Senior Legal Advisor

About Greenpeace:

Founded in 1971, Greenpeace gives voice to a fragile Earth by promoting solutions, advocating change, and inspiring action. The organisation has employed non-violent methods to campaign for environmental justice since its inception. Today, Greenpeace operates in over 40 countries, with headquarters in Amsterdam.

 

Greenpeace in Southeast Asia

Greenpeace Southeast Asia (GPSEA) offers dynamic and meaningful opportunities for professional growth. It is driven by a diverse and committed team who uphold the highest professional standards of the world’s leading environmental campaigning organization. By working alongside passionate and skilled colleagues, you will help to tackle some of the planet’s most urgent environmental challenges,

 

Operating from our offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila, we lead globally significant campaigns shaped by regional and national contexts, offering challenging opportunities to address pressing ecological issues. We are financially supported by tens of thousands of people across the region. To remain independent we have a policy of not accepting funding from companies and governments and therefore only accept donations from individuals and private foundations.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Greenpeace Southeast Asia is an equal opportunity employer with a longstanding commitment to providing a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of each individual. We recognize and value the benefits and strengths that diversity brings to our employees and the whole organization and we thrive in an environment that encourages respect and trust. We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Selection will be in accordance with objective, job-related criteria and the appointment will be on the basis of the applicant’s merits and abilities.

The Senior Legal Advisor provides overarching strategic legal leadership and establishes GPSEA’s dedicated in-house legal capacity. Operating across Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, this role is accountable for mitigating organisational risk and ensuring regulatory compliance. The incumbent will provide high-level counsel on employment law, industrial relations, governance, and campaign risk, while coordinating with external legal counsel and overseeing litigation. The role ensures that legal considerations are seamlessly integrated into GPSEA’s strategic decision-making to protect the organisation’s staff, assets, and reputation.

The role is centered on three core performance domains:

• Governance: Solidifying internal accountability, operational risk systems, and institutional compliance frameworks.
• Performance: Equipping and enabling regional teams to achieve strategic victories with maximum efficiency.
• Justice: Driving legal strategies that actively advance environmental campaigns while fiercely defending the fundamental right to organize and demonstrate.

This is a 1-year fixed-term position based in either Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. Candidates who have the legal right to work and live in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are encouraged to apply.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and establish GPSEA’s in-house legal and risk management framework, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s strategic goals across four operating countries. 
• Formulate policies and provide guidance to ensure GPSEA’s adherence to local laws, regulatory frameworks, and international governance standards. 
• Provide high-level legal counsel regarding anti-protest or restrictive NGO/charity laws to safeguard GPSEA's operational freedom and civic advocacy environment.
• Construct and deploy internal workflows and processes to guarantee the agile, high-quality execution of legal services across the organization.
• Proactively review campaign strategies, direct actions and public communications to assess and mitigate legal, regulatory, and litigation exposure, specifically evaluating media liabilities such as defamation and libel. 
• Provide expert legal advice on complex employment matters, including organisational restructuring, workforce transitions, collective bargaining and engagement with labor unions.
• Direct and manage a regional network of external legal partners across Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, aligning their specialized expertise to secure robust organizational defense and strategic advice.
• Cultivate, grow, and coordinate collaborative relationships with volunteer legal networks, activist legal communities, and pro bono providers.
• Act as the chief trusted legal advisor to the Executive Director and Senior Management Team, using risk-based insights to shape top-level strategic paths.
• Negotiate consensus and resolve complex disputes across regional campaign, finance, and P&C teams regarding policy updates and organizational re-alignments without having direct line-management authority.
• Lead formal settlement negotiations and defend GPSEA’s institutional interests in external employment tribunals, labor union stalemates, or interactions with state regulatory bodies.
• Maintain strict adherence to all judicial calendars, court-mandated windows, and statutory filing deadlines for every active regional lawsuit and defensive proceeding
• Ensure prompt turnaround times for legal inquiries, contract vetting requests and commercial agreement reviews through the optimization of the contract management repository.
• Ensure absolute precision, evidentiary depth, and accuracy across all case folders, defensive strategies, and court-ready documentation involving GPSEA.
• Draft and review commercial agreements and MoUs to completely eliminate organizational liability, ensure rigorous adherence to data privacy, and defend Greenpeace's intellectual property.
• Deliver high-standard legal risk profiles to governance boards, and ensure structurally sound, legally compliant handling of intricate donor legacies, estates, and complex bequests.
• Guarantee the strategic accuracy and structural quality of all compliance training modules provided to internal personnel, interns, and volunteers.

Skills and Experience:

• Law Degree (Juris Doctor, LLB, or equivalent). Admission to the Bar in at least one GPSEA operating country (Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, or Thailand) is highly preferred.
• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive post-qualification experience, preferably with a mix of top-tier law firm and in-house counsel experience, preferably within an INGO or regional corporate environment.
• Deep expertise in employment law, industrial relations, and corporate governance. Familiarity with the legal and regulatory landscapes of Southeast Asia.

Competencies: Exceptional strategic thinking and risk management skills.

• Strong ability to translate complex legal jargon into actionable business/operational advice for non-legal leaders.
• High emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and ability to navigate politically sensitive and high-pressure situations (such as campaign-related litigation).

 

Deadline: 26 July 2026