Senior Legal & Compliance Counsel Sales & Manufacturing

Job Purpose

As Senior Legal & Compliance Counsel, Sales & Manufacturing, you will provide front-line legal support and drive a culture of compliance for the HQ Sales and Manufacturing Functions based in Zaventem, Belgium and Rome, in coordination with the legal colleagues in the regions and HQ. You will further create new and improve existing processes related to supporting these functions and clients.  

As part of our departmental mission statement, “Focus on What Matters”, we expect teammates to ensure they provide the right level of service to our clients and keep top of mind ways to simplify legal and compliance deliverables. 

You will mainly support Sales and Manufacturing Functions, advising on commercial contracts and taking part to and providing strategic advise on high profile and complex multi-regional projects. You may be also asked to support additional headquarter functions (such as Strategic Planning, Human Resources, Finance, etc.).  As the primary point of contact for some of these functions, you will provide timely, practical and effective legal and compliance advice and guidance and will also support your clients as they navigate commercial disputes, including litigation. You will also identify, develop and advance legal department processes, policies, tools and procedures to improve legal and compliance support in the region. 

What we offer you

• You will be part of a dynamic, diverse and international team of regional Heads of Legal and Compliance in Europe.   
• Reporting to the Legal Director Europe, you will have direct access to West Law Leadership Team in a department of over 100 lawyers across EMEA and the Americas.
• You will have access to our Shared Service Center in India to handle less complex and recurring tasks, allowing you to focus on where you add the most value.
• You will be able to tap into a global legal community of over 200 lawyers and compliance professionals across the world, offering plenty of training, coaching and personal development opportunities.
• With your seat in our brand new, modern offices in BSEMIA’s headquarters in Zaventem, Belgium, you will sit in the heart of a successful international business with over 20.000 teammates in 30+ countries across our region. Also, we offer flex working up to 3 days per week. 

Your Main Responsibilities:

• Sales & Manufacturing Functions Support 
  • Serve as strategic business partner to headquarters-based Sales and Manufacturing functions by providing timely, practical, and risk-balanced legal advice and support including, but not limited to: 
    • drafting, reviewing, and negotiating sale, manufacturing, joint development, off-take, strategic alliance agreements;
    • advise on Belgian labour and employment matters and coordinate labour outside counsels in other Countries where our manufacturing facilities are located;
    • managing and resolving commercial legal disputes; 
    • providing on the spot, day-to-day advice as operational and strategic decision-makers require.
  • Act as the “go to” legal resource for questions regarding Belgian law for other members of the legal department. 
  • Maintain awareness of and communicate within the law department and to clients any changes or developments in relevant applicable laws and regulations, especially with respect to Belgian laws and regulations.

• Compliance & Legal Operations
  • Drive a culture of compliance within the company generally, and assigned clients specifically, by monitoring activities, assessing risk and providing training and education in areas of compliance and demonstrating uncompromising ethics. 
  • Assess and evaluate current policies and procedures within your areas of responsibility and the BSEMIA law department and proactively identify and implement improvements on an ongoing basis. 
  • Effectively manage the performance and costs of outside counsel, when retained, by establishing and achieving matter budgets, developing and implementing alternative fee arrangements and other cost-saving billing approaches, monitoring aggregate legal spend at the HQ level to ensure achievement of annual targets.

What we expect from you:

•    Master’s degree in law from a Belgian University.
•    Fluency in English and Dutch and the ability to communicate professionally in French.
•    Mastery of Belgian corporate and commercial law and regulations, including labour law.
•    Minimum 8 years of relevant legal experience, of which preferably no less than 3 years in an international law firm or domestic business law firm and at least 3 years of relevant in-house legal experience.
•    Previous experience in identifying and resolving legal issues and risks quickly and effectively while providing advice in a fast-paced environment.
•    Ability to offer pragmatic advice and solutions on short timelines with imperfect information and to act with agility to change course in the light of shifting priorities or changed circumstances.