Legal Counsel

Rentman is a B2B SaaS scaleup building a smart, powerful operations management platform for event and media production teams. Our users plan everything from small shoots to massive festivals in 70+ countries, relying on Rentman to keep their gear, people, and timing perfectly in sync. We're based in Utrecht (NL) with a second office in Toronto (CA). Our 100+ team members work in a culture that's open, flat, and inclusive — curiosity drives us, ownership matters, and everyone has the freedom to challenge ideas and make an impact.

Mission of this role

Rentman is scaling fast — and we're looking for someone to build and own the legal and compliance function that grows with us.

As our first dedicated Legal & Compliance Counsel, you'll have a rare opportunity: a clean slate, real influence, and a seat at the table from day one. You'll become the trusted expert partner for our leadership team and every key department — Commercial, Engineering, Product, and Finance — shaping how Rentman operates as a mature, responsible business.

Your remit spans the full picture: commercial contracting, employment law, GDPR, and information security (including ISO 27001). You won't be buried in a legal department, fielding tickets. You'll build the self-service infrastructure that lets the business move fast without creating risk — and you'll be the single accountable owner who makes that possible. This is a part-time role at 0.6 FTE, so building systems that scale beyond your hours isn't just a nice-to-have: it's the job.

This is the role for a lawyer who wants to do more than advise. You'll leave a clear mark on how Rentman scales.

What you'll do

Commercial contracting.

• You'll review and negotiate customer and vendor contracts and build a contract library that empowers Sales to close without waiting on legal.
• You'll also support Finance and Sales on DPAs, customer audits, and enterprise procurement requirements.

Employment law

• You'll own the NL employment law framework and provide practical guidance on our Canadian and German footprint.
• The goal is to build templates and decision rules that let the People team handle most standard cases independently — with you as the expert backstop.

GDPR / AVG

• You'll run the full GDPR programme in an informal DPO capacity.
• You'll also keep privacy and security awareness alive as an ongoing culture, not a once-a-year checkbox.

ISO 27001 & information security

• You'll own the ISMS end-to-end — internal audits, external audit support, and annual recertification.
• You'll be the bridge between compliance requirements and the Product and Engineering teams who need to understand what they mean in practice.

Stakeholder partnership

• You'll be the legal voice people actually want to call — translating complex questions into clear, actionable answers for engineers, salespeople, and product managers.

The real challenge

This role calls for someone who thinks in systems, not just answers. You'll build the infrastructure that multiplies your impact over time. The scope is big — and the expectation is that you'll make it manageable through smart prioritisation, template-first thinking, and a bias toward enabling others rather than bottlenecking decisions.

You'll need to know when to say no, and how to say it so the business understands the consequences — not just the legal reasoning.

Who are you

• A Qualified lawyer with 5+ years of experience in commercial law, privacy, and/or employment law
• Solid grounding in GDPR / AVG and hands-on experience managing a compliance programme
• Familiarity with ISO 27001 and information security governance (ownership experience a strong plus)
• Dutch employment law expertise; awareness-level knowledge of German and Canadian law is a bonus
• Fluent in English; Dutch is a plus
• A natural communicator who makes legal complexity feel accessible — not intimidating
• Comfortable operating independently in a scale-up environment, without a team around you (yet)

What you’ll get

• Real ownership of Rentman's entire legal and compliance function — not a reviewer role
• A "13th month" annual bonus based on company results
• 25 days of paid vacation, plus one extra day off each year up to your 5-year anniversary
• A paid 4-week sabbatical after 5 years
• Flexible WFH policy & work from anywhere for 4 weeks per year
• 0.6 FTE with flexibility across days — open to 0.8 FTE for the right candidate
• An annual training budget to boost your skills
• A pension plan via BrightPensioen
• Access to OpenUp for mental well-being and personal growth
• Sports activities (Rentman football team, squash and padel) and an Urban Sports fitness subscription
• An OV Business card if you live further than 10km from the office
• Free lunches, office perks (PS5, Ping Pong, D&D), legendary karaoke parties, and team activities
• An amazing office in the heart of Utrecht at the historical Drift 17