Legal Counsel - Supply Chain and Procurement

About the role

VAT Group, a Swiss supplier of vacuum valves with over 3,200 employees worldwide, is looking for a Legal Counsel to act as the primary legal advisor to its global Supply Chain and Procurement organization. The role provides pragmatic, commercially focused legal support across the supplier relationship lifecycle, helping secure reliable and competitive supply arrangements while managing contractual, commercial and compliance risks. It is a business partner to Supply Chain, supporting commercially sound decisions beyond simple contract review.

Key responsibilities

• Act as the main Legal and Compliance contact for Global Supply Chain Management and Procurement, giving advice across the supplier relationship lifecycle
• Draft, review and negotiate international supply-chain contracts such as master supply agreements, purchasing terms, long-term and capacity agreements, consignment and inventory arrangements, tooling, logistics, services, development agreements and NDAs
• Advise on pricing, forecasts, volume and purchase commitments, capacity, delivery, lead times, quality, warranty, liability, indemnities, intellectual property, termination and continuity of supply
• Support strategic sourcing, supplier selection, dual-sourcing, localization, outsourcing and other supply chain initiatives
• Manage supplier disputes and claims, including shortages, capacity constraints, price increases, delivery failures, quality issues, supplier distress, breach notices, remedies, settlements and termination
• Protect intellectual property, know-how, drawings, specifications, tooling, equipment and materials, and advise on anti-corruption, competition law, sanctions, export controls, responsible sourcing and supplier compliance
• Develop and maintain standard agreements, contractual fallback positions and procurement playbooks, and train Supply Chain and Procurement on contracting

Required profile

• Law degree from a recognized university; bar admission is an advantage
• Ideally 5-8+ years of relevant legal experience, in-house and/or with a commercial law firm
• Experience supporting Procurement, Supply Chain, Manufacturing or Operations
• Fluent English and German with excellent drafting and negotiation skills; other languages are an advantage

Required skills

• Strong experience in international B2B commercial contracts, supplier negotiations and cross-border matters
• Experience in the semiconductor, semiconductor equipment, advanced manufacturing, machinery, automotive or comparable technology industry is strongly preferred
• Good understanding of contractual intellectual-property protection; experience with complex supplier disputes is an advantage
• Commercial judgment, negotiation and contract-drafting skills, and the ability to lead complex supplier matters independently