Commercial Counsel, German-Speaker

About the role

Horizon3 is actively building a Commercial Counsel position in Amsterdam for a German-speaking legal professional who will own the execution of high-volume commercial transactions. You will be a key member of the commercial engine, working directly with Sales, RevOps, and Customer Success to move deals forward. This role requires a hands-on operator who is comfortable drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements without constant supervision. You will own the lifecycle of standard contracts, ensuring compliance while enabling rapid deal closure. The position is designed for someone who thrives in ambiguity and takes ownership of process improvements. You will be instrumental in scaling the legal function to support the company's rapid growth across international markets. This is a career-building role for a generalist who wants to wear many hats and see the direct impact of their work on the business.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Draft, review, and negotiate a high volume of commercial agreements, including NDAs, SaaS subscription agreements (MSAs), order forms, and DPAs, as well as evaluation and trial agreements.
• Partner with Sales and Customer Success to close deals efficiently while strictly adhering to company risk guidelines and governance.
• Review and respond to customer contract requests, managing redlines on standard agreements and handling occasional customer paper without delaying deal progression.
• Collaborate closely with Sales and RevOps to identify and remove contract-related roadblocks, ensuring that legal does not become a bottleneck in the sales cycle.
• Provide clear, practical guidance to non-legal stakeholders, balancing the need for speed in deal execution with the necessity of risk mitigation.
• Escalate complex or non-standard legal issues to appropriate levels, ensuring that novel problems are addressed without disrupting standard deal patterns.
• Take ownership of standard templates, clause libraries, and negotiation guidelines, maintaining them as living documents that reflect current best practices.
• Contribute to the improvement of contract workflows and processes, analyzing recurring issues and implementing solutions that support a high-volume sales environment.
• Work with internal teams such as Security and Privacy to ensure that contract terms align with the company's product offerings and data protection obligations.
• Support internal enablement efforts by educating stakeholders on standard terms and processes, fostering a deeper understanding of commercial law across the organization.

Requirements

• Hold a law degree from an accredited law school, which is mandatory for consideration in this role.
• Possess 3-5+ years of relevant experience at a law firm and/or in-house, with a strong focus on commercial technology transactions preferred.
• Demonstrate excellent contract drafting, negotiation, and communication skills, specifically the ability to give succinct, actionable advice to non-lawyers in English.
• Show a proven ability to manage multiple deals and priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where deadlines are aggressive.
• Comfort leveraging AI and legal tech tools to streamline drafting, review, and knowledge management, and take a forward approach to developing AI playbooks, workflows and agents in collaboration with our Legal ops team.
• Exhibit strong judgment and discretion when handling sensitive commercial and customer data within the context of cybersecurity transactions.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while maintaining a high standard of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Willingness to adhere to the company's remote and hybrid work policies, which may require travel to the Amsterdam office and compliance with visa requirements as they apply to your specific work authorization.

Nice to have

• Experience in house legal within SaaS, which provides context for subscription-based revenue models and recurring billing complexities.
• Experience supporting channel, MSP/MSSP, or distributor models, understanding the nuances of partner and reseller agreements.
• Familiarity with international contracting issues such as cross-border data transfers, GDPR basics, and export control considerations.
• Comfort leveraging AI and legal tech tools to streamline drafting, review, and knowledge management beyond the baseline requirements.
• English fluency required to communicate effectively with global stakeholders and customers.
• German fluency strongly preferred to facilitate deeper relationships with local teams and stakeholders in the Amsterdam region.
• Prior work with a cybersecurity company is a plus, providing immediate relevance to the product and threat landscape.

Practical notes

The position is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and follows a hybrid work model that allows for flexibility between remote work and office presence. Candidates must be willing to work from the Amsterdam office on a periodic basis as required by team meetings and company events. Travel may be required in connection with the role, and candidates must ensure they have the right to work in the Netherlands and obtain any necessary visa or work authorization. The company is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where learning and growth are encouraged for all team members.