About MVH Europe:

Mars Veterinary Health (MVH) Europe is a family of leading veterinary care providers committed to creating a better world for pets. Our network includes trusted brands such as AniCura and Linnaeus, operating over 500 animal hospitals and clinics across 17 European countries. Together, our teams deliver high-quality, modern veterinary care for companion animals, ensuring peace of mind for pet owners through excellent access and patient safety.

AniCura, our largest brand in Europe, provides care to over three million patients each year through 12,500 dedicated professionals. Linnaeus, operating primarily in the UK and Ireland, is home to over 6,000 Associates empowered to deliver exceptional care through a culture of collaboration, clinical excellence, and continuous development.

At MVH Europe, we prioritize a culture of accountability, inclusion, and wellbeing. We believe our purpose — to make A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS — starts with building a better world for our people. We support our teams through strong governance, comprehensive wellbeing programs, and a shared passion for delivering exceptional outcomes in veterinary care.

Role Overview:

The Senior Legal Counsel (Commercial) role exists to manage commercially oriented legal support broadly across MVHE, with an emphasis on building scalable contracting frameworks, managing key commercial projects, and providing legal expertise on strategic supplier agreements. This role is instrumental in supporting Procurement colleagues and business functions across Europe and the UK by delivering practical, risk-managed, and business-aligned legal solutions.

This role sits within the Legal Affairs team in the broader Legal function serving all MVHE Operating Units in a variety of matters and particularly supporting commercial activities across multiple jurisdictions. The postholder will operate autonomously, yet collaboratively, delivering practical legal solutions aligned with business priorities.

Function: The Legal Function is made up of three teams, Legal Affairs, Compliance and Risk & Insurance, which work together to provide legal, regulatory and risk support to the entire geographical footprint of Mars Veterinary Health Europe, currently comprising four geographical Operating Units (UK & Ireland, Central Europe, North-West Europe and Mediterranean & CEE), made up of 19 jurisdictions.

Team: The Legal Affairs Team supports all Operating Units and Group Functions with general legal matters including employment, competition, contracts (in collaboration with Procurement colleagues), corporate, M&A and dispute management.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Affairs Team

• Provide legal support to MVHE and individual clinics in strategic as well as a wide variety of day-to-day legal matters e.g. commercial contracts (in collaboration with the Procurement Team), leases, employment, data privacy (in collaboration with the Compliance Team) and disputes.
• Provide M&A acquisition and integration support (in collaboration with external counsel).
• Manage Company Secretarial matters for MVHE legal entities.
• Organise and conduct training on various legal/compliance/risk topics (in collaboration with the Compliance and Risk teams).
• Represent the Legal Affairs team as subject matter expert in in strategic projects.
• Develop and implement strategies to efficiently manage legal risks.
• Manage use of external counsel to ensure high quality and cost-efficient support.
• Monitor legislative changes and industry trends to ensure internal clients are informed of relevant developments.

Senior Legal Counsel (Commercial)

• Act as trusted business partner to all Operating Units across all business functions including HR, Finance, Client, Corporate Affairs and Operations, with particular focus on Commercial/Procurement.
• Continually improve (draft, implement and maintain) the Legal Function's commercial contracts library, comprising MSAs, DPAs, tender packs and Playbooks, including training on the library.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements including supplier goods and services, contracts where MVHE acts as supplier, and Mars intra-group agreements.
• Advise on contract renewals, disputes, and supplier management issues.
• Assist with property legal documentation as needed (e.g., leases, licences).
• Support Operating Unit corporate governance requirements, including filings, shareholder resolutions, and company secretarial tasks.
• Identify and escalate legal risks where appropriate, proposing commercially sensible mitigation strategies.
• Liaise with external counsel when required for specialist input or jurisdictional coverage.
• Stay updated on relevant legal and regulatory developments (e.g., competition law, veterinary regulatory, data protection).
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders across Procurement, Finance, and Clinical Operations.

Summary of the Role

• Job Title: Senior Legal Counsel (Commercial)
• Department: Legal (Legal Affairs Team)
• Reports To: Assistant General Counsel (UK&I, Med & CEE)
• Location: Madrid  (Hybrid)
• Contract: Full-time
• Languages: Fluency in English (additional European languages are a plus)

Education & Professional Qualifications:

• Spanish or Italian Law Degree or equivalent, with appropriate legal conversion course where applicable.
• Minimum 8 years PQE with strong focus on commercial law.

Knowledge / Experience

• Broad generalist competence, with strong expertise in drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Experience in drafting and maintaining template documentation including MSAs and accompanying playbooks.
• Experience in-house or in private practice (ideally both), advising Procurement (Commercial) teams.

Preferred

• Fluency in another European language (ideally Spanish or Italian).
• Experience of working in/advising clients in Europe or on a pan-European basis.

Key Competencies:

• Adaptability & Resilience: Thrives in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Analytical & Strategic Thinking: Identifies risks, opportunities, and effective solutions.
• Business Acumen: Understands commercial drivers and offers pragmatic, goal-oriented advice.
• Communication: Conveys complex issues clearly and concisely to varied audiences.
• Integrity: Demonstrates strong ethics and professionalism at all times.
• Legal & Regulatory Insight: Interprets complex frameworks and applies them practically.
• Stakeholder Management: Balances diverse interests with tact and collaboration.

Our offer:

• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to shape the future of veterinary care, together.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package.
• A stimulating work environment with good opportunities for personal development.
• Freedom to take responsibility and the opportunity to influence.
• Flexible working hours, hybrid working, international, digital work environment.
• Learning and development opportunities.
• The opportunity to cuddle our beloved 4-legged friends in our offices.
• We are always open for a conversation to discuss your individual needs.

Interested?

Please contact Lekya Kanamarlapudi, Group Corporate Recruitment Partner who is happy to tell you more about this opportunity and the recruitment process. Or apply by submitting your resume through clicking the apply button below.

MVHE is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds.