Van Oord

(Senior) Legal Counsel International Projects

(Senior) Legal Counsel International Projects at Van Oord in Gorinchem, Netherlands. Provide legal support for offshore construction contracts and maritime projects. Enjoy travel and home working allowances, plus a strong pension scheme.
Van Oord
Van Oord Gorinchem, the Netherlands On-site Full time UTC+01:00

Van Oord

Company Overview

Name

Van Oord, a private family-owned company

Headquarters

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Founded

1868

Size

Approximately 6,300 employees worldwide with a revenue of €2.59 billion in 2025 (source: vanoord.com)

What They Do

Van Oord is a leading Dutch maritime contractor specializing in dredging, offshore energy infrastructure, and marine construction. The company focuses on building and maintaining ports, waterways, and coastal protection, as well as the transport and installation of offshore wind turbines and subsea rock installation (source: vanoord.com). Van Oord operates globally in 28 countries within dredging and infrastructure projects and in 17 countries in offshore energy, utilizing an integrated execution model and a specialized fleet capable of handling technically demanding marine environments (source: vanoord.com). Offshore energy activities represent a significant part of the revenue, with a focus on industrial engineering rather than energy production (source: vanoord.com). The company continuously invests in innovative vessels, such as the new generation of methanol-powered subsea rock installation vessels featuring advanced automation (source: windfair.net).

Projects & Experience

Van Oord has an impressive track record with large-scale projects in dredging, coastal protection, and offshore wind energy. The company completed the full scope of work for RWE’s Sofia Offshore Wind Farm in the North Sea, including the installation of 100 monopile foundations and approximately 360 kilometers of inter-array cables for a 1.4 GW project with 100 turbines of 14 MW each (source: rwe.com). Additionally, Van Oord is active in the Holland Coast West project by Ecowende, responsible for the transport and installation of foundations, scour protection, cables, and turbines (source: spie.com). In dredging and coastal works, projects include coastal protection in Constanta (Romania), dike reinforcement near Tiel-Waardenburg, maintenance dredging in Brazil and Canada, and beach nourishment along the Dutch coast (source: vanoord.com). Van Oord also played a key role in the A16 highway project through the De Groene Boog consortium, with a 20-year maintenance period (source: vanoord.com).

Recent Developments

Over the past two years, Van Oord has secured multiple major contracts in both maritime infrastructure and offshore wind. In 2024, the company won maintenance dredging contracts in the ports of Paranaguá (Brazil), Mumbai (India), and a preparatory dredging job in Malmporten (Sweden), alongside land reclamation projects in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) (source: dredgingtoday.com). In 2025, the IJsselmeer dike reinforcement contract was awarded in partnership with Boskalis, as well as long-term maintenance dredging agreements for the Fraser River in Vancouver and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil (source: cyprusshippingnews.com). Van Oord also expanded its offshore fleet with the christening of the new offshore wind installation vessel Boreas in Rotterdam and ordered two new subsea rock installation vessels to be delivered from 2028 (source: vanoord.com, windfair.net).

Careers at Van Oord

Van Oord offers a wide range of roles across engineering, project execution, maritime operations, vessel crewing, commercial management, finance, procurement, safety, and project support. The organization emphasizes a strong safety culture, evidenced by winning the IADC Safety Award 2025, a prestigious recognition in the high-risk maritime sector (source: vanoord.com). Candidates can focus on positions in offshore wind installation, subsea rock installation, dredging, coastal engineering, civil and marine construction, maritime operations, and technical roles aboard vessels. With headquarters in Rotterdam and projects across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas, Van Oord is an attractive employer for professionals seeking an international career in maritime projects (source: vanoord.com).

Last updated on Aug 31, 2026 | Report an issue

Job Description

To strengthen our legal team within our Offshore Energy business unit, we are looking for a (Senior) Legal Counsel International Projects with a focus on subsea cable installation and coastal energy infrastructure. In this role, you will provide legal support to international offshore construction projects and help our teams navigate complex contractual, maritime and commercial challenges.

THE POSITION

As (Senior) Legal Counsel International Projects, you are a trusted legal adviser to our tendering, operations, project, procurement and logistics teams. You provide pragmatic, commercially sound legal advice throughout the lifecycle of international offshore construction projects.

You will work on a broad range of construction, transportation, installation and maritime service contracts, while contributing to the successful delivery of projects in a complex and dynamic offshore environment.

YOUR IMPACT

  • Advise on contracts and risk allocation
    Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of offshore construction contracts, including bespoke agreements, FIDIC and LOGIC standard forms, transport & installation contracts and offshore support, maintenance and repair agreements. You advise on contractual risk allocation, including weather exposure, delays and complex maritime operations.
  • Support projects and commercial teams
    Act as a trusted legal partner to tendering, project, operations, procurement and logistics teams, translating complex legal issues into clear, practical and commercially viable solutions.
  • Advise on insurance, safety and environmental matters
    Provide general legal guidance, in close cooperation with our insurance department, on construction-related insurance matters including CAR, P&I, Hull & Machinery (H&M) and offshore project insurance. You also advise on offshore safety and environmental regulatory frameworks relevant to marine construction, transport, installation, maintenance and repair activities.
  • Manage claims and disputes
    Proactively support project-related claims and disputes, helping determine the right strategy to achieve successful outcomes while protecting Van Oord's commercial interests and maintaining key business relationships.

ABOUT YOU

You are a qualified construction lawyer who combines strong technical expertise with a pragmatic and commercial mindset. You are comfortable working in an international, high-risk and time-critical environment and can effectively advise stakeholders at different levels of the organisation.

  • Construction law expertise
    You have at least 4 years of post-qualification experience and solid experience in construction law. A UK or common law background is preferred.
  • Offshore and maritime experience
    Experience in the maritime, offshore energy or offshore construction sector is highly valued. You understand the contractual and operational realities of working with vessels and complex marine operations.
  • Contracting and negotiation skills
    You have experience with major contract forms used in the offshore construction sector, including FIDIC and LOGIC, and are confident drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
  • Commercial and strategic mindset
    You combine strong legal knowledge with excellent commercial awareness. You are decisive, solution-oriented and able to remain calm and effective when dealing with high-risk or time-critical situations.
  • Strong communicator and team player
    You have excellent written and spoken English communication skills and work effectively with diverse stakeholders. You demonstrate strong critical thinking, self-awareness and the ability to constructively challenge and debate within project and tender teams.

WE OFFER

  • A salary that matches your responsibilities and experience
  • Attractive travel allowance (€0.31 per km) and home working allowance (€2.45 per day)
  • 32 holidays (of which a maximum of 7 are collective)
  • Variable bonus, partly dependent on company results
  • Attractive pension scheme
  • Option for collective health insurance (Van Oord pays for your supplementary package)
  • Extensive development opportunities, including a comprehensive online academy via Goodhabitz
  • Communities to join, such as Young Van Oord, Van Oord Women, and the Van Oord staff association
  • Various events and sports activities, such as skiing, sailing weekends, cycling, and motorcycling tours

Apply now

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About the role

September 2, 2026

September 2, 2026

Full time

On-site

Company

Wind Energy, Hydropower

Van Oord

vanoord.com

  •  Gorinchem, the Netherlands

At least 4 years of post-qualification experience

UTC+01:00

Tags

Offshore Engineering · Construction · Legal Services · Risk Management