Legal Director

Acolad is the global leader in content and language solutions. Its mission is to support companies in every industry to scale across markets and enable growth through cutting-edge technology and localization expertise. Established in 1993, the group is present in 23 countries across Europe, North America, and Asia, with over 1.800 employees supported by a network of +20.000 linguists around the world.

At Acolad, every position is key to our global growth: we know that we will only succeed if our people succeed.

Joining Acolad means a unique opportunity for professional development through a collaborative global environment that promotes talent and creativity. We are continuously looking for new talent (like you!) to support our mission to drive growth and innovation across some of the world's leading brands.

We are currently looking for a Legal Director, to join our Lisbon office. This is a permanent and full-time position.

The Legal Director serves as the chief legal officer for Acolad group, responsible for overseeing all legal matters and providing strategic legal advice to the executive team. The Legal Director ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, manages the legal team and outside counsel, and mitigates legal risks. This position plays a crucial role in supporting business goals while protecting the organization's interests.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide legal counsel and guidance to the CFO and the executive team on a wide range of legal issues, including corporate governance, compliance, contracts, litigation, and risk management.
• Anticipate and identify legal risks; develop strategies to address and mitigate them.
• Develop and implement an internal AI governance framework, including policies for the responsible use of AI technologies to ensure that company's AI initiatives comply with emerging regulations, industry standards, and best practices concerning AI ethics, transparency, and fairness.

• Advise on corporate governance matters, including board procedures, ethics, conflicts of interest, and shareholder relations.
• Oversee the preparation of board resolutions, minutes, and governance documents, including working with external counsel as necessary.
• Ensure compliance with corporate governance standards, securities regulations, and other legal requirements.

• Draft, review, negotiate, and approve a wide variety of agreements and contracts (e.g., commercial, vendor, customer, partnership agreements).
• Draft and negotiate contracts involving AI third parties and oversee AI systems implementation ensuring data protection, cybersecurity, and intellectual property rights.
• Ensure that contracts align with company strategy, industry standards and legal compliance.
• Maintain the legal framework updated to cover potential and/or newly identified risks including liability.

• Ensure the company's adherence to legal and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions, including anti-corruption laws (such as Loi Sapin II), intellectual property and industry-specific regulations.
• Develop and implement company-wide policies and procedures that promote ethical behavior and compliance.
• Oversee audits with Know Your Customer questionnaires, internal investigations, and risk assessments.

• Manage all aspects of business pre-litigation, disputes and claims, including working with external as necessary.

• Lead and manage the legal department, including hiring, training, and supervising in-house counsel and legal staff.
• Oversee relationships with outside counsel and manage legal budgets and costs.

• Provide legal oversight and due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions.
• Structure and negotiate deal terms, ensuring they are favorable to the company.

• Protect the company's intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
• Advise on IP licensing agreements and disputes.

• Manage with external counsel group insurance policies and covers.
• Centralize local insurance obligations through external counsel direct partners.

Requirements

Qualifications:

• Education: Master degree from an accredited law school.
• Experience: 12 to 15 years of legal experience, with at least 10 years in a corporate setting or law firm specializing in corporate, commercial, or transactional law.
• Experience with managing complex legal matters, including litigation, contracts, and corporate governance.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory environments and compliance matters.

Key Competencies:

• Fluency in English is mandatory and fluency in French would be a real plus.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to align legal solutions with business objectives.
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills.
• Proven leadership and management abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under tight deadlines.
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity.

Benefits

• ☀️ Location: Paço de Arcos, Lisbon

• 🍽️ Meal allowance
• ⚕️ Health insurance
• 🚇 Transport allowance
• ➕ Seniority days
• 🔀 Flexible Workplace

• 🌎 International environment with multicultural teams
• 💼 Professional development and growth opportunities

Acolad is committed to creating a diverse and equitable workforce. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms—gender, age, disability, marital status, ethnic or social origin, religion, belief, or sexual orientation—enrich the workplace. It opens opportunities for individuals to express their talents, both individually and collectively, and strengthens our ability to adapt to a changing world. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their backgrounds.