Legal Counsel, Procurement

Legal Counsel, Procurement

Are you looking for a new opportunity in public procurement law in an organisation that strongly supports professional growth? Do you enjoy communicating and applying best practice in the ever-evolving landscape of regulations and directives that affect tendering in publicly owned companies? Would you like to use your expertise to drive a sustainable future while working in an inspiring community at the cutting edge of science and technology? VTT might be just the place for you.  

VTT is one of the leading applied research organisations in Europe. What unites us are curiosity, a passion for learning, and a purpose: to solve the biggest challenges of our time and turn them into sustainable growth and well-being. Our cross-disciplinary community of over 2000 brilliant minds focus on creating impact through science-based innovation. Get to know us further by exploring VTT's tech & infra. 

We are now looking for Legal Counsel to join our Procurement team 

As a Legal Counsel, you support the whole VTT community in procurement related legal issues, proactively creating best practices as new regulations come in from both EU and national level, besides VTT specific regulations arising from NATO cooperation and other unique characteristics. We want to be ahead of the curve with the upcoming updates on procurement law and therefore it’s time to strengthen our team with another Legal Counsel specialized in public procurement. In this position, you will have an essential role to support our public tendering and purchasing experts on all procurement related issues. You are not afraid to help with negotiating contracts, and assessing risks involved. 

“If you are excited about understanding complex procurement entities and interested in working in a collaborative environment, this place is for you. Our goal is to be a pioneer in public procurement and to continuously refine our processes to be better and more suitable for the market.” 

-Riitta Voipio, Senior Legal Counsel, Procurement- 

The procurement team enables research areas as well as all VTTers to have smooth and compliant procurement process experience. Together we ensure that our public tendering is compliant with the current regulations. In this position you get to see some of the most exciting investments we are making as a society.  

As Legal Counsel, Procurement, you will: 

• Draft, review, negotiate and advise procurement contracts and invitations to tenders both in Finnish and English 

• assess risks and take them into account in invitation to tenders, contracts and other procurement documents 

• proactively review our procurement processes according to an Act on Public Contracts, and other related regulations such as EU directives 

• solve procurement related legal issues, secure compliance, create guidelines, train VTTers, and develop processes in collaboration with VTTers            

To summarize, your main responsibility is to safeguard compliance and VTT’s interest in  procurement related issues. The position will be tailored based on your previous experience. 

Who we are looking for: 

• Finnish master’s in law  

• You might be finalizing your studies soon, a fresh graduate or a seasoned expert, we can tailor the role based on your interests and expertise. 

• at least some practical experience in public procurement process, contract drafting and negotiations 

• understanding of public procurement legislation and appropriate agreement terms and procedures 

As a person, we hope you:  

You have the ability to combine business requirements with legal requirements. You are sociable and have courage to give guidance on simple legal questions on the spot. You have strong self-leadership, collaboration, and coordination skills. You have good negotiation and presentation skills both in Finnish and English, and are keen on developing contracting procurement processes, tools, templates, and guidelines as well as training other VTTers. 

In your role you will work in tight co-operation with different teams across VTT, therefore teamwork skills are essential. While the work requires holistic applications keeping multiple legal perspectives in mind, there are also simple, routine tasks involved and we hope you enjoy this variety! 

With VTT, you’ll enjoy:   

• Work with a strong purpose. At VTT, you’ll get to use your professional expertise to help solve the greatest challenges of our time through science and innovation. Our research agenda is dedicated to creating solving systemic and technological challenges, such as reaching carbon neutrality and creating superior digital systems. At VTT, you’ll get to do your part in driving this meaningful change through your own professional skills. Read more about our strategy – the path of exponential hope.    

• An inspiring community. VTT houses all the cutting-edge fields of innovation from quantum technology to synthetic biology under one roof. As a professional at VTT, you’ll get to witness and influence the future of science and technology as it happens.  

• Career and learning opportunities. As a scientific expert organisation, we put a lot of emphasis on learning and development, and support our people in reaching their full potential. People tend to stay at VTT for more than 10 years, as we offer opportunities to develop and grow into new responsibilities. If you’re curious, ambitious and willing to learn, VTT is the place to take your career to the next level. 
      

• Support for your well-being. Our people are our main asset, so we take good care of them. We aim to nurture great team spirit and leadership and offer versatile well-being services to enable a good work–life balance. On top of 6 weeks of paid holidays we offer exercise and culture benefits, hobby clubs, and voluntary well-being services such as meditation programmes and trainings on cognitive ergonomics.  

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!   

Please send your CV and application with your salary request via our recruitment system as soon as possible but at the latest by 14th 28th of April We will process applications as they come in, and fill in the position as soon as we find the right candidate.   This position is available also in Finnish here: in Finnish here

Interested and want to hear more?  

For further information, please contact Procurement Manager Jarmo Herranen, jarmo.herranen@vtt.fi or +358 40 741 4306 on 12th April 15:00 – 16:00 or 19th April 15:00 – 16:00.   

We look forward to hearing from you!