Harman

About the Role

The Senior Director, Corporate Counsel is responsible for providing legal and/or business support to one or more business divisions, strategic business units (“SBU”) or corporate functions and specifically for the Lifestyle division - Americas and will interface with the related business functions including but not limited to sales, engineering, product, customer service, finance, HR and/or supply chain function.  This position will report directly to and work closely and strategically with the VP, Associate General Counsel  for Lifestyle and/or legal leadership to support with senior operational, functional and/or division clients on significant matters impacting the global enterprise.  The successful candidate must be able to handle complex negotiations and successfully and timely complete assignments assigned by VP, Associate General Counsel  or legal leadership with little supervision.  The Senior Counsel II must also have a broad understanding of Harman’s business objectives and the impact of external factors on at least one division, SBU, or function Additionally this Senior Counsel II will represent the SBUs cross-functionally with sales, engineering/product, compliance, finance, procurement, customer service/quality and corporate governance marketing, human resources, real estate, and information technology and liaise with external counsel.

Intermediate level contract review, drafting, and negotiation experience related to multi-million-dollar agreements is required.  Additionally, the successful candidate will have strong communication skills for purposes of interfacing with key customers, suppliers, and external counsel and other stakeholders in collaboration with VP, Associate General Counsel  and/or legal leadership in support of the Harman’s division(s) or functional business leaders.  This role will also support operational managers for the various functions listed above by providing strategic, practical advice and counsel on key business issues; as well as manage litigation and corresponding outside counsel law firms and legal service providers.  A basic understanding of budgets, accruals, forecasting, and financial statements is also needed.  Finally, this role requires an intermediate level in project management of strategic enterprise, divisional, or functional projects or initiatives and advanced, cross-functional communication and collaboration skills, powers of persuasion, and influence.

Your Team

This position will manage two junior attorney(s) and routinely interface with operational or functional teams of the Consumer and Professional divisions managing legal risk, making legal decisions and escalations based upon Legal department guidelines, the company’s exposure, and GAR.

 

What You Will Do

Managing Legal and Business Risk Across the functions for Consumer and Professional Solutions:

• Sales: strategic business partner reviewing, drafting, and negotiating a wide variety of commercial agreements and amendments, including master services, licensing, professional services, marketing, joint venture, and vendor agreements. Advise on antitrust matters, i.e., pricing and MAP, termination of customer agreements. Project manage execution of annual agreements with sales and sales operations. Conduct contracts training for sales on the SBUs contract approval process and agreement best practices. Manage outside counsel with commercial litigation, attend regular meetings with sales leaders to provide updates on legal matters and stay apprised of the sales teams’ goals, and projects.

• Compliance: Identifying legal and regulatory issues in product initiatives and customer agreements, including awareness of privacy and data security issues, and working cross-functionally with the appropriate teams to create solutions and minimize risk. Interface with the various compliance teams on regulatory issues and workstreams that arise from the SBU. This includes working with global trade compliance on export control and import duties and set strategy for discrete projects like the 301 Tariff and processes to buildout the trade compliance protocols specific to the operation of COA or PRO warehouses, manufacturing, and engineering functions.  Partner with the product compliance teams working with engineering on regional regulatory requirements for product certifications, manuals, warnings, and answer surveillance inquiries from local authorities.

• Engaging strategically in risk assessment/mitigation and developing innovative approaches to legal issues in support of business objectives.

• Finance: Strategic legal partner, advising finance of Harman’s rights and obligations under the SBUs agreements including audit rights, payment, default, bankruptcies, and royalties. Manage external counsel spend in alignment with the annual legal budget working the SBU controller budget and Legal Tracker.

• Providing practical, creative legal advice in a fast-paced, high growth environment.

• Engineering & Product: Engage with legal procurement and procurement with supplier agreements generated by engineering and product teams and negotiate overflow agreements as needed. Advise the functions on contract terms to solve supply chain issues, for example: consignment, exclusivity, assisting with corporate, MD&A, and other legal matters as requested.

• Applies strong analytical legal skills and demonstrates risk and compliance awareness when supporting complex projects or making strategic decisions.

• Promptly and effectively addresses unforeseen legal risks if they arise and communicates to VP, Associate General Counsel  or legal leadership within the legal department and/or to the SBU leaders within the division or function in a timely manner; process complex, uncertain, or incomplete information quickly to identify potential implications for the business.

• Customer Services/Quality: Advise the customer services/warranty/quality teams on customer disputes, claims and settlements. Issue spot regulatory liability for internal escalations to leadership for reporting under the CPSA.

• Works with business divisions, SBU, or functional teams and helps them understand, assess, and appropriately address business risks and implications and helps to influence business decisions.

• Corporate Governance. Working with their manager, finance, corporate counsel, and outside counsel as applicable, maintain corporate registrations, resolutions, and annual filings for SBU entities.

• Directs and/or collaborates with other legal and compliance staff and organizational partners to develop, update, and maintain templates, negotiation resources and playbooks.

• Supports VP, Associate General Counsel  and/or legal leadership with the development and implementation of innovative ways to scale commercial legal processes.

• Other duties as assigned.

What You Need

• The candidate should have Juris Doctor and Bar admission (or equivalent in jurisdiction).

• Roles at this level are experienced professionals providing strategic legal counsel to at least one defined function area or SBU.

• These roles work closely and strategically with legal leadership, functional and/or SBU clients.

• Strong analytic skills, task-focused, works on own initiative to get things done, is able to work under pressure and manage multiple stakeholders, well-developed project management skills.

• Exercises good judgement and sound decision making. These roles may take significant roles in broader strategic projects for the department.

• 8+ years of relevant (generally in-house or law firm) experience and a law degree from law school.

• Also 6+ years of either specialized experience in the applicable subject matter function (example: corporate compliance, corporate services, intellectual property, labor & employment, litigation).

Critical skills required to perform the core responsibilities of the position:

Operational Effectiveness and Efficiency

• Effectively prioritizes, delegates, supervises, and monitors work carried out by external legal resources or non-legal project teams to ensure high quality and timely delivery.

• Identifies potential legal and compliance issues and consults with appropriate stakeholders to identify a solution.

• Takes initiative to develop or improve internal company guidance documents, using legal know-how for the benefit of the entire business or function.

Influencing and Communicating

• Able to translate legal issues for primary business client and explain in a comprehensible manner; possesses diplomacy skills.

• Able to communicate effectively at all legal levels and enable the sharing of information and resources across the legal team for the collective benefit of at least one division or function.  

• Always considers the commercial impact when applying legal and regulatory principles and seeks workable solutions for at least one division or function.

• Networks in the legal industry.

• Is approachable and makes time to support junior colleagues.

• Has developed sustainable and effective networks both inside the legal team and across the primary client SBU or function they serve.

Commercial Awareness and Effectiveness

• Seeks regular feedback and discusses primary client business needs to fully understand business drivers from the beginning.

• Prioritizes resource and effort around key client business deliverables.

• Uses legal experience and knowledge to anticipate client business need and seeks to add value. 

What is Nice to Have

• Serves as a legal role model creating a constructive and collaborative working environment.

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to travel up to 10%, domestic and international travel.

• Be willing to work remotely and occasionally in an office located in one of the followings: Richardson, Texas or Northridge, California

• Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen.

What We Offer

• Access to employee discounts on world class HARMAN/Samsung products (JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG, etc.).

• Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies.

• Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work life integration and collaboration in a global environment.

• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development.

• Tuition Reimbursement.

• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.