Legal Counsel

About ZDHC

The ZDHC Foundation develops and implements the Roadmap to Zero Programme with a focus on reducing the chemical footprint of the Fashion Industry. We are the leading sustainability organisation driving sustainable chemistry, innovations, and best practices in textile, apparel, leather, and footwear manufacturing to protect consumers, workers, and the environment. Through collaborative engagement, alignment, and large-scale implementation, we take a holistic approach to sustainable chemical management and enable tangible progress in the wider industry through the delivery of guidelines, platforms, and solutions, including capacity building and innovation projects. For more information about ZDHC, see www.roadmaptozero.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Vision & Mission

The ZDHC Vision is a World in which better chemistry leads to the protection of life, land, air and water. The ZDHC Mission is to lead our global value chain to achieve the highest standard for sustainable chemical management, driving resource efficiency and circularity.

Job Purpose

Are you a lawyer who wants to contribute to something genuinely meaningful? Do you feel ready to move beyond routine corporate mandates and apply your legal expertise in a mission-driven organisation that works with some of the world's largest brands to help transform an entire industry? If so, we would like to hear from you.

Join our dynamic legal team, based between France and the Netherlands, where your work helps build the legal foundations for global development projects and supports collaboration across the textile supply chain to drive real environmental progress.

This is more than a job. It is an opportunity for a legal professional who recognises the power of law and contracts to shape a more sustainable future, and who is looking for a role with genuine scope, variety, and purpose.

As Legal Counsel, you report to and work closely with the Senior Legal Counsel, while collaborating with colleagues across the organisation. Your day‑to‑day work is varied and hands‑on: you manage the organisation's internal legal requests, draft and review a broad range of commercial agreements and legal documents, maintain legal templates, and provide practical legal support across departments, forming the operational backbone of the legal team.

Alongside this general legal work, you play a key role in supporting ZDHC's digital ambitions. Our platforms sit at the heart of what we do, and as we continue to develop them, we need someone who can advise on the legal frameworks that govern how those platforms operate, including Terms & Conditions, data governance arrangements, and data sharing agreements with partner organisations. You work closely with our Programme, Market & Product Growth and Platform Development teams to ensure that our legal foundations keep pace with our strategic direction, providing clear and practical guidance that enables the organisation to move forward with confidence.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Serve as day‑to‑day legal support for the organisation: manage the internal legal requests board, triage and prioritise incoming requests, and handle the majority of them directly and efficiently.
• Draft, review, and advise on a broad range of commercial agreements, legal documents, and correspondence across the organisation's activities.
• Draft, review, and maintain platform Terms & Conditions and other legal statements governing access to and use of ZDHC platforms, ensuring they remain accurate, enforceable, and aligned with evolving platform capabilities.
• Advise internal teams on the legal framework governing platform data, supporting data‑driven initiatives and partnerships within appropriate boundaries.
• Lead the drafting and negotiation of data sharing and collaboration agreements with partner organisations, enabling responsible and well‑governed data exchange.
• Maintain and update Privacy Notices, Records of Processing Activities, and related documentation, ensuring compliance with GDPR and other applicable data protection regulations.
• Provide legal input to platform and product development teams, advising on data flows, new features, and the implications of platform changes from a legal and contractual perspective.
• Monitor regulatory and legal developments relevant to the organisation's platform and data activities, translating these into practical guidance for internal stakeholders.
• Prepare executive summaries and legal assessments for senior management on significant agreements, negotiations, and legal risks.
• Build and maintain a library of legal templates, ensuring they remain current, compliant, and fit for purpose as the organisation's activities evolve.
• Support the internal legal self‑service system, including developing SOPs and guidance materials that enable global staff to manage routine contractual matters more independently.

Qualifications & Experience

• A law degree from a Dutch university or equivalent Dutch legal qualification is strongly preferred, as Dutch law governs the majority of the organisation's contracts. Candidates with a Dutch legal background who are not NOvA‑registered are very welcome, bar membership is not required for this in‑house role. Candidates qualified in another EU jurisdiction will be considered if no suitable Dutch‑trained candidate is identified.
• Minimum 4–5 years of post‑qualification experience in commercial law, ideally with some exposure to data, digital platforms, or technology‑related matters. Strong commercial lawyers with a genuine interest in developing this expertise are encouraged to apply.
• Proven drafting and negotiation skills across a range of commercial agreements, including service agreements, partnership contracts, licensing arrangements, and data sharing agreements.
• Experience advising cross‑functional teams—including business development, marketing, and product—and translating legal requirements into clear, practical guidance for non‑legal audiences.
• Good working knowledge of GDPR and applicable data protection regulations, with the ability to apply these in a commercial and platform context.
• Familiarity with platform Terms & Conditions, digital legal statements, or intellectual property matters is a strong advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a varied and demanding workload: prioritising effectively, meeting tight deadlines, and maintaining quality under pressure.
• Fluent in English (written and verbal).
• Genuine alignment with ZDHC's mission to advance responsible practices in the fashion and textile industry; prior experience in sustainability, fashion, or related sectors is a plus.

Competencies

• Adaptability — Adjust behaviours, strategies, and mindset to respond effectively to change, stay open and positive in uncertainty, and tolerate ambiguity.
• Attention to Detail — Produce and review work carefully for accuracy, completeness, and consistency to ensure high standards.
• Business Acumen — Understand how a business creates value, including financial metrics and strategic priorities, and make informed decisions that drive growth, profitability, and sustainability.
• Innovation Mindset — Use attitudes and methods (e.g., design thinking, lean innovation) that promote creativity, experimentation, calculated risk‑taking, and resilience to improve and innovate.
• Problem‑Solving — Anticipate and define problems, analyse root causes, evaluate alternatives, and implement practical, timely actions to resolve issues effectively.
• Responsibility — Act reliably and accountably, and deliver on promises and tasks in a timely and effective manner.
• System Thinking — Recognise patterns and interconnections across teams and processes to understand complexity and long‑term impacts, and support better decisions.
• Teamwork — Work cooperatively with others, communicate openly, support colleagues, manage conflict constructively, and focus on shared goals for collective results.
• Time Management — Prioritise and plan work, minimise distractions, and use time efficiently to deliver on time without undue stress.

What We Offer

At ZDHC, we believe that a fulfilling career goes beyond a competitive salary. We are committed to creating a supportive and inspiring workplace where you feel valued, energised, and empowered to do your best work. That’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your growth, help you achieve your goals, and encourage strong connections with your team.

• 25 holidays a year, based on 40 hours a week
• Gym membership allowance – for your physical wellbeing
• Access to Open Up – for your mental wellbeing
• Hybrid and flexible working environment
• Support in setting up your workstation at home (if needed)
• Working remote – up to 6 weeks of remote work per year (after year 1)
• Working abroad development experience – the opportunity to work abroad from one of our offices (Netherlands, USA, Italy, China, India, Portugal) for 1-3 months
• MacBook and Iphone
• For the Netherlands only: pension scheme contributions

Want to make an impact? Join a small, multicultural and purpose‑driven team at a pivotal moment for ZDHC. You’ll help shape the evolution of the Roadmap to Zero Programme and drive meaningful change across the global textile and footwear sector, working collaboratively with colleagues across cultures, locations and time zones through remote and online ways of working.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Location: We are looking for someone who is ideally located in the Netherlands. Candidates from other EU countries may be considered. It is your responsibility to make sure that you possess the right to live and work in the Netherlands or the EU. If this applies to you, please specify in your cover letter your current work permit situation. Finally, please note that this hiring process is not supported by a relocation package e.g. To move to the Netherlands.

Travel Requirements: Regular travel is to be expected as part of performing this role, including to Biarritz (France) where the Legal Team is located. We organise regular in‑person meetings to ensure consistent and productive interactions with the Legal team and our business partners.

To apply: Please submit your CV and a 1-page motivation letter in PDF and click the button below "Apply for this job" where you can upload your documents.

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