International contract counsel H/F

Who Are We?

A global leader in its markets, Vallourec provides premium steel tubular solutions for the energy sectors and other highly demanding applications: from extreme-condition oil and gas wells to next-generation power plants, bold architectural projects, and ultra-high-performance mechanical equipment. In numbers, Vallourec is a French industrial group founded in 1890, currently listed on the SBF120, with 1 3 ,000 employees and a revenue of €5 billion. Operating in 20 countries, the Group is present on all continents. Vallourec also represents 40 production units, 380 researchers and technicians, 3 research and development centers , and more than € 36 million invested annually in R&D. Lastly, leveraging its extensive experience in the energy sector, Vallourec is preparing for the future by developing a comprehensive portfolio of solutions addressing the needs of the energy transition: carbon capture, hydrogen storage, geothermal energy, and more.

Job description:

Reporting to the Group Legal Department, the international legal counsel operates in a highly international and industrial environment. The Group has a strong global footprint across North and South America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The scope of the position is truly international, involving complex projects and frequent interactions with regional legal teams and corporate functions. To support the sustainable growth of the Group’s activities by ensuring sound legal risk management throughout the entire contract lifecycle:

• pre‑contractual phases,
• contract negotiation and execution,
• claims, pre‑litigation and litigation stages.

The role is positioned as a business partner to operational, commercial and support teams.

Mission and responsibilities:

Within the assigned scope, the International Contracts Counsel will be responsible for:

• Legal support to product and service lines
• Advising operational and commercial teams on international projects and contracts.
• Identifying legal risks and proposing pragmatic, business‑oriented solutions.
• Drafting and negotiating contracts (Tenders and complex projects)
• Reviewing tender documents and contractual frameworks.
• Preparing, coordinating and following up on contract deviation requests.
• Participating in related negotiations.
• Claims and dispute management
• Managing claims, pre‑litigation and litigation matters in coordination with internal stakeholders and external counsel.
• Participation in crisis management task forces when required.
• International coordination
• Close interaction with regional legal teams in EH (Middle East, Northern & Southern Asia), SA (South America) and NA (North America).
• Contributing to the consistency and harmonization of contractual practices across the Group.
• Group governance & procedures
• Contributing to the drafting and updating of Group legal procedures.
• Ensuring compliance with internal policies and procedures.
• Training & awareness
• Delivering ongoing training sessions to sales and operational teams on contractual and legal risks related to projects.
• Reporting & cross‑functional cooperation
• Regular reporting to management.
• Working closely with key corporate functions (finance, trade finance, procurement, compliance, audit, insurance, IP, etc.).

What you can expect:

• Strong international exposure
• High level of autonomy and responsibility
• Diverse and technically challenging contracts
• Project‑driven industrial environment
• Opportunities to contribute to transversal initiatives (Legal Ops, digitalization, AI tools, etc.)

Background and skills expected :

• Minimum 8 years of experience in an international in ‑ house legal position, ideally in industrial, oil & gas / oil services, or construction sectors.
• Strong expertise in international commercial contracts.
• Solid knowledge of both Common Law and Civil Law systems.
• Postgraduate degree in International Business Law or equivalent (LLM, Master’s degree).
• Analytical mindset and strong legal judgment
• Business ‑ oriented approach and n