Commercial & IP Legal Counsel (remote)

About Us

SUSE is a global leader in innovative, reliable, and secure enterprise open source solutions, including SUSE® Linux Suite, SUSE® Rancher Suite, SUSE® Edge Suite, and SUSE® AI Suite. More than 60% of the Fortune 500 rely on SUSE to power their mission‑critical workloads, enabling them to innovate everywhere – from the data center to the cloud, to the edge and beyond. SUSE puts the “open” back in open source, collaborating with partners and communities to give customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow.

Commercial

• Supporting and executing legal team strategy initiatives to streamline global operations.
• Reviewing software packages for license compliance before release, ensuring our processes remain robust and aligned with industry standards.
• Translating complex engineering requirements into precise legal terms and, conversely, explaining how legal concepts (like copyleft or derivative works) impact specific coding and product decisions.
• Monitoring the legal and regulatory landscape of open source software, including emerging cybersecurity requirements, and proactively defining SUSE’s approach and policies to open source license compliance.
• Advising on SUSE’s strategic positioning within the open source community, including supporting SUSE’s thought leadership and activism on licensing issues in the open source community.
• Developing and delivering training to the business and supporting functions covering matters such as contract processes, the meaning of various contractual provisions, negotiation skills, open source compliance and group policies.

About You

• A qualified lawyer with around 1‑5 years’ post‑qualification experience. German qualification is preferred, but other jurisdictions will be considered.
• In‑house experience is a plus but not essential.
• Fluent in both German and English.
• Familiarity with commercial contracts and/or IP licenses.
• Familiarity with open source licensing is desirable, including how different licence types affect product strategy and risk.
• A desire to learn about the software supply chain and cybersecurity regulations.
• You are passionate about the philosophy of open source and are excited by the prospect of championing digital sovereignty.
• You don’t need to be a developer, but you are willing to build a solid understanding of the open source software development lifecycle and to get comfortable navigating environments like GitHub or GitLab.
• Prior experience in a technology or software company is desirable, but more importantly, you are someone who wants to "get under the skin" of engineering workflows to understand what our engineers need and how that impacts our compliance.
• Excellent drafting, research, and negotiation skills, with solid IP and commercial contracting knowledge.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines.
• A proactive, detail‑oriented approach with the confidence to work independently and take initiative.
• Strong collaboration skills and a good sense of humour – we value team players who can work across departments and jurisdictions.
• A business‑focused mindset with the ability to explain complex legal and technical matters in clear, accessible language.

Location

The role is remote but, depending on location, may include some days in our offices in Nuremberg, Dusseldorf or Amsterdam. Additionally, you might on occasion be required to travel to other offices, either in London or in other jurisdictions for meetings.

What We Offer

We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want. We celebrate and reward your achievements. SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind. This is a compelling opportunity for the right person to join us as we continue to scale and prosper. If you’re a big thinker, obsessed by execution and thrive in a dynamic environment in which you can tangibly create a lasting legacy, then please apply now!

We give you the freedom to be yourself. You will work in a global community of unique individuals – like you – with different backgrounds, talents, skills and perspectives. A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics.

Sounds like the right fit for you? Click Apply to submit your resume. A recruiter will contact you if your skills match our current or any future positions. In the meantime, stay updated on the latest SUSE news and job vacancies by joining our Talent Community.