Head of Legal

Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our mission.

Microsoft Corporate, External and Legal Affairs (CELA) has an opening for a motivated, skilled and talented legal professional to: (a) provide hands on legal support and counsel for various business units within the Microsoft Germany Customer & Partner Solutions (MCAPS) team; (b) help create a favorable business and policy environment for Microsoft to ensure long-term sustainable revenue growth; (c) help drive deployment, consumption and usage of Microsoft’s cloud services through complex deal support and negotiations; and (d) manage a team of talented commercial attorneys on our Microsoft Germany team. Central to this role will be close collaboration with internal Microsoft teams, including the wider CELA CPS (Customer and Partner Solutions) team; CELA headquarters teams based in Redmond; regional and subsidiary CELA legal teams; and key business clients across all areas of Microsoft’s business. The role reports to the GM & Associate General Counsel for Microsoft Germany.

**Responsibilities**:

- ** MCAPS Transactional and Digital Transformation Support**: The Head of Legal will be responsible for managing and coordinating the legal services required to negotiate and close customer, partner and vendor contracts to deliver revenue, deployment, usage and growth of Microsoft’s products and services. The successful individual must be able to blend legal guidance and business-focused insights to conceive and implement creative solutions to legal and regulatory deal-related issues, with a focus on supporting the digital transformation of Microsoft’s existing and new customers.
- ** Cloud Adoption and Public Policy Engagement**:The Head of Legal will be focused, in particular, on accelerating our customers’ move to the cloud and will devote time externally focused on positioning Microsoft as the most trusted, responsible and inclusive cloud services provider. In that connection, the larger CELA Germany team is responsible for promoting an enabling the public policy environment in Germany and across the EU (working in concert with CELA Europe’s government affairs team in Brussels) with a focus on new and emerging regulations relating to digital services, digital markets, data, and artificial intelligence.
- ** Microsoft Runs on Trust**:The Head of Legal will play a key role in ensuring the MCAPS business runs on trust, complies with the law, and adheres to company policies.
- ** Team Leadership and People Management**: The Head of Legal will lead, manage, coach, and develop the talented team of Munich-based commercial attorneys and other legal and business professionals and inspire them to achieve high impact, top performance and individual growth.
- ** CELA EMEA Commercial Legal Leadership Team**:The Head of Legal will be an important part of the EMEA Commercial Legal Leadership team and will be expected to make positive and active contributions to this diverse and dynamic team, including contributing to the setting of strategy, tactics and commitments in support of company and CPS long-term, annual and quarterly goals.
- ** Budget, Vendor and Outside Counsel Coordination**: The Head of Legal will manage the CELA Germany commercial legal budget and drive synergies in management and retention of outside counsel, strategic advisors and other vendors.

**Qualifications**:
**Experienced People Manager and Team Leader**: Experienced leader, manager, coach and developer of talent with a proven ability to motivate and inspire a team to achieve high impact, top performance and individual growth.

**Strong and Proven Communication Skills**: Highly developed written and oral communication skills and ability to communicate legal advice promptly and pragmatically in a business context in German and English is a must. Must be able to proactively advance company positions through high impact engagement in small and/or large group settings, including communications with business leaders. Proven ability to establish trusted advisor relationships with business leaders in key positions of responsibility, and to work effectively with colleagues throughout CELA and in all the business support functions.

**Growth Mindset**: Track record of experimentation, learning from both successes and failures, and driving resolution with urgency and speed.

**Company Values**: Demonstrated commitment to the company’s core values, including a commitment to high ethical standards, unquestioned integrity, and a commitment to advancing CELA’s diversity and inclusion commitments.

**Education**: A graduate degree in law.

Microsoft is an equal oppor