General Counsel (m/f/d)

About the Role at RobCo At RobCo, we develop AI-powered robotic systems that make industrial processes more autonomous, efficient, and scalable. Our Autonomous Manufacturing Platform combines modular industrial hardware with physical AI, enabling rapid deployment and continuous optimization in real production environments. With locations in Munich, San Francisco, and Austin, and backed by leading investors such as Lightspeed, Lingotto Innovation, and Sequoia, we are working to redefine industrial automation. At RobCo, we automate the ordinary, so humans can do the extraordinary. To achieve this, we are looking for an ambitious General Counsel (m/f/d) to help us establish RobCo as leading provider of automation solutions. This is a founding legal leadership role. As General Counsel, you will be RobCo's first in-house legal counsel, reporting directly to the CFO with a dotted line to the CEO. You will build a lean, high-leverage legal team from scratch and establish the internal legal operating model that supports a fast-moving, internationally distributed robotics company. This role is for a builder. You are comfortable operating without a playbook, confident in both German and US legal frameworks, and eager to use AI tooling to punch above your weight. You will own end-to-end legal across commercial, corporate, employment, and compliance, while managing a curated panel of external counsel on specialised matters. Your Responsibilities - Build and Lead the Legal Function - Build a lean, scalable legal function covering EU and US jurisdictions - Establish legal operations infrastructure: contract repositories, approval workflows, policy frameworks, and AI-assisted tooling - Define the external counsel strategy, covering, briefing, and managing specialized firms on IP, regulatory, M&A, and litigation matters - Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO, CFO, and Management Team on legal risk, governance, and strategic matters - Deal Desk & Commercial Contracts - Build and own RobCo's deal desk function, covering contract templates, playbooks, negotiation guardrails, and escalation protocols - Review, negotiate, and close enterprise customer contracts across DACH and US markets, including RaaS agreements, pilots, and framework agreements - Advise the CRO and Sales team on deal structure, liability exposure, IP ownership, data handling, and SLA terms - Support revenue recognition alignment on complex hardware and software contract structures (milestones, multi-element arrangements, non-binding letters of intent) - Corporate & Entity Structuring - Oversee RobCo's legal entity structure across Germany and the US, advising on intercompany arrangements, transfer pricing, and future international expansion - Support governance matters including Board resolutions, powers of attorney (Handlungsvollmacht / Prokura), and shareholder agreements - Lead or support M&A, fundraising, and investor transactions alongside the CFO and external counsel - Employment & HR Legal - Draft, review, and maintain employment contracts, offer letters, and severance agreements compliant with German labor law and applicable US state law - Advise on Betriebsart matters, German works council obligations, and cross-border employment structuring Partner with People/HR on equity documentation, immigration matters, and workforce policy - Compliance, IP & Regulatory - Own GDPR and data privacy compliance across EU and US operations, including DPAs, privacy notices, and data transfer mechanisms - Manage RobCo's IP portfolio (patents, trademarks, trade secrets) and ensure appropriate protections are embedded in commercial agreements - Monitor and advise on AI and robotics-specific regulatory developments in the EU (AI Act, Machinery Regulation) and US markets We're looking for someone who: - Is a qualified lawyer admitted to practice in Germany (dual qualification in US is a strong plus) - Has 7 to 12 years of experience spanning in-house and top-tier law firm backgrounds, wit