North America Regional Counsel

Description:

Overview:
The North America Regional Counsel is responsible for managing a team of legal professional(s) in a leadership role and as an individual contributor in the preparation of proposals in response to customer solicitations for the company's entire product/services portfolio; the preparation, negotiation, interpretation and/or administration of contracts, subcontracts and licensing agreements; and ensures compliance with company policy as well as applicable laws/regulations. A key responsibility of the position is to ensure business and legal senior management are fully advised on major issues and legislative changes arising in relevant business areas, while seamlessly collaborating cross functionally with company business leaders and stakeholders including, Legal, Finance, Sales, Product, Procurement, and Risk Management to understand and meet the company's business, financial and risk management objectives. The full-time position may be remote. Relocation expenses, if any, are the responsibility of candidate.

• Draft, review, edit, finalize and negotiate highly complex (larger scope, longer-term, high value) transactional agreements with multiple elements of delivery to meet business and legal requirements. Agreements include, without limitation, sales/lease purchase agreements; end user license agreements, professional services agreements, subcontracts, statements of work (SOW), maintenance agreements, cloud/third party hosting agreements, Software as a Service (SAAS) agreements, and other technology agreements.
• Lead and manage contract documentation/approval flows to ensure consistency with internal processes.
• Lead and develop streamlined, organized and efficient policies and procedures for contracts, including establishing playbooks, and standard template language to be used in contracts.
• Manage contract disputes of high complexity, including understanding the issues, providing guidance on solutions and drafting settlement agreements. Oversee the dispute resolution process with customers and other third parties.
• Manage a team of Legal professional(s) in a leadership role and as an individual contributor in advising and collaborating with multiple stakeholders across marketing, product, finance, implementation and sales throughout the pre-sales, sales and post-contract cycle on a broad range of complex legal and compliance issues for the company's entire portfolio of products/services to meet the company's business, financial and risk management objectives.
• Provide strategic, independent legal counsel and guidance for the accomplishment of overall business objectives of the Company, while fully complying with applicable laws and regulations and avoiding unacceptable risks. This includes partnering with the business and product development teams to ensure compliance with government and customer-imposed requirements and prioritizing risks.
• Draft and implement legal policies to ensure that the company's exposure to legal risks is managed appropriately.
• Proactively develop and maintain technical knowledge in specialized area(s), remaining up-to-date on current trends and best practices.
• Exercises reasonable judgment to determine when to escalate complex matters or decisions to more senior level counsel or manager.
• May manage the Company's outside counsel and provide strategic direction and guidance to outside counsel in various matters with respect to the Company's strategies, policies and objectives.
• May have responsibility for supervising certain activities of legal support professionals (such as paralegals and legal assistants).
• May lead strategic project teams that are assigned to important company or functional projects.
• Other miscellaneous responsibilities as assigned by manager.

Desired Skills/Qualifications:

• Substantial experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial and SaaS sales agreements and advanced proficiency in third-party hosted and cloud-services issues, service level agreements, industry trends and best practices.
• Substantial experience working with legal policies and procedures and demonstrated ability to identify and resolve potential legal issues, including, without limitation, federal/state telecommunications regulatory classifications, fixed video and access control state/local licensing, data privacy rights and protection, CJIS, FAA/drone licensing, and antitrust.
• Proven ability to approach complex legal matters (not covered by existing procedures) with a sense of pragmatism and flexibility to recommend solutions that enable our company's success while protecting its legacy and future.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently (with little-to-no supervision).
• Superior negotiation, consultation, and analytical skills.
• Proven ability to exercise independent judgment in methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for problem solving; demonstrated experience in using sound judgment.
• Exceptional interpersonal, presentation and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Demonstrated ability to lead discussions and collaborate in meetings with mid-to-senior level customers, vendors, attorneys, management, and other third parties with regard to negotiation of agreements, and general problem solving.
• Experience applying knowledge of multidisciplinary business principles and practices to achieve successful outcomes in cross-functional projects and activities.
• Developed business acumen, with ability to understand the company's business objectives and anticipate the nature and magnitude of legal issues (local and international) that could arise in various settings.
• Well organized, detail oriented and adept in a fast paced environment
• Required to work with the highest level of ethics and discretion.
• Lead change and take responsible risks: (1) looks for ways to personally affect change and is not overly risk averse; (2) seeks to understand the change and enables change to succeed; and (3) sees change as an opportunity, considers associated risks, then promptly commits to it.
• Focused and sound decision making: (1) focuses on the important information and data without getting bogged down in unnecessary details; (2) makes prompt, informed decisions on problems that require immediate action; and (3) takes personal ownership in decision making and follows through on commitments.
• Develop Talent: (1) accurately evaluates people's capabilities, coaches for performance and provides employees with opportunities to broaden their skill sets, develop and maximize their abilities; (2) actively encourages employee development, through diverse experiences, feedback, education and mobility; (3) identifies and appoints best available talent – internal and external, tracks and supports development plans, and prepares a strong and diverse pipeline of successors.
• Think strategically: (1) aligns own work with broader business strategies and goals; (2) stays aware of the business implications of market and industry trends; and (3) recognizes the impact of his/her/their work on overall organizational strategy.
• In-house legal experience preferred, including supervision of outside counsel.

Note: Candidate may reside anywhere in the US

Basic Requirements:

• ?Must have a Juris Doctor Degree or international equivalent and 8+ years of experience in corporate transactional, contracts negotiation and/or commercial/finance transaction experience preferably with background in technology matters, government contracts and/or intellectual property.
• Admission to the Bar of at least one state is required or admitted to practice in at least one jurisdiction for international equivalent.
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. indefinitely is required. Employer work permit sponsorship is not available for this position.

---