Legal Counsel
R&D & Business Contracts (with IP focus)

What you will do

You will be an integral part of imec’s dynamic Legal Office, working in close partnership with our business teams. At imec, we collaborate with a diverse array of partners and operate at the forefront of technological innovation across multiple sectors. You will be assigned to one of these sectors, joining a cross‑functional business team that drives and lands both business and funded opportunities—with a strong focus on safeguarding imec’s intellectual property while ensuring compliance and protection of imec’s rights and obligations.

You will draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of R&D‑driven and commercial contracts, with particular attention to IP‑related provisions. These include research collaboration agreements, program partnership agreements, license deals, feasibility studies, development and technology transfer agreements, as well as grant and consortium contracts.

Throughout the intake, contracting, and execution phases of R&D projects, you will provide pragmatic legal advice, balancing business objectives with robust IP protection and risk management.

You will collaborate closely with imec’s business teams and with internal IP and compliance experts, covering essential areas such as intellectual property strategy, data management, privacy, and export control.

To stay ahead, you will continuously build and maintain expertise in key legal domains, including contract law, IP law, competition law, commercial law, and national and international funding regulations. You will also contribute to the development and updating of template agreements and standard clauses, ensuring alignment with imec’s IP strategy, internal policies, and evolving legal requirements.

Teamwork is central to this role. You will work alongside fellow legal professionals and actively contribute to initiatives that support a coherent, forward‑looking legal and IP strategy across imec.

What we do for you

As a Legal Counsel at imec, you are challenged with complex and innovative legal and IP‑driven questions that require creative, business‑oriented thinking. You will join a growing team of 16 passionate company lawyers dedicated to supporting imec’s global research, business, and corporate activities.

You will be mainly based at imec’s headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, while supporting imec and its affiliates worldwide.

The projects and contracts you work on will challenge you to think both strategically and practically, often at the intersection of technology, research collaboration, and intellectual property. In return for your talent, passion, and expertise, you will join a multicultural, high‑tech organisation offering a flexible, progressive, and informal working environment. Your contribution is rewarded with an attractive and competitive salary package, including extensive fringe benefits.

Who you are

• Holder of a Master’s degree in Law, with at least 3 years of experience in contract law and intellectual property law, ideally within an R&D or technology‑driven environment; experience with regulatory compliance is a plus
• Affinity with intellectual property‑intensive collaborations and technology transfer contexts
• Clear, concise, and focused communicator in English; knowledge of Dutch, or willingness to learn, is encouraged
• Diplomatic, solution‑oriented, and confident in exercising independent legal judgment
• Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced environment, with strong prioritisation and time‑management skills
• A proactive, constructive team player with a genuine interest in building long‑term relationships with business and research stakeholders

IMEC and its affiliates will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. IMEC will consider unsolicited referrals and/or resumes submitted by vendors such as search firms, staffing agencies, professional recruiters, fee-based referral services and recruiting agencies (hereafter “Agency”) to have been referred by the Agency free of charge. IMEC will not pay a fee to any Agency that does not have a prior written agreement with IMEC, validated by its HR department, in place regarding a specific job opening and allowing to submit resumes.