Job title: Corporate and Commercial Counsel
Company: Tata Consumer Products – USA
Job description: JOB PURPOSE/OVERVIEW
The US based Legal Team of Tata Consumer Products (“TCP” or “the Company” or “the Organization”) is part of a “lean but mighty” TCP Global Legal Team, with teammates variously based in the UK and India. TCP is in an exciting global growth phase—it is transforming itself from a primarily wholesale CPG focused on beverages and spices, to a full line, fully integrated food and beverage CPG, with a significantly greater focus on direct to consumer (DTC) for growth. As a consequence, the Global Legal Team is undertaking a number of significant, cross-geography legal projects designed to support the Company’s global growth and transformation. Understanding a “global big picture” with respect to the Company’s various legal initiatives is a core requirement of this role.
The Corporate and Commercial Counsel will primarily focus on US, Canada, and Australia legal work, but will be expected from time-to-time to assume support/assignments for a variety of TCP Global Legal initiatives. Adaptability, a flexibility mindset, and “no legal matter is too big or too small” is key to success in this role–a “hand’s on” willingness to do our legal work is essential. S/he will be needed to do a wide variety of quality work and serve as a point person on a broad range of legal and risk management matters in a very entrepreneurial and collegial environment.
TCP’s legal work is broad based and will not necessarily be limited to any one legal discipline. Indeed, the successful candidate will be expected to learn and work in new areas of the law as the role matures and develops. Areas of involvement will initially include but not be limited to: negotiating, drafting, closing and advising on a wide variety of commercial agreements, including but not limited to various services, licensing, and broker/distributor agreements; legal guidance on supply chain and manufacturing issues; principal legal support for our sales, marketing, IT and digital teams; and legal guidance for food and beverage regulatory matters. In addition, the Corporate and Commercial Counsel will be tasked with working with US, Canada and Australia business customers and other members of the TCP Global Legal Team to: administer the Company’s overall copyright and trademark portfolio (prosecution work, occasional oppositions, and legal side support for IP docketing systems); corporate transactions, special projects, litigation matters and dispute resolution; corporate compliance (including Ethics and anti-bribery); a rapidly emerging global data privacy regime; and other matters as assigned to you from time to time.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
You will be held Accountable for:
- Draft, negotiate and close a wide variety of commercial and strategic agreements, including but not limited to, 3PL, vendor, supply, distributor, procurement, master services, licenses, technology, influencer/talent, confidentiality, and any other operational and commercial agreements as will be expected in any CPG/consumer retail business. A significant support focus will be for agreements required by our Sales, Marketing, IT, and Digital teams.
- Lead or assist the US General Counsel’s and/or Global Legal Team’s overall efforts to implement and refine templates, forms, processes, and procedures in the support of TCP’s overall global growth and transformation.
- Provide legal advice to international teams in connection with day to day as well as strategic matters. Significantly, this role will be expected to be a significant cross-functional contributor to the development, implementation and maturation of TCP’s overall global data privacy program and related controls, including, but not limited to, hands-on development/refinement of policies, procedures and controls as that program matures.
- IP legal support including (in conjunction with TCP Global Legal Team resources and internal customers), the administration and protection of TCP’s overall copyright and trademark portfolio.
- As this role will be a principal legal support for the Company’s sales and marketing initiatives, s/he will be expected to assume the legal review of monthly marketing calendars and initiatives and collaborate with outside marketing agencies supporting that work.
- Work closely with and report to the TCP US Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary on additional business areas which require support, including but not limited to various areas of legal compliance and food law regulatory matters.
- Prepare regular reporting (for local as well as Global Legal) to identify the progress made in the legal support of various business areas
You will Be passionate About:
- More than anything else, the contributions of all TCP Associates are important to the overall success of the Organization—no one’s contribution is more important than another’s. We strongly value humility. You will have the ability to develop high levels of credibility and forge solid and positive professional relationships with TCP Associates at all levels, and you treat them with the same level of respect, dedication and professionalism, no matter where they are located or what they do for the Organization—more junior to you, peers, and upper management alike.
- Active member in good standing of at least 1 State Bar; and the ability to be admitted as an In-House Counsel in New Jersey if not already admitted to practice there.
- Strong written and oral skills. Ability to present compelling and concise evidence to support positions.
- Able to absorb new concepts rapidly and provide intellectual challenge to accepted ideas.
- The successful candidate will be flexible, creative, collaborative, organized and a decision maker.
Who will you need to be able to influence:
- Work closely and influence the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for TCP US.
- Work closely with all Members of the BOLT (Beverage Operations Leadership Team) of TCP US, as needed.
- Support the internal business owner(s) of the legal projects assigned to you.
You will be enthusiastic about:
- Our business and brands
- Protecting the organization
Requirements
Education & Professional Qualifications
- 4-6 years of overall legal experience, with particular focus on commercial and/or corporate agreements consistent with the scope areas identified above.
- Your experience will preferably come from a combination of law firm as well as in-house work. Strong in-house experience with a CPG and/or a consumer retail focused organization, is a significant plus. The successful candidate will have already made the “private practice to in-house” transition and will fully understand how the approach to legal work for clients in an in-house environment can be significantly different from the approach to legal work for clients in a private practice environment. A strong understanding of the interplay between legal and business risk and how to balance the two in an in-house environment, is essential to success in this role.
- IP (particularly TM and Copyright) as well as food and beverage regulatory experience, is a significant plus. Additional generalist experience with data privacy, corporate compliance, and governance, is a significant plus.
Knowledge / Experience
- This role will be expected to collaborate with TCP business and legal colleagues located in Asia/Pacific and European times zones. Global experience, including experience working across those time zones and in non-US legal systems, is a significant plus.
- An ownership mindset for projects and cross-functional relationship building to find creative solutions to challenging problems. You have a “can do” attitude with a strong desire to learn the business and new areas of law.
- Must have a sense of humour, and enjoy being a collaborator in a fast paced, entrepreneurial environment, and you work well with others to get the job done. There will be times when you will be expected to work autonomously yet be part of an overall team.
KEY COMPETENCIES
- Enterprise First mindset
- Entrepreneurial spirit
- Engage Candidly
- Execute with Excellence
Expected salary:
Location: Montvale, NJ
Job date: Wed, 15 Nov 2023 23:02:13 GMT
