Senior Legal Counsel

WHO WE ARE

Avolta is a leading global travel experience company, serving travelers with an innovative and integrated travel retail, food & beverage (F&B) and convenience offering worldwide. Our company is present in more than 1,000 locations across 70 countries with 5,100 outlets across airports, motorways, rail stations and other venues, and more than 77,000 employees worldwide. Avolta is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and listed on SIX Swiss Exchange.

THE POSITION

We are looking for a dedicated and dynamic Senior Legal Counsel to join us at our offices in Basel/Zurich, Switzerland. You will be an integral part of Avolta’s global Legal & Compliance Department with a primary focus on the legal affairs of our Swiss retail and F&B business, including our presence at the Zurich, Geneva and Basel airports and motorway service stations throughout Switzerland.

The role offers a rewarding opportunity to grow together with our company and will allow you to deliver value from day one through innovative, commercially oriented legal thinking and close collaboration with key stakeholders across a broad range of legal and business matters. To succeed, your ability to thrive in a fast-paced, agile, international business environment is key.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

As Senior Legal Counsel, you will provide comprehensive legal support to Avolta’s travel retail and F&B operations in Switzerland. You will serve as the Legal & Compliance Department’s primary point of contact for country management and business teams, advising on all day-to-day Swiss legal and regulatory matters.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of contracts, including concession agreements with airport, railway, and motorway authorities; franchise agreements; partnership and cooperation agreements; and supply contracts.
• Providing advice on legal and regulatory risks, ensuring business activities are compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
• Managing dispute resolution processes and coordinating with external counsel.
• Handling both contentious and non-contentious regulatory matters.
• Supporting Swiss corporate legal matters, including internal reorganizations, corporate governance, and overseeing corporate housekeeping.
• Collaborating with the Compliance team on compliance-related issues.
• Select support on Swiss law matters related to the listed parent company and HQ operations.
• Conducting legal research across various Swiss legal topics and monitoring relevant legal developments.
• Potential involvement in legal matters related to other European countries.

YOUR BACKGROUND

Our ideal candidate will have the following background:

• 8+ years of legal experience in a multinational corporate environment or with a top Swiss law firm (ideally a combination thereof).  
• MLaw degree from a Swiss university and admitted to the Swiss bar.
• Proven experience in handling complex legal and regulatory matters, ideally in a cross-jurisdictional context.
• Excellent English and German drafting skills; French is a strong asset.
• Strong resilience and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic business environment.
• A flexible, solutions-oriented and commercial mindset with the ability to work both independently and in a team.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills and stakeholder management.
• Flexibility with respect to place of work (Basel and Zurich) is required.

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If you are excited for an opportunity to take the next step in your career with a dynamic global company based in Switzerland, we look forward to receiving your application. Please include a cover letter.

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We look forward to connecting with you soon!