Senior Legal Advisor

MBDA Italia è l'azienda italiana che fa parte del gruppo multinazionale MBDA, leader mondiale nel settore dei sistemi missilistici 

MBDA rappresenta il primo Gruppo a livello europeo con capacità di produzione e progettazione in grado di coprire l’intera gamma corrispondente alle attuali e future esigenze delle forze armate (terra, aria e mare). 

In MBDA Italy SpA - Legal Directorate, we are seeking an experienced “Senior Legal Advisor” to take senior-level ownership of a defined portfolio of domestic and international legal matters. The role combines hands-on execution of complex commercial negotiations with independent legal judgment, close collaboration with business functions and clear accountability for outcomes.

Autonomy, ownership and accountability

• Own assigned legal matters end-to-end, from initial assessment and negotiation strategy through drafting, execution and post-signature follow-up.
• Plan and prioritise workload independently, manage deadlines and stakeholders proactively, and deliver reliable results without the need for continuous supervision.
• Exercise sound judgment and take responsibility for recommendations and decisions within the delegated remit, while keeping the Legal Manager appropriately informed.
• Escalate to the Legal Manager at key negotiation milestones and whenever material legal, financial, reputational or strategic risks, exceptional departures from policy or decisions outside delegated authority arise.
• Lead contractual discussions directly, including challenging negotiations in English with international counterparties; build alignment with business owners as required.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the legal review, drafting and negotiation of complex domestic and international commercial agreements, including sales agreements, NDAs, MOUs, LOIs, collaboration, partnering and intellectual property agreements.
• Provide independent, pragmatic legal advice to Procurement, Programs, SBD, Coms and other business functions, including during contract execution, amendments, ancillary agreements and claims management.
• Assess contractual and regulatory risks, identify critical issues early and develop commercially sound mitigation strategies and solutions.
• Coordinate legal matters involving multiple functions, counterparties and jurisdictions, working effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide targeted legal research, guidance and training to non-legal colleagues, consistently with Group Legal policies and requirements.
• Support the analysis and resolution of customer, supplier and product-related claims and disputes.
• Contribute actively to Group Legal initiatives, maintaining confidentiality, professional integrity and effective stakeholder relationships.

Qualifications and experience

• Law degree (Laurea Magistrale in Giurisprudenza or equivalent). Admission to the Italian Bar, an LL.M. or an MBA is an advantage.
• At least 8 years of relevant professional legal experience, ideally gained through a combination of an international law firm and an in-house legal department in a complex international business.
• Demonstrated expertise in international commercial contracts and negotiation, with sound knowledge of civil and common law frameworks; familiarity with antitrust, intellectual property, product liability and export control is highly valued.
• Proven fluency in English, written and spoken, at a level enabling the candidate to independently lead and negotiate complex contractual matters directly with international counterparties; excellent Italian is also required. Additional languages (French, Spanish or German) are a plus.
• Ability to operate across jurisdictions, particularly within the EU and the UK, and to work effectively with cross-functional, multicultural teams.
• Strong business judgment, analytical thinking, clear communication, reliability, discretion and a solution-oriented mindset.
• Experience in the Defence, Aviation, Innovation or Technology sectors is an advantage; litigation experience is a plus.
• Availability for domestic and international travel in line with business needs.

Annual Gross Salary from 46k€.

The Company reserves the right to offer a higher salary should the candidate possess skills, professional experience, qualifications or responsibilities of a higher level than those required for the position, in line with the principles of internal equity and merit-based remuneration.