Senior Legal Counsel, Labour Relations

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(Senior) Legal Counsel specializing in Labour Relations at DSV, providing legal expertise in a dynamic environment. Involves advising various stakeholders on complex labor law matters.

Posted 6/2/2026full-timeMeerbusch • 🇩🇪 GermanySeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Strategic and operational advice on individual and collective labour law matters, including collective bargaining, social security and payroll tax law
Primary labour law contact for defined business units and independent management of these areas
Negotiation, drafting and harmonization of works agreements (company and group level)
Labour law support and advice for IT projects and system implementations
Advice on restructurings, operational changes and transfers of undertakings pursuant to §613a (German Civil Code), as well as transformation processes, including agreements of interests and social plans
Preparation and support of negotiations with works councils, trade unions and representatives for severely disabled employees (SBV)
Management of labour court proceedings, including drafting pleadings, attending hearings, conducting settlement negotiations and managing external law firms
Development and enhancement of standards, templates and guidelines
Analysis of legislative changes and case law, with derivation of practical recommendations
Additional responsibilities depending on experience and seniority: advising management on complex, strategic labour law issues; taking a leading role in transformation and co-determination projects; and further developing and harmonizing labour law standards across multiple units

Requirements

What you’ll need

Completed law degree (fully qualified lawyer) or a comparable degree with relevant labour law experience, ideally in a corporate in-house legal department or law firm
Proven experience working with co-determination bodies and strong knowledge of collective labour law, as well as handling complex stakeholder structures
Practical experience in IT, digitization or transformation projects involving co-determination, and strong IT affinity for labour law issues
Experience providing independent labour law advice to companies or clients with practical, implementation-oriented solutions
Excellent German and business-fluent English skills, with a confident presence in demanding discussions
Strong communication, collaboration and conflict-resolution skills
Strong negotiation skills and persuasiveness, including in legally sensitive labour law situations
Confident use of MS 365 and digital work environments

Benefits

Comp & perks

Employee savings contributions (Vermögenswirksame Leistungen)
Occupational/company pension scheme
Employee discounts
DSV employee card with a monthly net credit
Company bike (JobRad)
Anniversary/long-service payments
Supplementary health insurance (dependent on division)
Computer/ergonomic eyewear
Group accident insurance
Comprehensive onboarding with an individual induction plan
A great, dedicated and motivated team
Flat organizational structures and an open working atmosphere
A varied range of tasks with significant decision-making scope at a global player
A modern workplace including transparent flexitime arrangements and the option to work remotely
Regular training and development opportunities, e-learnings; Next@DSV is one of several personnel development programs

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

labour lawcollective bargainingsocial security lawpayroll tax lawnegotiationdraftingharmonization of works agreementslabour court proceedingslegislative analysisco-determination

Soft Skills

communicationcollaborationconflict resolutionnegotiationpersuasivenessindependent advicestrategic thinkingleadershipstakeholder managementadaptability

Certifications

law degreefully qualified lawyer