Director, Legal (Aerospace)

TL;DR

Director, Legal (Aerospace): Leading the legal function and acting as a strategic advisor on commercial, regulatory, corporate, and IP matters for a sustainable space operations company with an accent on international space law and export control. Focus on negotiating complex institutional contracts with space agencies and managing dual-use technology compliance.

Location: Must be based in or join an office in Luxembourg, Switzerland, or the UK

Company

hirify.global is a company dedicated to in-orbit servicing and space debris removal to ensure sustainable space exploration.

What you will do

• Act as primary legal counsel to the CEO, Board, and executive leadership on strategy, risk, and compliance.
• Negotiate complex commercial and institutional contracts with agencies like ESA, UKSA, CNES, and DLR.
• Oversee compliance with international space law and manage national licensing for mission operations.
• Lead export control compliance for dual-use technology, including ITAR/EAR and EU regulations.
• Build and protect the company's IP portfolio and monitor evolving space policy and debris mitigation rules.
• Develop and implement legal policies, training materials, and compliance procedures across the business.

Requirements

• Qualified lawyer with 10+ years of post-qualification experience.
• Demonstrable experience in the space, satellite, or aerospace sector.
• Proven track record of independently negotiating complex, high-value commercial agreements.
• Working knowledge of international space law and at least one national licensing regime.
• Experience with export control (ITAR/EAR or equivalent EU/Swiss/UK dual-use regulation).
• Ability to influence and engage effectively at the board and C-suite level.

Nice to have

• Experience with ESA institutional contracting (ECSS standards, ESA GCC).
• Background at a NewSpace company, satellite operator, or deep-tech scale-up.
• Familiarity with RPO, ADR, or in-orbit servicing as a regulatory domain.
• IP prosecution and patent strategy experience in space hardware or robotics.
• Language skills in French and/or German.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to build a legal function from the ground up in a scaling business.
• Work within a mission-driven environment focused on sustainable space operations.
• Collaborative engagement across technical, finance, procurement, and supply chain departments.