General Legal Counsel (m/f/d)

About the Job

As a key growth accelerator, A11 partners with Europe’s most ambitious startups and scaleups, corporates, and SMBs to connect them with top-tier talent ready to make an impact.

We’re looking for an experienced General Legal Counsel (m/f/d) to join and lead the legal, compliance, and governance functions at one of our Ecosystem Companies.

As an General Legal Counsel, you’ll act as a trusted advisor to leadership and teams across the business, managing a wide variety of commercial, employment, and compliance matters while driving scalable legal processes that enable growth.

Join the A11 Ecosystem – A next-generation supply chain platform, the company is redefining how one of the world’s largest industries sources, distributes, and finances materials. Engineered to unlock the full potential of global trade, it harnesses agentic AI and workflow automation to provide seamless, high-efficiency access to premium materials at scale. Since its commercial rollout, the platform has fueled exponential growth, optimizing procurement for thousands of businesses while setting new benchmarks for speed, transparency, and efficiency. Its competitive edge lies in full digitization and AI-driven supply chain management automation, eliminating inefficiencies and creating a direct, intelligent bridge between suppliers and buyers. With a team of 80+ FTEs across Europe (Berlin HQ), China, and India, the company is rapidly scaling toward profitability, driving triple-digit million GMV, and setting new industry standards in autonomous, AI-powered supply chain orchestration.

In this role, you’ll:

Commercial & Contracting Excellence

• Draft, negotiate, and close high-value commercial contracts across B2B sales, procurement, logistics, SaaS, and partnerships.
• Build scalable contract templates, playbooks, fallback rules, and negotiation guidelines that shorten deal cycles while protecting the company.
• Advise Sales, Procurement, Growth, and Finance on pricing structures, payment terms, supplier agreements, international expansion, and new business models.
• Manage supplier disputes, customer claims, and operational risk situations pragmatically and commercially.
• Translate legal risk into clear, actionable decisions for the business.

M&A Execution

• Lead the legal lifecycle of approximately three acquisitions per year
• Own the SPA process, coordinate local counsel across jurisdictions, and drive deals to closing
• Support due diligence, transaction structuring, and integration planning

People & Employment Law

• Support the People team on German employment law matters including hiring, contracts, terminations, warnings, restructurings, and compliance
• Draft and refine employment agreements, HR guidelines, and internal policies
• Advise leadership on complex personnel matters with clarity, empathy, and legal precision

Compliance, Governance & Risk

• Monitor EU and German regulatory developments affecting trade, logistics, payments, data, and digital operations.
• Manage corporate governance matters for German entities and coordinate with external counsel where required.
• Design simple, scalable compliance processes aligned with our operational model.
• Promote a culture of proactive compliance and commercial discipline.

Your Profile:

• AI-Native: You don't just "use" AI; you prompt-engineer your workflow. You are comfortable building a "no-code" legal stack.
• Volljurist/in with two Staatsexamina and eligible for registration as Syndikusrechtsanwalt.
• 3+ years PQE from a top-tier law firm or in-house team—ideally in tech, marketplaces, logistics, or fast-scaling B2B businesses.
• Business-fluent in German and English (English is our internal operating language).
• Operational Mindset: You value deal velocity over long memos. You quantify risk in dollars, not just "could/might" language.
• Thrives in an office-only, high-tempo environment with fast decisions and constant iteration.

Please note that this position is based in Berlin.

Benefits and Perks:

• Fulfil a role with entrepreneurial freedom and help scale a high-impact business model
• Join an experienced founding team of serial and 2nd-time founders
• Attractive base and bonus compensation program
• Collaborate with top-tier investors and angels (incl. various unicorn founders) as well as leading market experts

If you’re eager to join the A11 Ecosystem and shape what’s next, we want to hear from you!

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

A11 is committed to diverse and equal opportunities hiring for all – applicants, candidates, and employees alike. We value humans – with all our glorious multifaceted backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences – and look forward to your application.