Legal Counsel APAC

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Summary:

CooperVision is seeking an experienced lawyer to join its legal team as Legal Counsel. This role will support the Senior Legal Director, Asia Pacific, in providing legal advice and support to the Asia Pacific Region and its markets generally, with a current focus on South-East Asia. The role will support of ad hoc global legal activities and projects.

Scope:

Responsible for providing legal support to CooperVision business with a current focus on South East Asia, to drive revenue and growth, while ensuring legal compliance. Help drive business strategy and successful execution of business plans in a legally compliant manner.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• As part of the Global Legal team, provide guidance and support on all legal matters in the Asia Pacific Region with a current focus on South-East Asia. Work hand-in-hand with Asia Pacific Region teams, to ensure coordinated support to drive key projects and transactions, leveraging capabilities in South-East Asia and throughout the APAC region.
• Responsible for structuring, negotiating and drafting various significant strategic and operational commercial contracts, including customer supply and promotion, distribution, purchasing and vendor agreements, including developing contract templates suitable for market.
• Proactively assess potential legal risks to the business and work with management to devise and implement systems and solutions (both internal systems or external systems) to manage these potential risks, including delivering preventative training and communications. Serve as subject matter expert in key commercial projects.
• Support Commercial functions, including advising in relation to promotions, campaigns and advertising, ensuring compliance with company policies and local law (including competition laws) and regulations.
• Support CooperVision functions (including Distribution, Logistics, Regulatory, Procurement, Sales & Marketing, HR and Finance, etc.) on legal issues.
• Instruct and manage external counsel, where required, to ensure local law compliance and effectively manage litigation.
• Report on projects, opportunities, results, issues and concerns to Senior Legal Director, APAC, and other management leaders of applicable business functions.
• Have a strong understanding of competition, marketing and advertising, consumer protection and privacy laws especially the South-East Asia Region, and their application and interpretation and be able to advise the business accordingly.
• Support ad-hoc global legal activities and projects
• Proactively partner and work with other CooperVision and Cooper Companies, Inc lawyers to drive local alignment with global best practices and active knowledge sharing and trainings. Manage alignment with Asia Pacific and Global Legal Team to ensure achievement of Global Legal’s vision.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Fluent English (written and spoken). Ability to speak/write in Mandarin or APAC region language is a bonus.
• Law degree with honors (J.D. or equivalent) from a leading university and law school.
• Generalist with a broad base of commercial experience. Strong analytical skills, solution driven and demonstrates sound judgment when seeking to balance business interests and legal interests of the company. Strong sense of character, integrity, self-confidence and ethical leadership.
• Good communicator with ability to work with people with different cultural backgrounds. Quick learner and willing to learn. Can work independently and effectively as a proactive team member of local, regional or global team.

Experience:

• Min. 8-10 years of legal experience (at least eight years’ post-qualification experience working in a leading law firm and/or in-house at a major MNC).
• Experience of delivering pragmatic legal advice to meet commercial objectives.
• Demonstrable experience in marketing and advertising will be a distinct advantage.
• Experience in operating in an international environment is desirable.
• Background in medical device, pharmaceutical or health care industry is desirable, though not essential.
• Experience in any of the following will be a bonus:
• Corporate commercial experience in a FMCG industry, with focus on consumer protection laws and advertising regulations.
• Litigation and regulatory work.