Senior Legal Counsel at Excelsior Works

If you are a senior legal professional with a passion for cross-border deals, regulatory complexity, and the fast-evolving world of iGaming, the Senior Legal Counsel position at Excelsior Works in Sofia, Bulgaria, is a rare and strategic opportunity. Posted on LinkedIn by Excelsior Works, a company driven by “fairness, simplicity, and radical transparency,” this role is not just another in-house legal job—it is a chance to shape the legal architecture of a global digital platform operating across multiple international markets. For legal professionals considering their next move, this is a role that demands commercial instinct, technical mastery, and the maturity to operate independently in a high-pressure environment.

A Rare Seat at the iGaming Table: What Excelsior Works Is Building

Excelsior Works, often referred to as ExWo, describes itself as building a global digital platform that prioritizes customer fairness and transparent operations. While the company does not explicitly broadcast its iGaming vertical in every line of the job description, the detailed responsibilities and preferred qualifications make it clear that the role sits at the heart of the online gaming and entertainment industry. The iGaming sector is one of the most legally intricate and fast-growing areas of the digital economy, with regulatory frameworks that vary dramatically from one jurisdiction to another. From licensing and advertising compliance to data protection and anti-money laundering (AML) obligations, legal counsel in this space must be comfortable navigating gray zones and emerging markets where the rules are often still being written.

“We’re not here to reinvent the wheel – we’re here to make it turn better.” This mission statement from Excelsior Works reveals a pragmatic, business-first approach that will appeal to lawyers who enjoy solving problems rather than merely flagging them.

The company’s decision to base this senior role in Sofia, Bulgaria, is also strategically significant. Bulgaria has become a growing hub for technology and gaming companies, offering a robust legal talent pool, EU membership benefits, and a favorable business environment. For the right candidate, this position offers a unique blend of hands-on commercial work, strategic corporate structuring, and exposure to a truly international operational footprint.

Inside the Role: Beyond Contract Drafting

A superficial reading of the role might suggest that the Senior Legal Counsel will spend most of their time reviewing vendor contracts and managing legal templates. But the actual scope is far broader and more intellectually demanding. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the design of cross-border corporate structures, including entity formation, licensing considerations, and jurisdictional planning. This is the kind of work typically reserved for senior associates or partners at elite corporate law firms—meaning the role offers an unusual degree of strategic influence for an in-house position.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Corporate Structuring: Advising on entity setup, group reorganizations, and multi-jurisdictional holding structures.
• Intercompany Arrangements: Drafting and implementing licensing, service, and management agreements that keep complex corporate webs legally sound.
• Commercial Contracting: Handling supplier, technology, marketing, affiliate, and partnership agreements—the lifeblood of any scaling digital platform.
• Regulatory Compliance: Supporting compliance initiatives in multiple jurisdictions, with particular attention to online gaming and digital business regulations.
• Risk Management: Identifying, assessing, and mitigating legal and business risks before they become enterprise-level problems.
• External Counsel Coordination: Managing the work of law firms across different countries, ensuring efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Policy and Governance: Creating internal policies, legal templates, and governance frameworks that scale with the business.

This is not a role for someone who is comfortable staying in the background. The job description explicitly calls for a professional who can “work independently” and “provide practical, business-oriented legal advice.” In practice, this means the Senior Legal Counsel will be a key business partner who sits in strategy meetings, evaluates market-entry risks, and helps leadership make fast, informed decisions.

Decoding the Candidate Profile: What “Senior” Really Means

Excelsior Works is looking for a qualified legal professional with 5+ years of relevant experience. That “5+ years” is a baseline, but the rest of the requirements reveal that this is a position for a seasoned practitioner who has already handled complex, multi-jurisdictional matters. The ideal candidate will have:

• Direct experience with international corporate structuring, including entity formation and group reorganizations.
• Prior exposure to the iGaming industry (strongly preferred, not just a nice-to-have).
• Experience supporting .com businesses—a term that usually refers to internationally-facing digital platforms operating across borders.
• Familiarity with emerging or less regulated markets, which signals the ability to operate with uncertainty and adapt to shifting legal landscapes.
• Strong commercial drafting and negotiation skills, coupled with the ability to manage relationships with external law firms.
• Fluency in English, which is the working language of cross-border business.

What sets this role apart is the emphasis on emerging markets. Many iGaming companies are expanding into regions like Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia where regulatory environments are still developing. A legal counsel who can pragmatically advise on these markets—without the comfort of clear-cut legal precedents—will find themselves uniquely valuable to the company’s growth strategy.

The phrase “commercially minded” appears in the job description, and that is not accidental. This is a role where legal advice must be actionable, proportionate, and aligned with business objectives. Lawyers who simply say “no” without proposing alternatives need not apply.

