Senior Commercial Counsel at Vinmar - Greece EU — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
This role is explicitly based in Greece and requires physical presence at Vinmar's Greek office. It is not a fully remote or location-independent position, so traditional digital nomad arrangements are not suitable here.
That said, the posting does note a requirement for flexibility across time zones and the ability to work independently — suggesting some hybrid or flexible scheduling may be possible for time-sensitive international matters. Travel within Europe and internationally is also expected, which could appeal to those who enjoy mixing professional travel with exploration.
Visa considerations: Greece is an EU member state. EU/EEA citizens can work freely. Non-EU nationals would typically require a work permit. Greece also offers a Digital Nomad Visa, but this role requires Greek Bar admission and local presence, making that visa pathway unsuitable for this specific position.
Greece as a base: Athens and Thessaloniki offer a relatively affordable cost of living compared to Western Europe. A senior legal salary in Greece typically affords a comfortable lifestyle — roughly comparable to mid-tier nomad hubs like Lisbon or slightly better than Bangkok when adjusted for European standards.
If you're seeking a fully location-independent legal role, this is not it. Look instead for in-house counsel roles at fully distributed tech companies or international legal advisory firms that explicitly offer remote work.
Vinmar is a global marketing, distribution and manufacturing company that brings value to the world's leading producers and users of plastics and chemicals through the supply of best-in-class products and tailored business solutions.
With over 40 years of experience and success, Vinmar has grown into one of the world's largest plastics and chemicals marketing and distribution companies. The company has over 50 offices in more than 35 countries with sales in excess of 110 countries.
We have a truly global commercial footprint while providing our customers and partners with the local knowledge, responsiveness, and support they value. At the core of our business is our strict adherence to international compliance standards and Vinmar's business ethics and code of conduct policy.
The ideal candidate will have experience in all areas of commercial contracts negotiation, drafting, counseling, and legal process management, including in support of marketing, distribution and manufacturing operations. We are looking for an energetic, driven, and experienced lawyer to join the Legal Department in Greece. The right candidate enjoys learning and working hard in a collaborative environment.
Attention to detail, strong communication skills, influencing ability, relationship building, and bias for action are core requirements of a candidate.
Responsibilities:
The Senior Commercial Counsel, based in Greece, will review a broad array of commercial contracts and advise clients in Greece, the European Union and internationally on a wide range of matters, including structuring, negotiating and drafting a variety of general and specialized agreements necessary for the day-to-day marketing, distribution and manufacturing operations of Vinmar's group of companies in the chemicals and plastics sector. This position will also provide support to the Associate General Counsel, including regulatory compliance and cross-functional legal initiatives across the group of companies. This position functions as an individual contributor and reports to the Associate General Counsel.
- Review, draft and negotiate a wide variety of commercial agreements, including but not limited to purchase and sale, distribution, agency, offtake, supply, raw material procurement, tolling, manufacturing, logistics, and vendor agreements
- Negotiating directly with external parties and drafting domestic and international commercial, business and operational contracts, and providing advice and counsel with respect to same
- Using and modifying standard forms and templates
- Analyzing contractual requirements, special provisions, and legal terms and conditions to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including competition, trade sanctions, export controls, REACH/CLP, and data protection (GDPR)), corporate policies and business unit procedures
- Leading and/or collaborating on additional legal initiatives, as requested, including special projects
- Managing large volumes of commercial contract review with consistency, accuracy, and attention to detail
- Provide informed, thoughtful, practical, creative, and timely legal counsel to all operational and administrative departments within the company in connection with the review and execution of operational agreements
- Foster strong relationships with the business teams and develop an understanding of business strategies and objectives to better serve their needs
- Assist with legal department projects as assigned, including compliance activities
- Regulatory & Compliance Support: Assist with monitoring and ensuring compliance with applicable corporate, regulatory and industry requirements in Greece, the European Union and other jurisdictions in which the group operates
- Legal Risk Management: Support the Associate General Counsel in identifying, assessing, and mitigating legal and regulatory risks across the business
Requirements
- A law degree from a recognized university and admission to a Greek Bar Association (or equivalent EU qualification) in good standing
- At least 8 years of post-qualification experience
- Experience in drafting and negotiation of a wide variety of commercial contracts, preferably in the chemicals, plastics, manufacturing or other industrial sectors
- Demonstrated capability in negotiating complex legal transactions
- Prior international law firm experience and/or in-house experience (preferred)
- Compliance and corporate secretary experience required, including experience managing entity governance across multiple jurisdictions
- Excellent knowledge and understanding of corporate law and procedures, including board governance, corporate secretarial practices, and multi-jurisdictional entity management
- Analyze and translate difficult legal principles into practical business solutions and confidently interact with Executives and Department Managers
- Ability to learn quickly and work independently with little supervision
- Ability to influence others while maintaining high levels of integrity and discretion
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with meticulous attention to detail
- Fluent in English, written and spoken; additional languages are an advantage
- Some travel within Europe and internationally may be required
- Ability to work independently and effectively across time zones, including reasonable flexibility in working hours when necessary for meetings or time-sensitive matters involving colleagues or business operations in other jurisdictions
#PrimeEurope
Frequently Asked Questions
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