Senior Legal Counsel

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced senior legal professional to join our Legal & Compliance team in China. In this role, you will serve as a trusted business partner, providing hands-on legal support across the full range of corporate and commercial transactions for a high-tech, fast-growing global business. You will also develop expertise in specialized areas — including intellectual property, data governance, cybersecurity, and privacy — by working closely with subject-matter experts at headquarters and external counsel. This is an ideal opportunity for a strong generalist with genuine curiosity about technology-related legal issues and a collaborative, cross-functional mindset.

Reporting to: Head of Legal & Compliance, China

Key Responsibilities

Corporate & Commercial Transactions:

• Negotiate, draft, and manage a broad range of commercial contracts — including supply agreements, technology licensing, service agreements, and strategic partnerships — ensuring effective risk allocation and dispute resolution.
• Provide day-to-day legal counsel on general corporate matters, supporting both regular business operations and high-priority strategic projects in China.
• Serve as a key point of contact for internal business teams, delivering pragmatic, solution-oriented legal advice that enables commercial objectives.

Specialized Domains (IP, Data, Security & Privacy):

• Support and coordinate on intellectual property protection, data governance, cybersecurity, and privacy compliance matters, working in close partnership with specialist colleagues at headquarters and external counsel.
• Develop a working knowledge of China's evolving regulatory landscape in these areas (including PIPL, DSL, and CSL), and help translate headquarters-level policies and frameworks into practical local guidance.
• A deep interest in these fields and a willingness to build expertise over time are essential.

Compliance & Risk Management:

• Design, implement, and monitor compliance programs to identify, prevent, and mitigate legal and regulatory risks across relevant domains.

Stakeholder & Counsel Management:

• Collaborate closely with members of the worldwide Legal & Compliance team to deliver coordinated, consistent legal support across jurisdictions.
• Manage relationships with external legal advisors, overseeing performance, cost, and quality of outside counsel engagements.
• Contribute to broader legal department projects and support global priorities as needed.

Qualifications & Competencies

• Education: Law degree from a top-tier university; an additional overseas degree is preferred.
• Admission: Qualified to practice law in China; admission to an international bar is a plus.
• Experience: A minimum of 12 years of legal experience, including significant time at both a leading global law firm and in-house at a major multinational corporation. A strong track record in commercial transactions and general corporate work and exposure to IP, data privacy, or cybersecurity matters are essential.
• China Expertise: Deep transactional and regulatory experience in China, combined with a strong understanding of international legal frameworks and commercial practices.
• Language & Drafting: Fluent in English with excellent legal drafting and negotiation skills.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is first and foremost a strong corporate and commercial lawyer who thrives in a fast-paced, multinational environment and brings a proactive, business-oriented approach to legal problem-solving. You have a genuine interest in technology-related legal topics — including IP, data, cybersecurity, and privacy — and you are eager to deepen your expertise in these areas over time. You excel at collaborating across functions and geographies, partnering effectively with internal specialists at headquarters and external counsel to deliver best-in-class legal support. You are comfortable operating across cultures and jurisdictions, and you have a demonstrated track record of supporting complex commercial operations in China for a global technology company.

Inclusion and diversity

ASML is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that inclusion and diversity is a driving force in the success of our company.

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