Description:
Company Overview:Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM), headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and Bridgestone Europe, Middle East and Africa (BSEMEA), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, operate collectively as a “Bridgestone West” strategic region. This region services the strategic business needs of teams across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. BSAM and BSEMEA are subsidiaries of Bridgestone Corporation, globally headquartered in Japan. Bridgestone and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand products and solutions to address the needs of a broad range of customers and industries.
Job Category
Legal, Compliance & Audit
Position Summary:
The Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM) Law Department's Corporate Services Group is seeking an Assistant General Counsel to serve as the lead legal counsel for software, information technology (IT), and logistics/supply chain management (LSCM) matters. The Corporate Services Group provides transactional legal services and strategic advice across all BSAM functional units, including Procurement, IT, Manufacturing, Finance, HR, Marketing, and LSCM.
In this role, you will be the lead legal support for the IT and LSCM functions, necessitating close collaboration with clients up to the senior leadership level. You will be empowered to establish efficient processes for managing high-volume, day-to-day IT and LSCM agreements, which will allow you to focus on strategic and high value/risk projects. Additionally, you will work closely with and guide an experienced Contract Manager who specializes in IT-related work.
This role is based at the Bridgestone headquarters in Nashville, TN working a hybrid schedule.
Responsibilities:
Core Legal Counsel and Advisory
- Lead legal counsel for BSAM's IT and Supply Chain functions, and primary legal support for software/information technology matters across Digital Marketing and HR.
- Advises R&D on software/IT matters, including legal support for technical centers and collaborating on IP co-development and collaboration agreements.
- Provides general legal advice with an emphasis on software licensing and development, technology, and data security/licensing.
- Interprets and advises clients on contract terms, obligations, remedies, and options.
Contract Drafting, Negotiation, and Management
- Drafts, reviews, and negotiates a high volume of commercial contracts, focusing on IT agreements (SaaS, enterprise software, development, outsourcing) and Logistics agreements (transportation, ocean freight, warehousing).
- Collaborates with business unit attorneys on vendor contracts, joint ventures, commercial agreements, and IT matters.
- Manages a large and fluctuating workload of time-sensitive matters/projects independently.
Risk Management and Dispute Resolution
- Coordinates with Information Security, Privacy, and Risk Management teams on privacy, security, IP, and AI issues in vendor agreements.
- Evaluates client needs and goals against risk to devise business-practical, creative solutions for achieving goals while minimizing risk.
- Advises on pre-litigation dispute resolution with suppliers/service providers, including interpreting contracts, assessing failures, and negotiating strategic resolutions.
- Efficiently consults with and managed outside counsel on specialized issues to ensure cost-effective expertise.
Team Leadership and Training
- Conducts education and training for functional units on software/IT concerns, legal processes, and best practices in contract negotiation.
- Delegates work to and collaborated with a high-performing Contract Manager, providing guidance and direction while fostering independence.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience
- J.D. from an ABA accredited law school
- License to practice law and in good standing in any U.S. state and eligible for admission to practice law in the State of Tennessee.
- Seven or more years of professional law practice experience, with considerable experience in contract drafting, negotiation and providing general advice in the area of software licensing, development, support, and other information technology-related transactions.
This job description reflects the skills, qualifications and experiences that are ideal for this role. However, a candidate who meets some of the characteristics listed here and has a passion for learning can succeed in this position. If you have some of these key skills, qualifications, and experience and are willing to learn, then we encourage you to apply.
Ethics & Compliance
Each member of the Law Department plays a key role in operationalizing the global and regional ethics and compliance program. This will include, among other things, engaging leadership in the client groups you support; identifying and managing risks facing your client groups (including third party risks); ensuring policies, standards and controls are effective and in place; conducting trainings and finding other ways to ensure your client groups understand what they are expected and required to do; and, conducting investigations relating to your client groups.
At Bridgestone, you are Free to Be
We believe people can only provide superior service and quality to others when they bring their whole self to work. We believe in championing all perspectives, individuals and teams because we understand the importance of seeing the world and our business through many different lenses. We are building a team as diverse as the world we serve. So, show us what you are made of, because who you are is what we need.
What we offer:
At Bridgestone, what really matters is to foster co-creation opportunities and empowering you to be creative and curious to make mobility safer, more efficient, and more sustainable for future generations. Whatever role you fill, when you represent Bridgestone, you are a valued teammate, and part of our larger mission to “Serve Society with Superior Quality”, for that, we offer you more than just a competitive compensation; we will provide you:
- A supportive and engaging onboarding experience to ensure a smooth transition into our team.
- The opportunity to develop and grow, through training and regular mentorship.
- Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
- A truly global, dynamic and challenging work environment.
- Agility and work/life effectiveness and your long-term well-being.
- A diverse and inclusive team.
Employment Eligibility
If hired, a Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification must be completed at the start of employment. Temporary work authorization or the need for sponsorship may disqualify you from employment.
