Senior Labor & Employment lawyer EMEA

Senior Labor & Employment lawyer EMEA

At ABB, we are dedicated to addressing global challenges. Our core values: care, courage, curiosity, and collaboration - combined with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities - are key drivers in our aim to empower everyone to create sustainable solutions. Write the next chapter of your ABB story.

This position reports to Regional General Counsel

Your role and responsibilities

In your role, you will be offered the opportunity to shape, manage and influence the design and/or implementation of our labor and employment strategies to ensure that the ABB Motion business is always operating within a sound legal, compliance and regulatory framework on all L&E matters for Motion EMEA. The Motion business is setting up and always working on improving their L&E law organization and needs support with this. You will handle a broad range of L&E activities and projects for Motion EMEA (either directly or through local legal counsels) and act as a legal project manager across the globe and strategic business partner EMEA, under the direction of the Global Head of L&E law for Motion. You will provide critical strategic input to develop the L&E EMEA regional strategy for Motion and coordination between Motion EMEA and other Motion regions (Americas and APAC). Motion EMEA countries are Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This role requires the individual to be able to counsel on a broad spectrum of labor and employment law topics, including labor relations, manage and assess potential risks and offer practical, coordination between Motion regions and provide creative solutions to business partners. The work model for the role is: This role is contributing to the ABB Motion team of L&E lawyers and is reporting into the Global Head of Labor & Employment law of ABB Motion. In this role you will lead and coordinate a broad range of L&E activities as a counsel for Motion EMEA and act as a strategic business partner EMEA in line with the ABB way decentralised operating model. You will also coordinate with your peers between the Motion Americas and APAC regions.

• Manage and coordinate L&E matters across the EMEA region, acting as a strategic business partner.
• Develop and implement L&E strategies, ensuring alignment with ABB’s goals and local compliance.
• Oversee and support the Motion EMEA countries with legal project management and local counsel coordination.
• Provide counsel on labor relations, risk management, dispute resolution, and employee relations.
• Drive the implementation of global projects, supporting cultural evolution and compliance with local laws.
• Manage multi-jurisdictional L&E initiatives and collaborate with other regions (Americas, APAC).
• Evaluate and manage external legal resources, including law firms and outside counsel.
• Provide education, training, and industry insights to internal stakeholders.

Key Competencies:

• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to lead complex, cross-regional projects.
• Extensive experience in L&E law, legal project management, and risk balancing in commercial settings.
• Proficient in managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex issues clearly and effectively.
• Expertise in international L&E law, particularly in EMEA.
• A collaborative team player with strong interpersonal and leadership capabilities.

Qualifications for the role

• LLM or equivalent qualification from a reputable university in EMEA.
• Senior Legal Project specialized in L&E law with experience in EMEA.
• Min. 5 years of international L&E Law experience and legal project management experience in a major law firm or as in-house L&E counsel or Legal Project Manager (or a combination of both).
• Legal expertise and commercial knowledge and familiarity with pricing of legal services.
• Work experience in a multinational environment with international clients and providing advice in relation to multi-jurisdictional /cross-border projects, including exposure to strategic business decisions.
• Fluent (bilingual proficiency) in English, with additional languages preferred for regional responsibilities.
• Willing to work flexible hours when necessary to connect with colleagues abroad.
• The preferred location for this role is the Netherlands.

More about us

We value people from different backgrounds. Apply today for your next career step within ABB and visit www.abb.com to learn about the impact of our solutions across the globe. #MyABBStory

Our offer

• 💰 Competitive salary based on your experience.
• 🎉 13th-month bonus + a solid pension plan.
• 🏖️ 27 vacation days + 13 additional leave days for work-life balance.
• 📈 Career growth in a global company that values development & innovation.

For questions regarding the open position please contact Xavier Lie-A-Tjam, e-mail: xavier.lie-a-tjam@nl.abb.com, tel.: + 31 6 21897862.