Taylor Root is proud to be partnering with The Ocean Cleanup in the search for a highly driven Legal Operations Lead - AI & Innovation .

Few organisations offer the opportunity to combine cutting-edge innovation with such a meaningful global mission. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing advanced technologies to remove plastic from the world's oceans and prevent it from entering rivers in the first place. Through engineering, innovation, and ambitious thinking, they are tackling one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time.

As the organisation continues to grow and expand its global impact, they are looking for a Legal Operations Lead - AI & Innovation to build and shape the operational backbone of the Legal Department.

THE ASSIGNMENT

As Legal Operations Manager, you will build legal operations end-to-end. You will design and implement the systems, processes, reporting infrastructure, contract management framework, and technology-enabled workflows that allow the Legal Department to operate with clarity, efficiency, and scale. Technology fluency, including AI and automation, is essential. We are looking for someone who has already applied these tools in practice, understands where they create genuine value, and can successfully drive adoption within a team of experienced legal professionals. You will challenge existing ways of working and demonstrate impact through measurable results. Alongside your operations mandate, approximately 20% of your time will be dedicated to direct legal support, including drafting and negotiating contracts, supporting river programme operations, and providing substantive legal assistance across the team. This hybrid profile is intentional: we want someone who understands legal work from the inside, not just as a process to optimize.

YEAR 1 OBJECTIVES

* Build and implement a legal intake and matter management system that becomes the team's single source of truth.

* Deliver technology-enabled workflows, including AI and automation tools, that create measurable efficiency gains across legal work.

* Establish reporting and KPI infrastructure that provides the General Counsel with clear visibility into legal workload, priorities, risks, and performance.

* Professionalize outside counsel management, including matter intake, budgeting, spend tracking, and performance oversight.

* Deliver core contract infrastructure, including templates, playbooks, approval workflows, and contract management processes.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Operations (80%)

* Own and build the Legal Operations function.

* Design and implement legal intake, matter management, and reporting systems that provide leadership with visibility into legal priorities and workload.

* Identify, evaluate, pilot, and embed technology, AI, and automation tools across legal workflows,

including contract review, research, drafting, regulatory monitoring, and knowledge management.

* Build and maintain legal reporting, metrics, and KPI dashboards aligned with departmental and

organizational objectives.

* Own and continuously improve contract infrastructure, templates, playbooks, approval workflows, and

contract management processes in partnership with legal counsel.

* Develop and maintain process documentation, including playbooks, escalation frameworks, operating

procedures, and knowledge resources.

* Drive standardization, simplification, and automation across recurring legal processes.

* Coordinate cross-functional workflows connecting legal, compliance, governance, deployment, and

operational teams.

* Manage relationships with external legal counsel, including matter scoping, instructions, budgeting,

spend tracking, and performance management.

* Support departmental planning, management reporting, OKR tracking, and governance processes.

* Supervise the Legal Working Student, including onboarding, prioritization, development, and day-today

guidance.

* Act as the department's lead for legal innovation, identifying practical opportunities to improve legal

service delivery through technology, AI, and operational excellence.

Legal Support (20%)

* Draft, review, and negotiate contracts supporting river programme deployments and broader

operational activities.

* Provide substantive legal support on day-to-day operational legal matters.

* Support legal work relating to river programme expansion and implementation.

* Conduct legal research, regulatory analysis, and jurisdictional mapping across multiple countries.

* Assist the Legal Team with contract, governance, compliance, and operational legal projects as

required.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

* 7-10 years of experience in legal operations, operations management, legal practice, or a combination thereof. A proven track record of building and improving operational functions is more important than a specific title.

* Demonstrated experience implementing technology, automation, and AI-enabled solutions in a professional environment, with measurable results.

* Proven systems-builder who has designed and implemented operational processes that scaled and achieved lasting adoption.

* Experience with legal technology platforms, such as contract management, matter management, e-signature, knowledge management, reporting, or workflow automation tools.

* Strong analytical and data-driven mindset, with the ability to translate information into actionable insights and decisions.

* Demonstrated ability to lead change and drive adoption of new systems, processes, and technologies across professional teams.

* If legally qualified, experience with international contracts, operational deployments, infrastructure projects, or nonprofit environments is an advantage.

* Excellent English language skills, written and spoken; Dutch is a plus.

This is a rare opportunity to combine cutting-edge legal innovation, AI transformation, and environmental impact in one role.

If you're excited about building something from scratch, challenging traditional ways of working, and contributing to a mission that aims to protect our oceans for future generations, we'd love to hear from you.

The SR Group (UK) Limited is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.