Senior Legal Counsel - North America

South Pole is an energetic, global company offering comprehensive sustainability solutions and services. With offices spanning all continents across the globe, we strive to create a sustainable society and economy that positively impacts our climate, ecosystems and developing communities. With our solutions, we inspire and enable our customers to create value from sustainability-related activities.

Our Corporate Functions team is the “enablement engine” of South Pole. Behind the scenes, we provide the business with world-class solutions and best practices that sustain business growth and success. We cover key areas such as Finance, HR, Office Management, Legal, IT, Operations, etc. If you are a smart, ambitious and dynamic professional with a strong passion to make a real difference in the fight against climate change, the below position may be right for you!

Job summary:

We are looking for an enthusiastic in-house corporate/legal counsel to ensure consistent drafting and negotiation of our contracts in North America, and support the US team for all business related legal topics. In this broad and challenging role you are working as part of the wider Global Legal and Compliance team, and you will be instrumental in supporting the day to day review and negotiation of agreements with South Pole’s clients and supplies as well as supporting the further development of our standards and procedures.

Main tasks & responsibilities:

• Review a variety of contacts (including NDAs, Service Agreements, Subcontracting Agreements, Sale and Purchase Agreements) based on our defined standards

• Act as a lead in negotiation of such contracts with relevant counterparties, both clients and suppliers, with support from key business stakeholders where required

• Perform risk assessments of proposed contractual terms and conditions, and develop recommendations to minimize their potential risk to the business

• Act as a trusted advisor to the business on all contractual and legal matters, providing sound legal advice

• Notify company management of relevant contractual non-compliance issues

• Refine and further develop contractual positions for your area of responsibility

• Train and provide guidance to business personnel on contracting policies and procedures

• Staying up-to-date with changes to legislation, particularly in relation to laws, rules and regulations that directly affect the company

• Abide by the processes in place within the department and the company and report in a timely manner as requested by the management

Requirements:

Essential -

• A Juris Doctor and licensed to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction

• Several years experience as an in-house corporate counsel, legal counsel, contract manager or related position

• Commercial contract negotiation and drafting experience

• Excellent written and oral command in English

• Ability to multitask, prioritise and manage time efficiently in a fast-moving environment

• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills and desire to make legal processes more efficient;

• Excellent verbal and communication skills

• Outstanding contract negotiation and drafting skills, with the ability to discuss complex issues in a clear and simple manner both in writing and verbally

• Good judgement in balancing business and commercial needs and potential risks/exposures with counterparty requirements

• Accurate and precise attention to details

• Business-centric approach, demonstrating a positive attitude and ability to be creative and propose alternatives under all circumstances

• Ability to follow team corporate and department processes and reporting requests

Desirable - 

• Additional language skills is of advantage

• Additional relevant industry or product specific experience is of advantage

What we offer:

At South Pole, we care about our employees as much as we care about the planet. South Pole is not just an employer, we are a Team. South Pole does not just offer people a job, we offer you a career. By joining our team, you will find strong purpose and deep meaning in everything you do. You will have the chance to make a real difference for our clients and for the planet, working alongside a passionate team of like-minded colleagues, while building your knowledge/skills and developing your career in a fun, dynamic, international and fast-growing organisation. 

We’re a planet of 7.5 billion unique and different people. We all have a contribution to make and South Pole is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status or disability. Our recruitment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.