Interim Head of Legalf and Regulatory

itsme has fundamentally changed how people lead their digital lives in Belgium, but we are not stopping there Do you want to be a driving force to help expand on this success story as part of a talented team that is making a positive impact on society? Then keep on reading, you'll probably like what you'll see.

We are itsme, one of Europe's fastest-growing scale-ups, counting 100 team members and growing. Our mission: providing a state-of-the-art digital identity solution to all people, enabling them to interact securely in the digital space. Now, only five years after being founded, close to 8 million citizens use the itsme app, to identify themselves and sign documents online. Starting in Belgium, we successfully launched the itsme app in 17 European countries, with the ambition of becoming an internationally leading player.

We are seeking a highly motivated and ambitious legal leader with regulatory expertise to join our Corporate Affairs team on an interim maternity cover. This fixed-term role runs for 8 months from March 2026 to October 2026 and offers a fantastic opportunity to lead the Legal & Regulatory team, providing clear guidance on legal matters and the regulatory frameworks that shape our industry. You will play a key role in strengthening and further developing the legal function to support itsme's ambitious growth, ensuring a robust legal foundation for scalable, compliant expansion during this period.

• Interim legal strategy & advisory: Provide day-to-day legal and regulatory leadership during the maternity cover period, ensuring continuity of advice and decision-making. Maintain and progress the existing legal and regulatory roadmap in line with itsme's business objectives, while identifying and escalating key risks. Advise on priority matters supporting product development and international expansion, including high-level assessments of legal and regulatory frameworks in new markets.

• Contract management and negotiation: Ensure seamless oversight of ongoing contracting activity. Support and supervise the drafting, review, and negotiation of commercial and other agreements, prioritising business-critical deals. Ensure contracts meet internal standards and comply with applicable laws, and flag items requiring longer-term structural input for post-cover follow-up.

• Regulatory compliance: Lead the maintenance of compliance with applicable regulations and industry standards (e.g., eIDAS, GDPR, PSD2/3, AML, DORA, NIS2 and ESG) throughout the interim period. Monitor regulatory developments, assess immediate impacts on the business, and implement or recommend necessary short-term actions. Represent the company in regulatory discussions as needed, ensuring alignment with the existing compliance approach and preparing clear handover notes on upcoming obligations.

• Corporate venturing and governance: Provide interim support on partnership structures and entity set-up in Belgium or abroad, ensuring matters move forward without disruption. Maintain corporate governance routines, including legal input to board and shareholder meeting preparation, and ensure decisions are properly documented and compliant.

• Intellectual Property management: Oversee the ongoing protection of itsme's IP and proprietary technology, ensuring continuity of filings, renewals, and enforcement actions. Manage any active disputes or litigation with external counsel, and document strategic IP decisions for handover.

• Team leadership & continuity: Provide interim leadership to the in-house legal team, ensuring stability, clear prioritisation, and timely delivery during the cover period. Manage and coordinate external counsel on specialised or time-sensitive matters, keeping workstreams moving and ensuring a structured transition at the end of the assignment.

• Master's degree in law.

• Minimum 10 years of legal experience, with a focus on regulatory affairs. Either working at a law firm or as an in-house counsel at a regulated, and ideally tech-focused, company. Experience in supporting expansion strategies is essential.

• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, preferably those applicable in the financial industry, ideally in the digital identity/trust space. Solid experience with contract and commercial law.

• Strong business acumen with strategic thinking and negotiation skills in high-stake environments.

• Ability to balance legal insight with business pragmatism in our dynamic and fast-growing environment.

• Team player who likes to interact with stakeholders at all levels within and outside of the organization.

• Fluent in English and mother tongue in Dutch or French.

• Being welcomed by an informal, enthusiastic, and ambitious team that is revolutionising how we safely manage our digital identity, in Belgium & beyond.

• Offices within walking distance from Brussels Central Station, with the possibility to work remotely 3 days a week.

• A contract of indefinite duration, with an attractive compensation package.

• An environment where we care a lot about our core values:

  • Integrity: being fair, honest & transparent so that we can be trusted.

  • Inclusiveness: being an open environment in which all team members' opinions are taken into account.

  • Innovation: building future-proof solutions by finding new ideas and methods to solve problems.

Your application has been successfully submitted