Freelance Senior Legal Counsel – Payments & Contract Management

About the role

We are seeking a Freelance Senior Legal Counsel to join the legal team of a leading financial services client in Brussels. The role focuses on payments, legal operations, and contract management across all Belgian entities, ensuring compliance with Belgian and EU law while supporting business growth.

Key responsibilities

• Lead negotiation, drafting and review of contracts with clients, vendors and partners, managing risk and protecting financial interests.
• Implement risk‑mitigation strategies and maintain up‑to‑date standard contract templates for commercial and technical teams.
• Coordinate regulatory and compliance matters, liaise with local authorities, and respond to inquiries across jurisdictions.
• Advise boards and executive management on corporate governance, statutory obligations and provide secretarial support.
• Oversee dispute resolution, manage external counsel and control legal budgets.
• Monitor payments industry trends, negotiate payment‑scheme agreements and advise on scheme strategies.
• Collaborate with the Data Protection Officer to ensure GDPR compliance and manage incident response.
• Design and deliver internal legal training and contribute to the knowledge base.

Required profile

• Master’s degree (LLM or equivalent) with a licence to practice law in at least one Belgian jurisdiction.
• Excellent written and spoken English; French proficiency highly desirable.

Required skills