U.S. General Counsel - 20248

NIO USA is seeking a Head of U.S. Legal Counsel to advise, support and lead an innovative and exciting company as a trusted advisor and thought leader.
Reporting to the Global General Counsel and dotted line to our U.S. CEO,  the Head of U.S. General Counsel will partner with legal, business and technical colleagues in the U.S., China, and E.U. to work strategically to support NIO through growth and expansion activities while ensuring adherence to laws, regulations and policies, and representing the NIO in litigation and other conflicts and disputes.
Team Charter:  The U.S. Legal Department is responsible for, among other areas, litigation, commercial contracts, IP, equity management, policy development and implementation, advice, and counsel for the U.S., and is the headquarters of our Global Compliance Program.  We also support key aspects of our global go-to-market strategy.  We are located in San Jose and also work closely with our international colleagues on a daily basis.  The motto of our Legal Department is that we begin with “yes” and then figure out how to get there legally and ethically.  We avoid creating impediments and instead see ourselves as uniquely qualified to remove roadblocks and effectively guide our colleagues so they can be more innovative, nimble, and focused on their deliverables.  We are NIO’s trusted advisors and strive to earn that trust every day.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a trusted advisor to all segments of the Company providing sound, business-focused, and strategic guidance on legal matters, as well as matters of regulatory compliance and policy
• Hire and scale a team of legal professionals in the U.S. and abroad
• Oversee projects related to the U.S. go-to-market strategy that implicate legal, regulatory, and compliance issues
• Oversee compliance for the U.S. and liase with the Global Compliance Team, including participation on the Global Compliance Committee
• Developing and implementing policies, procedures, tools and management systems and maintaining records to ensure adherence and avoid legal risk
• Enforcing internal policies and procedures consisent with our corporate values
• Keeping legal and business colleagues abreast of changes to laws and regulations affecting the business and working closely with them to provide strategic and pragmatic legal advice on regulatory issues
• Oversee internal investigations and audits
• Create and deliver trainings
• Oversee disputes and litigation, handling matters directly, where reasonable, and guiding and managing outside counsel when engaged
• Serve as a professional, thoughtful, respectful, and good humored colleague throughout all levels of the organization

Qualifications:

• 16+ years of relevant legal counsel experience, combination of law firm and in-house preferred
• Prior leadership experience; attracting, hiring and retaining top talent, international teams preferred
• J.D. from an accredited institution and state bar admission in good standing, CA preferred
• A strategic thinker and influencer across the C-suite and across a dynamic organization, who can leverage legal knowledge while being business-minded
• Demonstrated experience in relevant legal areas, which may include: Regulatory, Finance, HR, Tax, Data Privacy, Safety, Quality, Import/Export, Anticorruption, etc.  Knowledge of Auto Industry a plus
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal. 
• Experience in overseeing/managing compliance activities
• Experience overseeing internal investigations
• Experience conducting or supporting program audit functions
• Litigation experience, and demonstrated ability to effectively manage teams of outside counsel
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects from beginning to end, including development of detailed task timelines, and managing team members to those goals
• Ability to provide in-person training for employees at all organizational levels
• Ability to work under tight deadlines
• Ability to effectively work with global team members across multiple time zones
• Good sense of humor and willingness to demonstrate NIO’s core values of Vision, Action, Honesty and Care

About NIO    NIO Inc. is a pioneer in China’s premium smart electric vehicle market. Founded in November 2014, NIO’s mission is to shape a joyful lifestyle. NIO aims to build a community starting with smart electric vehicles to share joy and grow together with users. NIO designs, jointly manufactures, and sells smart premium electric vehicles, driving innovations in next-generation technologies in connectivity, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence. Redefining the user experience, NIO provides users with comprehensive and convenient power solutions, innovative Battery as a Service (BaaS) program, and other user-centric services. NIO began deliveries of the ES8, a 7-seater flagship premium electric SUV, in China in June 2018, and its variant, the 6-seater ES8, in March 2019. NIO officially launched the ES6, a 5-seater high-performance premium electric SUV, in December 2018 and began deliveries of the ES6 in June 2019. NIO officially launched the EC6, a 5-seater premium electric coupe SUV, in December 2019 and began deliveries of the EC6 in September 2020.
Equal Employment Opportunity   NIO is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, age, sex, ancestry, marital status, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, present or past history of mental disability, genetic information or any other classification protected by state or federal law. NIO US is an E-Verify employer.