Senior Legal Counsel - Employment Law

Are you looking to have an impact on the daily life of millions of entrepreneurs in France (and tomorrow in Europe)?

Are you looking for a work environment that values trust, proactivity, and autonomy?

Then Pennylane is the right place for you !

Our vision

We aim to become the most beloved financial Operating System of French SMEs and Accounting Firms (and soon, European ones).

We help entrepreneurs rid themselves of time-consuming tasks related to accounting and finance while providing them with access to key financial information to assist in making the best decisions for their business.

About us

Pennylane is one of the fastest growing Fintechs in France (and soon to be in Europe!)

In 6 years of existence, we’ve managed to :

Make ourselves known as a groundbreaking accounting and financial software for small businesses and their accountants

Raise a total of €400 millions, including from Sequoia, the famous fund from the Silicon Valley who invested early in companies like Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Stripe, Paypal and much more...

‍ ‍ ‍ Grow from 7 cofounders to +1000 happy Pennylaners : we’re now recognized as one of the greatest places to work in France (and also remotely), with a 4.6/5 rating on Glassdoor .

Build an international environment with more than 25 nationalities, with a strong remote-friendly culture, where 30% of the employees are already working from all parts of Europe

Earn the trust of thousands of customers and accounting firms and obtain outstanding ratings

Already more than 1 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and over 8000 accounting firms use Pennylane in France!

Context

Pennylane is a fast-growing scale-up currently employing +1,000 people and expecting strong growth in 2026. In this dynamic context, we are looking for an experienced Employment Law Specialist to support our development in France and internationally.

Main Mission

As the first Senior Legal Counsel - Employment Law at Pennylane, you will report to the VP People. Your mission will be to ensure the company's legal and social compliance in France and in our international subsidiaries, while supporting the organization's growth and transformation.

✅ Key Responsibilities

- Drafting collective agreements: Negotiate and draft collective agreements in collaboration with management and social partners

- In charge of the relations with the Works Council and employee representative bodies: Oversee relations with the Works Council of over 300 people and facilitate various committees

- Managing individual cases: Advise HR teams and managers on individual situations.

- International law and subsidiary management: Ensure compliance of HR practices in subsidiaries, conduct benchmarking of legal obligations, and coordinate with local counsel

- Legal performance management: Implement compliance indicators and anticipate legal risks related to growth

- Legal and regulatory monitoring: Maintain ongoing monitoring of French and international employment law and disseminate information to teams

Desired Profile

Education and Experience

- Master's degree in employment law or equivalent

- 8 to 10 years of experience in employment law, ideally in-house

- Experience in a scale-up or high-growth environment required

Skills

- Strong expertise in French and international employment law (experience in Germany, Spain labour law is a plus)

- Business oriented

- Proficiency in managing relations with employee representative bodies

- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

- Autonomy, pragmatism, and solution-oriented approach

- Fluent French & English

Recruitment Process

First talk with Marie, Talent Acquisition - 30'

Interview with Mathilde (Head of People Ops) - 1h

Case study with Mathilde and Marine (VP people) - 1h

Final Interview with Felix (COO & Co-founder) & Stanislas (Head of Legal) - 1h

What do we do to make your work life easier

Wherever you are based, you will get 25 vacations days paid by Pennylane

You’ll have a competitive compensation package

You'll get company shares to enjoy a piece of the success story you're building with us

You’ll have a budget to turn your home into a more comfortable workspace, as well as a monthly allowance to work from a coworking space whenever you feel like it

⛹️ Through our partner Gymlib, you’ll have access to 8000 fitness spaces in Europe and more than 300 activities related to wellness

You’ll have access to Busuu to perfect your English or your French

You’ll get the latest Apple equipment

Depending on the teams and the requirements of the position - you'll be able to work remotely from your country of residence, as long as it is in Europe and within a maximum time difference of two hours from the CET time zone

We are committed to regularly coming together for company events such as Tech Days (which bring remote Pennylaners together every 3 months) or our annual company seminar, fostering significant moments of cohesion for everyone.

If you are based in France, you will have a French contract following French regulation on top of the additional perks : 6 to 12 RTT, 5 weeks PTOs, lunch credits (Swile), Alan Blue healthcare cover and regular events in cities where Pennylaners are mostly presents (Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes…)

We're working on providing those last advantages to our people based outside of France as well, but it can be quite more complex depending on different countries.

Who are we looking for ?

To thrive at Pennylane, you need :

-To speak English (level is assessed and appreciated according to the department you’re applying to)

-To be energized by an ever-shifting work environment

-To be highly collaborative (within your team or other stakeholders)

-Sufficiently experienced to prioritize business-led actions on your day to day activity

We know that some people are less likely to apply than others, if they don’t feel like they meet the full list of criteria.

If you’re hesitating, we encourage you to apply : who knows, it might be the start of a meaningful and long-lasting collaboration.

Important information for candidates

Recruitment scam attempts are on the rise. We invite you to remain vigilant during your exchanges.

Applications through official channels only : apply exclusively through our job postings published on our official platforms (career site, official partner pages).

Always verify the sender's email address : our communications are sent from professional email addresses with the domains @pennylane.com or @pennylane-partners.com

We will never ask you for payment or financial information

(bank details, payment for an interview, equipment purchases, etc.) as part of the recruitment process. If such a request is made to you, it is fraudulent. We invite you to not respond and to report it to us immediately .

We also want to emphasize that we fully embrace diversity, equity and inclusion and that we’re doing our best to create a safe and inclusive environment.

We are committed to providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of gender, sexual orientation, origin, disabilities, or any other traits that make you who you are. If anything, diversity makes us a more fun place to work at.