directive knowledge
  • English fluency
  • German fluency
  • Autonomous work capability
  • Stakeholder management

Nice to have

  • French law contracts experience
  • Experience supporting sales and regional operations in a cloud software or SaaS organization
  • DACH technology market understanding

What the JD emphasized

  • Qualified to practise law in Germany (Volljurist or equivalent), with a minimum of 6 years' post-qualification experience, including at least 3 years in-house.
  • Substantial experience negotiating and drafting contracts under German law is essential.
  • Full professional fluency in both English and German (written and spoken) is required.
  • Proven ability to work autonomously, manage competing priorities, and exercise sound independent judgement in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.