Associate General Counsel

Job Summary: Reporting on a direct-line basis to the Chief Legal Officer (“CLO”), the Associate General Counsel will be a key member of the Company’s legal team. In this role, the Associate General Counsel will provide advice and support to the CLO on a broad range of legal and associated issues involved in carrying out the strategy of the business and optimizing its performance. The Associate General Counsel must therefore possess the ability to surface and clearly explain legal considerations and the confidence to provide actionable recommendations on risk so that executives and management can make appropriate risk-adjusted decisions.    Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Commercial: Partner with business units on negotiating commercial agreements, ensuring that business units are meeting Company standards and legal and regulatory requirements. Possess judgment to bring in senior leadership as necessary. Develop template commercial agreements with brand leaders, including for use with the document management system. Process improvement / business professionalization: Identify and implement improved legal and compliance practices to support well-rounded decision-making, mitigate risks and comply with regulatory requirements and generally accepted sound business practices. With CLO, execute the Company’s broad-based legal and compliance initiatives, including for contracting, trade compliance, policy development and operationalization, training, and government contracting, among others. Litigation and claims management: Oversee conduct and strategy for cost-efficient resolution of litigation and claims. Assist with discovery and ensure external counsel are provided all relevant information. Develop detailed understanding of historical and current disputes, looking for root causes and opportunities to reduce future claims. Mergers & Acquisitions: Support M&A activity for acquisitive organization, advising organization on legal diligence findings, negotiating definitive agreements that protect the Company’s interests, and facilitating successful deals. Draft and negotiate NDAs, non-reliance letters, and letters of intent. Law firm relationships: Engage and manage outside counsel, optimizing support while promoting efficiency and cost management. Miscellaneous: Employment: Advise the HR team and management on employment law matters, including FMLA, disability law, benefits, and performance management. Real Estate: Review and negotiate routine leases, renewals and terminations for extensive portfolio of leased properties. Guide external counsel on more complex real estate transactions. Corporate Structure: Coordinate legal entity maintenance and secretarial activity. Competencies and Skills: Ability to represent the company professionally both externally and internally. Be an ambassador for the company and legal function. Collaborative, enthusiastic, and engaging, with ability to communicate persuasively, build relationships and secure commitment from others. Sense of urgency and ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Committed to timeliness and quality. Comfortable in a lean environment, with confidence to recommend actionable solutions and make risk judgements based on imperfect information. Action-oriented and pragmatic. Education and Experience (Qualifications): To be successful in this role, the ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications: Education / Qualifications: J.D. Fully licensed attorney. Experience: 7 years professional legal experience. Mix of law-firm and in-house experience a plus. Preference for legal generalist with commercial and corporate law experience but open to diverse background for specialists or litigators looking to broaden their experience.