Why Sofia? Strategic Location for Cross-Border Legal Work

Sofia has emerged as a vibrant hub for technology, outsourcing, and digital innovation. For legal professionals, the city offers a high-quality work environment with lower costs of living than many Western European capitals. But more importantly, Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union provides a stable legal framework that aligns with the cross-border nature of the role. Excelsior Works is not accidentally hiring in Sofia; it is tapping into a deep pool of bilingual legal talent that understands both EU regulations and the global digital economy.

For candidates relocating, the compensation package is designed to be attractive:

• Competitive salary with an annual performance bonus
• Premium health insurance
• Up to 25 days of paid annual leave
• One work-from-home day per week
• A collaborative and forward-thinking culture

These benefits indicate that Excelsior Works understands the importance of work-life balance in sustaining long-term performance. For a senior legal counsel, such stability can be a significant factor when choosing an employer.

Preparing Your Application: The Career Playbook

If this role sparks your interest, your application needs to demonstrate more than a list of legal skills. The hiring team, led by Talent Acquisition Manager Niya Kacheva, will be looking for evidence that you can operate at the intersection of law and business. To stand out, consider the following strategies:

• Quantify your cross-border experience: Do not just say “advised on international restructuring.” Instead, describe the number of jurisdictions, the size of the deals, and the outcomes you influenced.
• Showcase iGaming or adjacent knowledge: If you do not have direct iGaming experience, highlight skills from adjacent industries such as fintech, online platforms, or regulated services—and make clear that you understand the unique risks of gaming.
• Emphasize independent problem-solving: Use examples where you worked with minimal supervision, made commercial judgments, and helped a business achieve its goals within legal boundaries.
• Demonstrate stakeholder management: Hiring managers value lawyers who can communicate complex issues in plain language to non-lawyers. Mention any experience presenting to boards, executives, or operational teams.
• Tailor your CV to the job description: Mirror the language of the posting, particularly around corporate structuring, regulatory compliance, and external counsel coordination.

The application itself is submitted through the LinkedIn job posting. Given that the deadline is not specified and the listing was active just a few days ago, candidates should move quickly. LinkedIn often shows applicant counts, and this posting has already attracted dozens of applicants—so a polished, targeted application is essential.

Why This Role Could Define Your In-House Career Trajectory

For legal professionals at the 5-8 year mark, moving into a senior in-house role at a global iGaming company offers a distinct career acceleration path. You will gain exposure to corporate governance, M&A-like structuring, commercial negotiations, and high-stakes regulatory issues—all within a single role. The breadth of responsibility is comparable to what you might find in a boutique law firm, but with the added benefit of seeing business decisions play out in real time. Moreover, iGaming remains a lucrative and resilient sector, and specialists with multi-jurisdictional experience are in constant demand.

Candidates who join Excelsior Works will also benefit from working in a company that claims to value “energy, empathy, and excellence.” For a senior hire, that suggests a culture where your voice will be heard and your legal judgment respected. The challenge of building legal structures in emerging markets may be demanding, but it also offers unmatched professional growth for those willing to take calculated risks.

Final Thoughts: Is This Your Next Move?

The Senior Legal Counsel role at Excelsior Works is not for every legal professional. It requires a rare combination of corporate law expertise, regulatory fluency, commercial pragmatism, and comfort with ambiguity. But for those who meet the criteria, this is a chance to play a pivotal role in a dynamic, international company from the heart of Sofia. With a competitive package, meaningful responsibilities, and the opportunity to influence cross-border strategy, it stands out as one of the more compelling senior legal positions currently advertised in Europe.

If you are ready to bring your skills to a fast-moving, player-first environment, the next step is clear: prepare a compelling application and reach out to Excelsior Works through their LinkedIn posting. The role will not stay open forever, and the best applicants will be those who clearly articulate how their experience aligns with the company’s mission of making digital operations fairer and more transparent.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is this role open to candidates outside Bulgaria?
While the job is based in Sofia, Bulgaria, there is no explicit statement about visa sponsorship or relocation support. The job description does not mention these details, so interested international candidates should contact Niya Kacheva via LinkedIn to inquire about sponsorship eligibility before applying.

2. What kind of law does a Senior Legal Counsel at an iGaming company practice?
The role involves a mix of corporate law (structuring and intercompany agreements), commercial law (drafting and negotiating contracts), regulatory compliance (gaming licenses, AML, data protection), and risk management. It is a generalist-adjacent role with a strong focus on international and regulatory work, rather than litigation or courtroom practice.

3. Is previous iGaming experience mandatory?
No, but it is “strongly preferred.” Candidates from adjacent highly regulated industries—such as fintech, online services, or gambling-adjacent platforms—may still be considered if they can demonstrate strong cross-border commercial experience and a fast learning curve.

4. What is the application deadline?
The job posting does not specify a deadline. The listing was posted on LinkedIn only three days before the snapshot date, and given the active applicant flow, candidates are advised to apply as soon as possible through the official LinkedIn job page.