Description:
Description:About the role:
The Deputy General Counsel serves as a senior leader within the Legal Department and a trusted advisor to the General Counsel and business leaders across the enterprise. This role functions as the General Counsel's principal deputy in helping lead and manage the Company's legal function, legal team, and broader legal operations.
The Deputy General Counsel will provide practical, business-oriented legal counsel across a broad range of corporate, commercial, operational, regulatory, litigation, compliance, governance, and strategic matters while also helping oversee the day-to-day management and effectiveness of the Legal Department.
This position requires a highly collaborative and versatile legal leader capable of operating across multiple disciplines, exercising strong business judgment, leading teams, managing competing priorities, and helping drive alignment between legal strategy and business objectives in a dynamic public company environment.
Core Corporate Responsibilities:
- Partner closely with the General Counsel in leading and managing the Company's Legal Department and broader legal function.
- Help oversee the day-to-day operations, workflow, prioritization, and effectiveness of the Legal Department.
- Directly manage and mentor members of the legal team, including Corporate Counsel level attorneys, paralegals, and other legal personnel.
- Provide strategic legal counsel and practical business guidance to business teams across the enterprise.
- Serve as a key advisor on a broad range of legal, operational, commercial, compliance, regulatory, governance, employment, litigation, and risk management matters.
- Help establish departmental priorities, processes, standards, and best practices to support an efficient, responsive, and business-oriented legal function.
- Assist General Counsel in oversite of enterprise wide insurance portfolio.
- Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on complex commercial agreements and strategic business initiatives.
- Partner cross-functionally with Finance, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Retail, Insurance, Financial Services, Internal Audit, Investor Relations, and other departments on enterprise matters.
- Assist in overseeing outside counsel relationships, and legal spend management.
- Support the General Counsel as needed on corporate governance activities, including Board of Directors and committee matters, resolutions, policies, and governance-related processes.
- Help oversee corporate compliance initiatives, policy development, internal investigations, training, and enterprise risk management efforts.
- Advise on legal and regulatory developments impacting the Company and help implement proactive risk mitigation strategies.
- Assist with mergers and acquisitions, strategic transactions, integrations, and other corporate initiatives as needed.
- Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic thought partner to the General Counsel on legal department leadership, organizational matters, and enterprise business strategy.
- Act on behalf of the General Counsel when appropriate and help ensure continuity of leadership within the Legal Department.
Essential Skills:
- High attention to detail.
- Strong leadership capabilities with demonstrated experience managing legal professionals and cross-functional teams.
- Exceptional legal judgment and business acumen.
- Ability to operate effectively as a senior legal generalist across a broad range of subject matters.
- Highly practical, solutions-oriented approach to legal counseling and risk management.
- Strong executive presence and interpersonal skills with the ability to build credibility and trust across all levels of the organization.
- Excellent written, verbal, negotiation, and communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in a fast-paced and evolving business environment.
- Strong organizational, operational, and project management capabilities.
- Sound decision-making skills with the ability to appropriately balance legal risk and business objectives.
- Collaborative leadership style with a willingness to mentor, develop, and support team members.
- High degree of professionalism, integrity, discretion, and sound judgment.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity, lead through complexity, and drive practical outcomes.
Key Area of Expertise:
- Corporate and commercial transactions
- Strategic business counseling
- Compliance processes implementation and management
- Legal department leadership and operations
- Contract negotiation and risk management
- Regulatory compliance
- Employment and labor matters
- Policy development and implementation
- Enterprise risk management
- Internal investigations
- Cross-functional business partnership
- Outside counsel management
- Manufacturing and operational legal support
Core Qualification and Experience:
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school with strong academic credentials.
- Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
- Minimum of 10+ years of broad-based legal experience, including substantial experience advising businesses on complex legal and operational matters.
- Significant experience in corporate, commercial, operational, compliance, governance, employment, litigation, and general business matters.
- Prior in-house legal experience strongly preferred, particularly within a publicly traded or complex operating company environment.
- Demonstrated leadership experience, including experience managing attorneys and legal personnel.
- Experience partnering directly with senior executives and business leaders.
- Strong understanding of how legal issues intersect with business operations and strategic decision-making.
- Experience managing outside counsel and legal budgets preferred.
- Manufacturing, industrial, construction, housing, consumer products, or similarly operational industry experience preferred.
- Proven ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced, and growth-oriented environment.
