Legal Counsel - Business Operations, PC

Where this position fits-into the team:

• You will support Unilever’s Business Operations function, and Business Group Supply Chain and Procurement teams, with a focus in North America and Latin America, and primarily related to the Foods, Home Care and Personal Care business, and you will also support various global UBO Legal projects and initiatives.
• Your work will be supervised by the Latin America Business Operations General Counsel, supporting supply chain, procurement and customer operations matters.
• Integral part of the Unilever’s Legal Function – a global operation consisting of approximately 400 lawyers and specialists
• Critical to your success in this role will be your connection to the business and appreciation of the competitive landscape and business context to foster innovative counseling to meet business objectives and initiatives.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Partner directly with supply chain and procurement teams on business operations contracts, such as procurement of raw materials, packaging materials, finished products, transportation services, capex equipment purchases and projects, fulfillment logistics services, quality and service level agreements and other supply chain and customer operations matters.
• Manage and negotiate high-volume and complex commercial agreements
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (including Privacy, Intellectual Property, etc.) as needed to support your work
• Regularly track ongoing projects to present to legal management ensuring tracking system is up to date daily; document fully executed agreements in our system
• Manage work of Powerhouse colleagues supporting matters within your remit and manage budget for external law firms supporting business operations matters
• Counsel on contractual inquiries and potential compensation claims in the event of non-compliances (current terms, termination rights, modification of terms, party obligations, remedies, etc.)
• Communicate and collaborate regularly and effectively with the legal team to anticipate and solve problems before they occur.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Qualified lawyer with at least 10 years of post-law degree experience, including deep experience in negotiation and drafting of complex commercial contracts in English & Spanish
• Proficient in English and Spanish with ability to fluently and organically communicate (in English and Spanish)
• Experience with negotiating U.S. contracts for U.S. clients
• Understanding of the U.S. legal system
• LL.M from an accredited U.S Institution
• Knowledge of and ability to issue spot complex legal issues including contractual terms that raise resilience, financial or value leakage risks.
• Strong business acumen
• Pre-litigation dispute resolution experience (e.g. managing claims for compensation for contract breaches)
• Experience with managing high volume work and multiple stakeholders
• Flexibility, maturity, self-confidence, and enthusiasm with strong interpersonal skills
• Great communication and organizational skills, with attention to detail, speed and accuracy
• Ability to understand and adapt to the work culture and standard communication style within US based teams
• Willingness and drive for problem solving and process excellence, and for adopting new legal technologies to drive efficiencies
• Ability to prioritize and switch between multiple tasks, to work with colleagues and internal clients across multiple time zones and to possess strong cross-cultural skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.