Head of Contracts - ABB Motion

Bij ABB helpen we industrieën om voorop te blijven lopen – efficiënter en duurzamer. Hier is vooruitgang een verwachting - voor jou, je team en de wereld. Als wereldwijde marktleider geven we je wat je nodig hebt om het waar te maken. Het zal niet altijd gemakkelijk zijn, groeien vergt doorzettingsvermogen. Maar bij ABB sta je er nooit alleen voor. Run what runs the world.

At ABB, we help industries outrun - leaner and cleaner. Here, progress is an expectation - for you, your team, and the world. As a global market leader, we’ll give you what you need to make it happen. It won’t always be easy, growing takes grit. But at ABB, you’ll never run alone. Run what runs the world.

Role Overview

As the Head of Contracts, you serve as the subject matter expert on all types of contracts—including sales and purchase agreements for products, systems, services, and licenses (“Contracts”). In addition, you provide expertise on Nuclear. You provide strategic legal support across all Divisions within the Motion Business Area. You are also responsible for coordinating the global legal training programs and ensuring that the training material is easily available for the Motion community. This senior role is combined with your responsibilities as Legal Counsel.

Your scope includes coordinating contract-related activities on behalf of the Motion Business Area, developing and maintaining contract templates, developing and—together with the Divisions—implementing contract management strategies, and supporting procurement and business development functions. You act as a strategic business partner, working closely with the Global General Counsel, Division General Counsels, and Legal Counsels to enable business success. You will have a team of 2 persons reporting to you.

This role is open globally, but preferred locations are set in Europe, close to our Motion main locations. The work model is hybrid. This role reports to ABB Motion global General Counsel.

Key Responsibilities

• Shape and support the contract strategy for the Motion Business Area and its Divisions.
• Act as Nuclear expert within the Motion Business Area.
• Provide day-to-day legal advice and guidance on Contracts and Nuclear across the Business Area.
• Lead the development of contract standards, templates, and guidelines in collaboration with the Global General Counsel, Division General Counsels, Corporate Centers of Expertise, and other legal teams.
• Design training materials and curricula related to Contracts; support Divisions in delivering training and guidance to the business.
• Drive continuous improvement of contractual model clauses.
• Review, draft, and support negotiation of Contracts in partnership with Business Area, Divisions, and Legal Counsels.
• Deliver timely legal support in critical situations, including geopolitical events with potential business impact.
• Maintain external awareness of legal trends and act as a recognized expert in the field. Promote best practice sharing and ensure harmonized processes across the Motion Business Area.
• Ensure the function is well-organized, staffed, and developed in line with HR policies, fostering growth for both ABB and its employees.
• Ensure all contract templates comply with legal standards and internal policies and procedures.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in law with deep expertise in contract law, nuclear law, and legal terminology.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience, ideally in a global, cross-functional environment—either in-house or at a reputable law firm with a focus on Contracts.
• Exceptional negotiation and stakeholder management skills, grounded in collaboration, transparency, and legal knowledge.
• Strong advocacy and communication skills—both written and verbal—with the ability to navigate complex, high-pressure situations and balance competing interests.
• Proven ability to draft and negotiate contracts at a global level.
• Fluent in English, with excellent presentation and networking capabilities.
• Self-driven and able to work independently.
• High standards of integrity, professionalism, and commitment to quality.
• Embracing diversity and inclusion, with experience working across cultures.

ABB Motion, a global leader in motors and drives, is at the core of accelerating a more productive and sustainable future. We innovate and push the boundaries of technology to contribute to energy efficient, decarbonizing and circular solutions for customers, industries and societies. With our digitally enabled drives, motors and services we support our customers and partners to achieve better performance, safety and reliability. To help the world’s industries outrun – leaner and cleaner, we deliver motor-driven solutions for a wide range of applications in all industrial segments. Building on over 140 years of domain expertise in electric powertrains, our more than 22,000 employees across 100 countries learn and improve every day.