Head of Legal

At Rockstart, we are looking for a strategic, hands-on Head of Legal to take ownership of our legal and regulatory affairs. This role is ideal for a lawyer with strong transactional, fund structuring, and regulatory experience who enjoys working in an entrepreneurial environment. You will be a key advisor to the leadership team, supporting fund operations, overseeing portfolio investments, and ongoing regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Support setup and maintenance of fund structures (e.g., EuVECA fund, Dutch BV feeder, manager entities).

• Together with an external counsel, draft and negotiate fund documentation (e.g., LPA, subscription docs, side letters).

• Ensure ongoing compliance with EuVECA and Dutch AFM light regime obligations.

• Monitor and advise on legal and regulatory developments (e.g., EuVECA, AIFMD, AMLD, SFDR, PRIIPs, etc).

• Liaise with external regulators (AFM, DNB) and service providers (legal, admin, compliance).

• Together with the external counsel, oversee deals, advise on legal due diligence and corporate governance of portfolio companies.

• Support the funds management team on transactions (initial and follow-ons)

• Support exit transactions, including M&A and secondary sales.

• Manage legal aspects of the firm’s own operations (e.g., employment contracts, NDAs, service agreements, IP).

• Manager of our junior legal counsel, ensuring supervision, training and task management.
  

What makes you the perfect candidate?

• You have a pragmatic and business-oriented approach to legal advice.

• You are comfortable operating in a lean, fast-paced environment and working autonomously.

• You possess strong organizational skills and you are attentive to detail.

• High integrity and sense of discretion are part of who you are

Qualifications

• Dutch or EU-qualified lawyer with at least 5–7 years of relevant experience.

• Background in fund formation, venture capital, or financial regulatory law (law firm or in-house).

• Solid understanding of EuVECA, AIFMD light regime, and relevant EU regulations.

• Experience with VC deal terms and working with startups.

• Fluent in English; Dutch proficiency preferred.

Start: As soon as possible

Availability: 40 hours per week

Duration: Initial 12 month contract with views to extend to a longer period

Remuneration: Salary in alignment with experience

Location: Amsterdam

*note that visa sponsorship and relocation support aren’t offered for this role

What we offer:

A great work environment with international colleagues, working hybrid from both office and home

An annual budget towards growth and personal development and a monthly budget for your wellness

Work from home allowance

Home office set up budget

Pension scheme possibility

Easily accessible location across the Amsterdam Central station

A bit about Rockstart

Rockstart is a global early-stage Venture Capital that empowers purpose-driven founders on their way to success across three domains: Energy, AgriFood, and Emerging Technologies.

Since its inception in 2011, Rockstart has invested in more than 260 startups and its alumni value to date is €1b. Rockstart is an international team of +40 professionals dedicated to empowering purpose-driven founders to become scalable and change the world for the better.

Rockstart has notable exits such as Wercker, Bouw7, iClinic and in 2021 Hubs and Brincr. The company has offices in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Copenhagen, Denmark and Bogota, Colombia.