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Legal Counsel - Employment at Verda in Helsinki, EMEA, FI
Job Description
At Verda, we're building a full-stack AI cloud, covering everything from data centers and hardware to our own cloud platform that the world's leading AI teams use to do serious AI work.
We strive to make a positive mark on the world through the infrastructure we build and give leading teams a service they can truly depend on. Headquartered in Helsinki, we operate globally with offices in London and San Francisco.
Join Verda while it’s still being built - not once it’s finished.
Why Verda
Cash and equity compensation along with local benefits.
40+ nationalities, with 6 different ones on the management team.
A real chance to make an impact and work alongside world class engineers, researchers, and partners across the global AI ecosystem.
Practicalities
Location: Helsinki; remote within Europe or UK may be considered for the right candidate
Working mode: Hybrid, 3 days a week from the office; regular travel to sites may be required
Start date: As soon as possible
Employment type: Full-time and permanent
About the role
We’re looking for a Legal Counsel, Employment to lead employment, labour, and health and safety legal matters at Verda as we scale. Verda operates data centre sites across multiple countries, and this role goes well beyond office-based employment law: you’ll advise on the workforce, contractor, and safety questions that arise from building and running industrial sites in a global, multi-jurisdictional context.
This is a hands-on role in a scale-up environment. You’ll work closely with People, Operations, Site Delivery, and Compliance teams to provide pragmatic legal guidance across the full employment lifecycle, and you’ll help shape our employment and health and safety frameworks as we expand into new jurisdictions, including those with demanding labour and safety regimes.
Your responsibilities
Act as the primary legal advisor on employment and labour law matters across all Verda jurisdictions, including Finland, US, UK, Germany, and other operating countries
Advise on health and safety legal obligations for data centre sites, including construction and commissioning phases, site operations, and incident and accident response
Draft, review, and support negotiation of employment agreements, contractor and staffing arrangements, secondment agreements, and site-related workforce contracts
Advise on workforce structuring for new sites, including hiring models, use of contractors and subcontractors, posted workers, and cross-border mobility
Support employee relations matters, including performance management, disciplinary and grievance processes, terminations, and restructurings
Advise on works councils, trade unions, collective bargaining, and employee consultation obligations in the relevant jurisdictions
Support the People team in developing and maintaining employment and health and safety policies, handbooks, and procedures, and ensuring they meet local legal requirements
Monitor and interpret employment, labour, and occupational health and safety regulatory developments across Finland, the EU, the UK, and other relevant jurisdictions
Advise on employee data protection and privacy matters, including monitoring, background checks, and HR data processing under GDPR
Manage employment-related disputes, investigations, and regulatory inquiries, including coordination with authorities and external counsel
Deliver training to managers and site leadership on employment law, health and safety responsibilities, and compliant people practices in collaboration with the People Function and Operations
Coordinate and manage external employment and health and safety counsel across jurisdictions, ensuring consistent and cost-effective advice
Your key competencies
LLM or equivalent degree from an accredited law programme
5+ years of employment and labour law experience (law firm or in-house), including advising employers in industrial, construction, energy, or infrastructure environments
Demonstrable experience with occupational health and safety law, including regulatory obligations for construction sites and industrial facilities, incident handling, and dealings with safety authorities
Proven experience advising on employment matters across multiple jurisdictions, with hands-on exposure to complex regimes such as Germany (e.g., works councils, co-determination, collective agreements)
Ability to provide pragmatic, business-oriented legal advice in a fast-paced environment
Strong communication skills in English (written and verbal), with the ability to translate legal complexity into actionable guidance for managers and site teams
High level of ownership, ethical judgement, and professionalism, with the confidence to handle sensitive people matters and investigations
Comfortable working cross-functionally with People, Operations, Site Delivery, and commercial teams
Ability to operate in a multi-jurisdictional context, including knowing when to escalate to external counsel
Nice to have
Experience in a data centre, construction, energy, or heavy-industry company, or advising such clients
Working knowledge of German, Finnish, or another language relevant to Verda’s operating countries
Familiarity with EU and UK health and safety frameworks, including the EU Framework Directive, CDM Regulations, and national equivalents
Experience with posted workers, cross-border secondments, and immigration or work-permit considerations
Exposure to collective bargaining negotiations and works council agreements
Experience supporting international expansion, including setting up employment frameworks in new countries
Prior experience managing external counsel across jurisdictions
What's next
We're building fast and this role needs the right person behind it. There's no artificial deadline, but when we find who we're looking for, we move. If this sounds like your next move, apply now.
Please submit your application through our Careers page. We don't accept applications sent by email.