Job Description

As Senior Corporate Counsel, you will be a pivotal business partner, providing high-quality, proactive legal services to anticipate, prevent, and resolve complex legal issues and risks. This role is designed for a conscientious, self-starting professional adept at managing multiple priorities within a fast-paced environment. Reporting directly to the General Manager and serving as a key member of the Leadership Team, you will play a crucial role in safeguarding the brand's interests and enabling strategic growth.

Key Responsibilities & Impact Areas:

• Strategic Legal Leadership: Drive the deployment of robust legal strategies at the local level, ensuring alignment with Nonni’s global legal policies and operating standards.
• Litigation Management: Skillfully manage relevant litigations, keeping abreast of evolving legislation and jurisprudence across critical areas such as product law, competition law, food law, and patent law. You will ensure compliance with local and state regulations, offering expert guidance for the proper interpretation of national and international law.
• Expert Counseling: Provide essential legal counsel and guidance to Nonni’s leadership and management on diverse legal issues. You will keep all involved functions informed of new legislation and government regulations that may impact operations.
• Governance & Risk Mitigation: Locally deploy and champion Legal Policies, Legal Operating Standards, and Legal Tools. You will be instrumental in defining local legal policies and procedures, and establishing measures to effectively reduce risk.
• Intellectual Property Stewardship: Oversee the monitoring of local markets for IP issues, gathering information and evidence for legal claims through dedicated resources. You will ensure Nonni’s valuable intellectual property portfolio, including trademarks and patents, is meticulously managed.
• Food Law Compliance: Guarantee rigorous compliance with food legislation for products sold in the region, ensuring the legal adherence of product claims, advertising messages, and graphic designs. You will proactively anticipate and mitigate potential legal challenges related to food legislation.
• Corporate Governance & Marketing Law: Directly manage corporate governance matters and provide oversight of marketing law, including industrial/operating supply legal matters and product liability issues. You will review local advertising and counsel marketing to reduce risk.
• Contract Negotiation & General Legal Affairs: Plan, coordinate, and manage general legal matters, defining strategy and providing guidance on litigations and agreements. You will identify potential legal issues, advise management to resolve claims prior to litigation, and be actively involved in drafting and reviewing a broad range of contracts, endorsements, and agreements (commercial, real estate, services, etc.). You will also participate in structuring and negotiating complex transactions.
• Fiscal Responsibility: Define and manage the legal department budget, monitoring spending and cost trends.

Desired Qualifications & Your Contributions:

• Legal Expertise: Minimum of 5 years of relevant legal work experience. Admitted to the bar and in good standing in Illinois or another U.S. state, with the ability to "waive" into Illinois.
• Transactional Proficiency: Preferred experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial or financial agreements.
• Process Acumen: Preferred experience in developing and supporting process change across legal and business teams.
• Global Mindset: Preferred experience supporting or working within a multinational or affiliate-based organizational structure.
• Strategic Procurement Insight: 5+ years of progressive experience in procurement contracts, preferably within the food industry. A strong understanding of food safety standards and regulations is essential.
• Leadership Experience: Prior director-level experience is preferred, demonstrating your capacity to lead and guide.
• Exceptional Communication: Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to distill complex legal matters into understandable, actionable steps.
• Critical Thinking & Risk Management: Intellectual curiosity and strong critical thinking are paramount—the ability to ask the right questions and elicit all relevant facts before making recommendations. You will take a sophisticated, risk-based approach when providing legal advice.
• Collaborative Spirit: A team player with a strong sense of self, balanced with humility and the ability to work effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Inclusive Approach: Embrace and encourage diversity of thought and open expression of ideas and opinions.
• Influential Leadership: Ability to influence results in a multi-site, multi-state environment.
• Prioritization & Urgency: Adept at prioritizing in a fast-paced environment with multiple demands, demonstrating a sense of urgency when appropriate, while also knowing when to advocate for more time to properly evaluate an issue.
• Education: Juris Doctor or equivalent degree required.

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