In-House Counsel

In-House Legal Counsel

Level: L4-Lead   •   Location: Remote (Europe preferred)   •   Working Hours: Part-time contractor, with a view to full-time employee in the future   •   Reporting to: CEO

About UpScrolled

UpScrolled is an independent social media platform built on a simple idea: people should control what they see, say, and share online.

We exist because we were tired of social media that treats people like products. So we’re building the alternative: a platform where your data stays yours, your voice actually reaches your followers, and your feed belongs to you, not an algorithm.

We’re a small, fast-moving team with a big mission and a community of millions of UpScrollers who joined because they were done waiting for someone else to fix social media. We need people who care about that as much as we do. Come scroll differently with us.

About the Role

We’re hiring a legal guardian on the UpScrolled team. We’re building a social media platform that operates across multiple countries and lives on the App Store and Google Play — and staying there requires someone who knows the rules of the game. This role starts at half-time with the expectation of growing into full-time as the company scales.

You’ve worked in tech or consumer app legal before and you understand that in a fast-moving startup, legal can’t be a blocker — it has to be a partner. You’re proactive, pragmatic, and you know how to give guidance that the business can actually act on.

What You’ll Do

• Own UpScrolled’s legal compliance across all operating jurisdictions
• Monitor and manage ongoing compliance with App Store and Google Play policies to ensure the app complies with all requirements
• Experience working with tech companies or start-ups and navigating through different EU legislations — including GDPR, DSA, AI Act, Consumer Law, and other related laws
• Stay ahead of and familiar with evolving regulations across key markets
• Manage the legal workflows for reporting specific illegal content to the relevant specialised bodies
• Act as the primary contact for legal requests from law enforcement bodies
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, NDAs, and commercial agreements
• Advise the product and engineering teams on legal risk before new features ship
• Manage relationships with external legal counsel in jurisdictions that require local expertise
• Work closely with the Trust & Safety team to ensure that moderation decisions and policies are legally defensible
• Build out the internal legal function from the ground up as the company grows

What Success Looks Like

• UpScrolled remains live and compliant on the App Store and Google Play at all times
• Legal risk is identified, mitigated, and addressed before it becomes a business problem
• The product and engineering teams have clear, actionable legal guidance to act upon
• Contracts and agreements are handled quickly and efficiently
• A legal framework is in place that can scale into new markets without starting from scratch

What You Are

• A qualified EU lawyer with experience in tech, consumer apps, or digital platforms — membership of the Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten is a plus
• Deeply familiar with App Store and Google Play developer policies and how they evolve
• Well-versed in GDPR, DSA, the EU AI Act, and multi-jurisdictional compliance for consumer-facing products
• Someone who gives practical, business-friendly legal advice rather than just identifying risk
• Comfortable working independently and managing external counsel where needed

What You Are Not

• Someone who defaults to ‘no’ without exploring a path forward
• Someone who needs a full legal team around them to operate effectively
• Someone who is reactive to regulatory changes rather than ahead of them



Compensation

We believe in transparent compensation. Our salaries vary depending on work location. Please see our zones and ranges below. As a contractor role, you can expect an hourly rate based on the annualized salaries listed below.

Netherlands, Ireland, UK, Germany: 76,000-90,000€/68,000-80,000GBP

Spain, Portugal, Poland: 53,000-62,000€

We hire in all European countries. If your location is not listed above, please still apply, and note your location. We will share salary information during the first interview.

Equal Opportunity

UpScrolled is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the people our product serves. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic. If you need accommodations at any stage of the hiring process, please reach out — we will work with you.

Application Process

We will accept applications for this role until 8 April 2026. Please note that we review the entire candidate pool after the application period has closed, and you can expect a response within 5 days of the deadline.

The interview process for this role will include a 30-minute phone screen with a member of our People Ops team, followed by at least two interviews with the hiring manager and/or members of the team for this role.

Work Authorization

Candidates must have the legal right to work in their stated location. UpScrolled does not currently offer visa sponsorship.