Director, Legal, EMEA Real Estate & Infrastructure

Job description

Who are we? Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company®, shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet. A place where bold ideas are welcomed, human connection is valued, and everyone has the opportunity to shape their future. A career at Equinix means being at the center of shaping what comes next and amplifying customer value through innovation and impact. You’ll work across teams, influence key decisions, and help shape the path forward. You’ll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes you—because when you feel valued, you’re empowered to do your best work. Job Summary The Director, Legal, EMEA Real Estate & Infrastructure, will lead legal support for Equinix’s real estate and infrastructure activities across all EMEA markets in which Equinix operates. This role will provide strategic, commercially focused legal advice, and will lead a regional team of lawyers overseeing legal support across the full lifecycle of data centre development and infrastructure projects, from land acquisition through construction, energisation, expansion, operation and related strategic initiatives. The successful candidate will work closely with senior business leaders and cross-functional teams to help enable the delivery of Equinix’s EMEA growth strategy. The role requires a trusted adviser who can combine effective people leadership with strong technical legal judgement, commercial pragmatism and sound risk management. Candidate profile This role would suit a senior lawyer who is comfortable operating at both strategic and execution level. The successful candidate will need to be hands-on where required, but also able to step back, prioritise, delegate and lead through others. They should be business-minded, calm under pressure, intellectually strong, practical and comfortable advising on high-value matters where legal, commercial, financial and operational considerations need to be balanced. Responsibilities Legal support delivery Responsible for all legal support for the delivery of inventory/capacity to support regional organic expansion plans Provide strategic and practical legal advice on real estate acquisitions, disposals, leases, site development, construction projects, energy matters, portfolio management, and related infrastructure matters across EMEA Work closely with senior business leaders to provide clear, business-oriented legal advice and act as a trusted adviser on complex and high-value matters Manage legal risk across the EMEA real estate and infrastructure portfolio, including identifying recurring risk themes and improving how those risks are addressed across projects Represent Legal function on the regional investment committee, handling any legal and related queries as part of the review and approval of new organic expansions Manage external counsel effectively, including building and maintaining a network of external counsel relationships across the region with the necessary expertise and knowledge of Equinix to ensure practical, timely, and cost effective external legal support which is aligned with Equinix’s business objectives Partner with Legal colleagues globally to support knowledge sharing, template and playbook development, and improvement of processes and ways of working for real estate and infrastructure matters Help the business move at pace while maintaining appropriate legal, compliance and governance standards Stakeholder Engagement and Cross-Functional Collaboration Collaborate closely with a wide range of internal stakeholders, including Real Estate and Corporate Development, Energy, Global Design and Construction, regional and country leadership, Operations, Finance, Tax and Treasury, other members of the Legal function Build strong relationships with these stakeholders and influence effectively across functions, geographies and seniority levels Team Leadership Foster an inclusive, collaborative and motivating team environment Set clear priorities for the team and align legal support to business needs Develop legal talent and support team members’ growth Help the team operate consistently across EMEA while remaining responsive to local market needs Coach team members on complex legal, stakeholder and risk management issues; ensure appropriate escalation of material legal and business risks Qualifications Strong legal experience in real estate, construction, infrastructure development, and/or energy from a middle or top tier law firm and/or a large multi-national organisation in a dynamic business environment Experience advising on large, complex, cross-functional transactions or projects Experience of leading a team and proven strong people management skills A collaborative working style and the ability to build credibility with both Legal and business teams Strong ability to take a pragmatic and commercial approach, and to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical business advice Strong communication and relationship building skills, and the confidence to advise senior stakeholders The ability to operate in a fast-moving, matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities, and to organise and prioritise tasks and workload Location The role may be based in London or Amsterdam. Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability. If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form . Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy / childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law. We use artificial intelligence in our hiring process. Learn more here . This posting is for a backfill position, meaning it is to fill an existing vacancy within our organization.