Senior Legal Counsel

About Us

Landcent is a global, science-driven healthcare company dedicated to accelerating the fight against diseases of poverty, starting with malaria. Headquartered in the Netherlands, with operations in Africa and Asia, we recognize that malaria remains one of the world’s most devastating and inequitable health challenges, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities. Despite decades of progress, malaria cases continue to rise, with 1,645 deaths occurring every day—95 percent in sub-Saharan Africa and 75 percent among children under five—driven by growing insecticide resistance and limited product innovation.

We exist to change this trajectory. Landcent identifies critical gaps across the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment landscape, and develops and delivers impactful solutions to address them. As a company, we are approaching a pivotal moment with the upcoming market launch of several of our impactful products, including our flagship bed net, several essential diagnostics, and our first malaria medicine. By 2030, our products are expected to protect more than 87 million people from malaria.

Joining Landcent means becoming part of an international and diverse team united by a shared commitment to saving and improving the lives of vulnerable communities. We are seeking individuals who excel in their areas of expertise and who are passionate about making a tangible difference in the lives of millions, driven by the vision of a world where diseases of poverty are a global priority and vulnerable communities have the opportunity to thrive. If you are motivated by challenging work that directly advances the fight against diseases of poverty, starting with malaria, Landcent offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a cause that is both urgent and critical to global health.

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Role: Senior Legal Counsel‍

Role Summary: You will serve as Landcent's most senior legal counsel and the accountable owner of the company's compliance and data protection framework. Reporting directly to the CEO and working closely with the Board of Directors, you will provide strategic, commercially grounded legal counsel across all aspects of the business — from corporate governance and fundraising transactions through to commercial contracting, intellectual property, licensing, and employment law.

This is a broad and genuinely hands-on role. You will be both a strategic partner to the leadership team and an active practitioner, taking direct ownership of legal matters across the full spectrum of Landcent's operations, which includes Vector Control, Diagnostics and Medicine programs. You will build and maintain the legal and compliance infrastructure that underpins the company's growth, ensuring that Landcent operates with integrity and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations across the multiple jurisdictions in which it operates.

As Compliance Officer, you will act as Landcent's designated Data Protection Officer (DPO) under the GDPR, owning the company's approach to data privacy and protection and ensuring that data is handled responsibly and in compliance with applicable requirements. More broadly, you will drive a culture of compliance across the organization, developing and embedding the policies, frameworks, and training that enable Landcent's teams to operate confidently and ethically.

Given the nature of Landcent's mission — working across fragile and emerging markets, engaging with international donors, NGOs, regulatory authorities, and global health bodies — the legal and compliance landscape is complex and consequential. You will need to bring sound judgement, genuine pragmatism, and a willingness to make difficult calls in ambiguous situations. You will be a trusted voice at the leadership table, and a credible, approachable partner to colleagues across the business.

This role is ideally suited to a senior lawyer who is energized by purpose-driven work, comfortable operating in a lean environment with limited resource, and committed to building something that matters.

Work is expected to be performed on-site in our Schiphol-Rijk office, with some flexibility for remote working possible.

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Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Legal Counsel — Serve as the primary legal adviser to the Executive Leadership Team and Board, providing proactive, commercially grounded counsel across all areas of the business and translating complex legal matters into clear, actionable guidance that enables confident decision-making.
• Corporate Governance & Transaction Readiness — Act as Company Secretary and lead all corporate governance processes, maintaining accurate corporate records and ensuring the company is structured and documented to support efficient fundraising, investor communication and strategic transactions at all times.
• Commercial Contracting & IP — Own the company's approach to commercial contracting, intellectual property protection, and licensing, developing scalable frameworks that protect the business whilst enabling it to operate efficiently across multiple jurisdictions.
• Compliance Officer & Data Protection — Act as Landcent's designated Compliance Officer and Data Protection Officer (DPO) under the GDPR, owning the company's compliance framework, data protection policies, and internal training program, and ensuring the organization meets its obligations across all applicable regulatory regimes.
• HR Legal Support — Provide legal support to the HR function on global employment contracts, consultancy and contractor agreements, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional employment matters, and employee incentive arrangements, coordinating external specialist advice where required.
• Legal Operations — Manage external counsel relationships and the legal budget in a planned, value-driven manner, and build a sustainable legal operating model that scales with the organization.

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Qualifications & Experience:

• Qualified lawyer (Dutch bar or equivalent common or civil law jurisdiction), with a minimum of 8 years of post-qualification experience.
• Demonstrable in-house legal experience, ideally within a life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceutical, or global health company; experience in a scale-up or lean organization is a strong advantage.
• Solid background in corporate law, including governance, corporate transactions, fundraising (equity and debt), and capital structures.
• Experience across contract negotiation and management, intellectual property, licensing, partnerships, and data protection.
• Proven experience acting as or supporting a DPO function, with a thorough working knowledge of GDPR and practical experience implementing compliant data processing frameworks in a commercial setting.
• Experience developing and embedding compliance frameworks, policies, and training programs, with the confidence to drive a culture of compliance across a diverse, international organization.
• Familiarity with multi-jurisdictional legal environments; experience with operations in Africa and/or Asia is an advantage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Dutch language skills are a strong advantage given the company's headquarters and notarial requirements.
• Proven ability to work independently and pragmatically with limited support, exercising sound legal judgement across a broad range of matters simultaneously.
• Experience advising boards and executive leadership teams directly.
• Part-time role 3-4 days; full time can be discussed. Ability to work from the Schiphol-Rijk office a minimum of 2–3 days per week is required.

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Join Us

By joining Landcent as Senior Legal Counsel, you will play a pivotal role in a passionate, international team dedicated to making a significant impact on global health. We offer a dynamic work environment, flexibility of workspace, opportunities for professional growth, advice from seasoned legal and business advisors in the industry and the chance to be part of a meaningful mission. If you are a seasoned legal professional who combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution, and you are driven by the opportunity to contribute to a purpose-led mission driven organization at a critical stage of its growth, we would love to hear from you.

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