Legal Counsel EMEA & APAC (In-house)

At Corbion, we exist to champion preservation in all its forms, preserving food and food production, health, and our planet.

At Corbion, we use our expertise in fermentation and ingredients to develop sustainable solutions that help preserve food and food production, health and our planet. As an international company with products and customers around the world, we operate at the intersection of science, manufacturing and commerce.

For a legal professional, that creates an interesting environment: your work is closely connected to products being developed, manufactured, bought and sold internationally, and you collaborate with colleagues across commercial, procurement, operations, R&D and specialist functions.

We are looking for a Legal Counsel EMEA & APAC who combines strong legal expertise with commercial awareness and excellent interpersonal skills, and who enjoys working at the heart of an international business.

About the role

As Legal Counsel EMEA & APAC, you will provide pragmatic, high-quality legal advice across two diverse international regions, with your focus divided approximately equally between EMEA and APAC.

You will independently support commercial teams and other business functions on a broad range of legal matters under the guidance and supervision of the Senior Legal Counsel EMEA & APAC. You are part of a team of 11 legal professionals, based in The Netherlands, the USA and Brazil. Success in this role requires more than legal expertise. You understand the business context behind a legal question, build strong relationships with stakeholders and know how to balance different perspectives while protecting Corbion's interests. You can quickly determine where your attention adds the most value and translate complex legal considerations into practical advice.

Your responsibilities

• Act as a trusted legal business partner to various teams across EMEA and APAC, providing practical and commercially relevant legal advice.
• Advise commercial and functional teams including Sales, Procurement, Operations and R&D.
• Identify and assess legal risks and implications and provide clear, solution-oriented advice aligned with Corbion's policies, standards and approval processes.
• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including sales, distribution, agency, procurement, services, R&D, material transfer and confidentiality agreements.
• Develop a strong understanding of Corbion's businesses and stakeholders, enabling you to provide advice that reflects both the legal and commercial context.
• Collaborate with colleagues across Legal, Sales, Procurement, IP, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, Finance, Quality, Supply and Operations.
• Support the Senior Legal Counsel EMEA & APAC on claims, disputes and other legal matters.
• Contribute to legal templates, policies, guidance and training across the organization.
• Make effective use of legal technology and AI-enabled tools, applying appropriate professional judgment and critical review.

About you

You are a commercially minded legal counsel who enjoys being close to the business. You are curious, approachable and confident working with different stakeholders and cultures. You know when to listen, when to ask another question and when constructive challenge is needed.

You bring:

• A Bachelor's and Master's degree in Dutch law.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant post-graduate legal experience, preferably gained in private practice and/or in-house.
• Strong knowledge of contract law and hands-on experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Preferably, experience in an international manufacturing, ingredients, chemicals, food, life sciences or other product-based environment, or with clients operating in these sectors.
• A good understanding of the commercial realities surrounding the production, purchase and sale of goods.
• Strong judgment and the ability to prioritize effectively based on the importance, complexity and potential impact of a matter.
• The ability to connect legal, commercial and operational considerations and see the bigger picture.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills.
• The confidence to work independently while recognizing when to involve senior or specialist colleagues.
• The ability to translate complex legal matters into clear, practical advice.
• An interest in AI and emerging legal technologies, combined with a thoughtful and critical approach to their use.
• Full professional fluency in English.
• Flexibility to work from both Amsterdam and Gorinchem.

What we offer

A broad international legal role in an innovative and purpose-driven company, with exposure to businesses and stakeholders across EMEA and APAC.

You will have the opportunity to develop beyond the traditional legal adviser role, building your understanding of an international product-based business while working closely with experienced legal colleagues and specialists across Corbion.

You can expect a collaborative, international and informal working environment, opportunities to further develop your legal and commercial capabilities, and flexibility to work across our Amsterdam and Gorinchem offices and partially from home.

If you are a lawyer who enjoys understanding what the business is trying to achieve, likes working with people as much as with contracts, and wants to build a broad international in-house career, we would like to hear from you.

We kindly ask you to include a cover or motivation letter with your application.

About Corbion

Corbion is a sustainable ingredients company dedicated to preserving what matters, including food and food production, health, and the planet. We specialize in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives, food preservation solutions, functional blends, and algae ingredients, using our deep application and product knowledge to propel nature’s ingenuity through science. With more than a century of experience, we continue working side-by-side with our customers to make our cutting-edge technologies work for them. Leveraging our advanced capabilities in fermentation and preservation technology, we help customers differentiate their products in diverse markets ranging from food and animal nutrition to home & personal care, pharmaceuticals, electronics, medical devices, and bioplastics.In 2025, Corbion generated annual sales of €1,267.4 million and had a workforce of 2,408 FTE. For more information: www.corbion.com

Corbion is an equal opportunity employer and committed to a diverse workplace. All applicants will be considered equally.

Corbion does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third party recruiting agencies in response to job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers. All candidates must be submitted by approved Corbion vendors who have been expressly requested to make a submission by our Talent Acquisition team for a specific job opening. No placement fees will be paid to any firm unless such a request has been made by the Corbion Talent Acquisition team and such candidate was submitted to the Corbion Talent Acquisition Team.