Senior Manager Legal & Partnerships, Germany

Job description

ABOUT ZENO Zeno is a legal AI startup building a platform that helps lawyers, notaries and other legal professionals research, review, and draft documents with real legal reasoning, not just text prediction. We’re developing technology that can: - Search and retrieve statutes, case law, and commentary with high precision. - Reason step-by-step, applying legal tests and weighing precedents. - Explain every answer transparently, so legal professionals can trace conclusions back to the exact sources. Where most tools automate surface-level tasks, we’re focused on replicating the way lawyers actually think through legal problems, making depth and trust the foundation of everything we build. You’re joining an early-stage startup that is already working with leading firms. Backed with €3M in seed funding, we’re now scaling a team that wants to solve real problems, drive innovation, and create lasting change in the legal sector. THE ROLE HELP BUILDING A WORLD-CLASS TEAM TO REDEFINE KNOWLEDGE WORK WITH AI We are looking for a German-qualified lawyer to lead Zeno's legal partnerships and legal affairs in Germany. You will be part of the global Legal & Partnerships team and work closely with the founders, product team, and Head of Legal & Partnerships to support Zeno's growth in the German market. This is a unique role that combines external market development with substantive legal work. You will help build relationships with leading law firms, legal departments and notaries, while also serving as a trusted legal partner within Zeno on commercial, regulatory, compliance, and strategic matters. As Zeno's first senior legal hire focused on Germany, you will help shape our market strategy, legal positioning, partnership approach and internal legal function. You will work at the intersection of law, technology, product, and business, helping ensure that our growth is commercially successful and legally sound. This role is ideal for someone who has practiced law, understands the German legal market, and wants to apply that expertise in a fast-growing legal technology company. WHAT YOU’LL DO You will take ownership of Zeno’s early legal partnerships in Germany. In practice, that means you will: - build and manage relationships with law firms, notaries, and legal departments in Germany; - support legal, regulatory, and compliance matters relevant to operating an AI company in Germany and Europe; - help develop internal policies, legal processes, and governance frameworks; - identify where Zeno can create real value in legal research, drafting, review, and knowledge work; - collaborate with product and engineering teams on legal questions relating to AI, data protection, and responsible product development; - work with product and legal teams to bring market feedback back into the company; - serve as a legal subject matter expert internally and help ensure that Zeno maintains the high standards expected by legal professionals. - represent Zeno at legal tech events, law firm meetings and relevant industry conversations You will not be handed a rigid playbook. You will help write it. WHO YOU ARE You are a qualified lawyer, legal counsel or senior legal professional with strong exposure to sophisticated legal work and a deep understanding of the German legal market. You enjoy practicing law, but you are equally excited by the opportunity to help shape how technology transforms the legal profession. You want to apply your legal expertise beyond traditional practice and work at the intersection of law, product, strategy and business. You likely bring: - strong German legal market knowledge and an understanding of how law firms, legal departments, and legal professionals evaluate new technologies; - experience at a leading law firm, legal department, legal tech company, or legal innovation team; - excellent German and English communication skills; - strong legal judgment and the ability to identify, assess, and manage legal and commercial risks; - experience advising on commercial agreements, strategic projects, regulatory matters, or client-facing legal work; - the ability to build credibility quickly with partners, general counsels, legal operations teams, and other senior stakeholders; - confidence leading negotiations, commercial discussions, and partnership conversations; - curiosity about AI, legal workflows, and the future of legal services; - enough independence to build and own a market without waiting for detailed instructions; - strong business instincts and an appreciation for how legal advice supports commercial outcomes; - good judgment on when to push, when to listen, and when to bring in others. Most importantly, you are someone who combines legal credibility with an entrepreneurial mindset. You are comfortable moving between legal analysis, strategic discussions, client conversations and market development activities, while maintaining the professional standards and judgment expected of a trusted legal advisor. We are deliberately looking for someone who brings legal expertise first, commercial awareness second, and a genuine interest in helping shape the future of legal work through technology WHY JOIN ZENO You will join early, with real ownership over Germany as a market. You will work on one of the most important shifts in the legal industry: how AI changes knowledge work for lawyers. You will be close to the product, close to clients, and close to the strategic decisions that shape the company. This is a startup role. Priorities will change. Some weeks will be messy. There will not always be a process, a script, or a perfectly prepared deck. But for the right person, that is exactly the appeal. You will have the chance to: - help bring a serious legal AI product to the German market; - work with leading law firms and legal professionals; - move from legal practice into a senior commercial and strategic role; - shape Zeno’s German partnerships from day one; - collaborate with a strong team of engineers, researchers, legal experts, and entrepreneurs; - build a role that can grow into broader DACH or European market leadership.