Head of Legal

Job description

🩷 About us PLG group is leading 3P digital ticketing marketplace operator in Central Europe and the Baltics. PLG is owned by entrepreneur Sven Nuutmann's investment company Angel Rose Capital, Estonian capital investment company Tristafan and the private equity investment firm BaltCap. PLG is an international ticket sales company which operates in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, has marked a significant milestone this year, celebrating 29 years of successful operations. The PLG is the leading ticket sales platform in the Baltic States and is the largest ticket sales operator in Central Europe. PLG operates in a market with a population of 80 million people. The volume of issued tickets has grown to over 22 million with a total value of 600 million euros, and the annual website visits reached 200 million per year. A strong workforce of 300 employees stands behind these anticipated achievements, showcasing PLG's commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. We are an international ticket sales group, with companies operating in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania. PLG Group is the leading ticket sales platform in the Baltic States and the largest ticket sales operator in Central Europe, marking 29 years in the ticketing business 💚 W hy this role matters We are looking for an experienced Head of Legal to lead PLG’s legal function and support the Group’s international growth. This is a business leadership role, working closely with the CEO, Board and executive leadership team to turn legal and regulatory complexity into clear business choices, practical solutions and proportionate risk decisions. The role covers cross-border M&A, market entry, marketplace and payment regulation, product, consumer protection, data, AI, contracts and post-acquisition integration, while building a scalable Group legal and compliance framework with clear ownership, controls and escalation paths. Key Responsibilities: Executive and Board advice: Advise the CEO, Board and executive leadership team on material legal, regulatory, governance and reputational matters, providing clear recommendations and independently escalating material concerns where necessary. Group legal strategy and risk: Set PLG’s Group legal strategy , legal risk priorities and proportionate risk- management approach , focusing attention on material business risks rather than theoretical issues . M&A and post-acquisition integration: Lead the full legal lifecycle of cross-border M&A, from structuring, due diligence and regulatory screening through negotiation, signing and closing, and own post-acquisition legal integration across entities, contracts, employees, payments, customer terms, privacy, IP, disputes and compliance. International expansion: Lead legal readiness for new markets, including corporate structure, ticketing, payments, consumer protection, privacy, employment, competition and local regulatory requirements. Marketplace, ticketing and payments: Own PLG’s legal framework for marketplace, ticketing and payments, including the responsibilities of PLG, promoters, customers and payment service providers. Payment regulation and architecture: Understand and challenge PLG’s end-to-end payment and settlement flows, including payee, safeguarding, refunds, fraud, reserves and chargebacks. Assess whether payment models fall within regulated services based on the actual operating model, ensure contracts and customer journeys support a consistent legal position, and monitor PSD2, PSD3, PSR and relevant national legislation. Product, data and technology regulation: Embed Legal early into product, pricing, payments, data, AI and market-launch processes, and advise on GDPR, ePrivacy, cybersecurity, AI governance, digital accessibility and other relevant digital-platform requirements. Compliance framework : Build a risk-based Group compliance framework with clear operational ownership and Legal oversight. Translate regulatory requirements into practical policies, controls, product requirements, escalation thresholds and remediation, including standards for anti-bribery, sanctions, conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, whistleblowing and internal investigations. Regulation into action : Translate legal and regulatory requirements into practical policies , product requirements , controls , escalation thresholds , accountable owners , monitoring and evidence , and ensure identified weaknesses are remediated . Commercial contracting and legal operations: Establish scalable legal processes, including templates, negotiation playbooks, approval thresholds, signing authorities, a Group contract repository and self-service for routine, lower-risk matters. Set appropriate service levels and metrics and manage external legal spend efficiently. Corporate governance: Maintain a consistent Group legal-entity and governance framework, including subsidiary governance, Board and shareholder decisions, delegations, powers of attorney and intercompany arrangements, and advise on material shareholder, financing, lender and investor matters. Disputes, IP and insurance: Oversee significant disputes, regulatory investigations, intellectual property matters, insurance and material claims. Legal function leadership: Build and develop an effective Group legal function, establish consistent standards across PLG subsidiaries and manage an efficient network of specialist and local external advisers. Legal self-service and AI: Develop and govern legal self-service and AI-enabled workflows that allow teams to handle routine matters independently within clear policies and escalation thresholds, while ensuring complex, sensitive and high-risk matters are referred to Legal. Who we’re looking for Qualified lawyer in an EU or EEA jurisdiction, ideally with approximately 12+ years of relevant post-qualification experience. Exceptional candidates with a different experience profile may also be considered. Significant senior in-house legal leadership experience, preferably complemented by experience in a respected law firm. Strong experience in at least two of the following: digital marketplaces, e-commerce, ticketing, payments, consumer platforms or regulated technology businesses. Proven experience leading cross-border M&A and taking ownership of post-acquisition legal integration. Strong practical understanding of payment and settlement structures, including the ability to assess actual payment flows and regulatory responsibilities beyond contractual labels or PSP arrangements. Working knowledge of EU consumer, payments, privacy, digital-platform and competition regulation. Demonstrated ability to turn regulation into practical product requirements, operational controls, accountable owners and evidence. Experience building scalable, risk-based compliance and legal-operations frameworks rather than making Legal the approval point for every routine decision. Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to distinguish material risk from theoretical risk and recommend proportionate solutions. Confidence advising and constructively challenging the CEO, executive team and Board on complex and commercially sensitive matters. Clear, concise and practical communication style, with a strong preference for recommendations and solutions over lengthy descriptions of legal uncertainty. Excellent written and spoken English . Estonian or another PLG market language is an advantage . Willingness to travel within PLG’s markets.