Legal Assistant

Mission to metrics

The mission of The Ocean Cleanup is to develop and scale technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. Achieving this mission requires operating in a complex international environment, where strong legal foundations are essential to enable responsible growth, protect the organization, and support sound decision-making.

The Legal Department plays a critical role in enabling the organization to pursue its mission with confidence, integrity, and accountability. By providing clear, pragmatic legal guidance across contracts, compliance, governance, and risk management, the team supports both day-to-day operations and long-term strategic initiatives as the organization continues to scale globally.

As Legal Assistant, you are a trusted and integral part of this effort. Your work has direct impact across the organization by ensuring continuity, reliability, and clarity in legal processes. Through your contribution, the legal team can operate effectively, respond quickly to evolving needs, and focus on delivering high-quality legal support that enables The Ocean Cleanup to move forward responsibly and ambitiously.

“Within our legal team, we intentionally build a culture of belonging and shared purpose, grounded in honesty and trust. Collaboration and accountability are not aspirational concepts for us—they are built daily through consistent action and mutual support.”

Letícia Abreu Passos de Souza – Director of Legal and Public Affairs

The assignment

As Legal Assistant, you hold a central and highly trusted position within The Ocean Cleanup’s Legal Department. You enable the team to function at a high level by providing structure, oversight, and operational stability in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.

In this role, you work closely with both the legal team and the General Counsel, acting as a key partner in organizing priorities, managing workflows, and safeguarding consistency across legal activities. You bring calm and clarity where matters are complex or evolving, and you take ownership of ensuring that processes run smoothly, confidentially, and reliably.

The assignment offers a high degree of autonomy and responsibility, as well as close collaboration with senior stakeholders across the organization. It is well suited to a Legal Assistant who takes pride in their profession, values trust and accountability, and is motivated by contributing meaningfully to an organization with global impact.

Responsibilities

Legal team support

• Act as the operational backbone of the legal team
• Organize, maintain, and continuously improve legal documentation, contracts, templates, and records
• Coordinate workflows, approvals, signatures, and key deadlines
• Build and maintain structure in processes, trackers, and systems while work is ongoing
• Support compliance activities and respond to internal legal requests
• Prepare meetings, agendas, and follow-up actions
• Serve as a reliable point of contact for internal stakeholders engaging with the legal team

General Counsel support

• Provide high-quality, proactive support to the General Counsel
• Manage priorities, calendar, and preparation for key meetings
• Handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion
• Track decisions, actions, and follow-ups

Professional qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience as a Legal Assistant, Legal Secretary, or in a comparable legal support role
• Experience working in fast-paced, scaling, or continuously evolving organizations
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Proven ability to anticipate needs and act proactively
• Comfortable building and maintaining structure while work is in progress
• Strong communication skills in both Dutch and English
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion

Personal qualifications

• Calm, reliable, and grounded under pressure
• Proactive, ownership-driven, and solution-oriented
• Enjoys enabling others and strengthening overall team effectiveness
• Values clarity, efficiency, and accountability in daily work
• Takes pride in the Legal Assistant role and sees it as a profession to excel in
• Actively contributes to a respectful, honest, and supportive team culture