European Business Unit – Legal Counsel
A superb opportunity has arisen for an ambitious and talented lawyer to support the European Business Unit of Baxters Food Group Limited, based at their Headquarters in Edinburgh.
At Baxters, they are just as particular about the people they employ as they are about the ingredients they use in their recipes. So, it goes without saying that they need people who share their passion, quality and aspire to ‘be different, be better’.
Baxters dates back to 1868 and is a family owned business headquartered in Scotland. For four generations, the Baxter family have been producing some of the UK’s finest soups, preserves, condiments, beetroot, chutneys and a wide range of other fine quality food products. It is now a multi-million-pound global food manufacturer, with facilities across Europe, North America and Australia. The Group employs c 2000 people. With a strong track record of strategic investments, including a number of acquisitions, the Group is well positioned to meet both the short and long term challenges in the FMCG sector as well as the growth opportunities.
The Role:
The principal purpose of this role is to provide legal management and advice; company secretarial services; compliance, corporate governance and risk management support for the European Business Unit.
Reporting to the European Finance Director with a dotted line to the Group Legal & Compliance Director you will also participate in and contribute to functional initiatives within the Group.
Key Responsibilities:
Commercial contracts: To work closely with the Commercial and Procurement teams and to assess and manage the legal risk in the European Business Unit’s contractual arrangements both in new business and existing commercial relationships by consideration of contractual terms in the context of the potential financial exposure and the commercial benefit to the business.
Risk and Compliance: To provide legal support to the European Business Unit in the implementation of relevant compliance policies and the management of risks, including supporting the development of relevant ESG policies and procedures.
Company Secretarial: To provide company secretarial/minute secretarial services for the European Business Unit various boards and committees including maintaining statutory company books, assisting in the co-ordination and timetabling of meetings, preparing minutes, following up action points and managing legal document retention and retrieval.
Projects/Transactions: To support transactional and special project work by providing in-house legal services and by outsourcing to external legal advisers where appropriate, managing the relationship with the chosen legal services provider and their costs.
Insurance: To assist in the administration of the Group insurance programme in conjunction with nominated insurance brokers, and assisting with the management of insurance claims made on the policies comprising the Group insurance programme.
Litigation/Disputes: To manage the legal aspects of litigation and legal disputes.
Intellectual Property: To monitor the European Business Unit’s intellectual property portfolio and manage the provision of external trade mark and design attorney services and contain their costs.
Legal Developments: To maintain knowledge of legal developments which may impact the business and brief senior management where appropriate regarding such developments
Property: To provide administration and legal services to maintain the property portfolio of the European Business Unit including the negotiation of leases/purchases, rating and rent reviews and negotiation of dilapidation settlements.
Desired Personal Characteristics & Experience:
- UK Qualified solicitor min 4 yrs PQE+ with strong academics and background including experience of working in a leading in-house team or private practice firm.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to solve complex business problems with a variety of people.
- Highly motivated and energetic self-starter.
- Results-driven problem solver and decision maker.
- Excellent interpersonal skills (articulate and persuasive, both orally and written).
- Can adapt to changing priorities and still keep people on the right track.
- Good negotiation and persuasion skills.
- Resilient and copes with conflicting priorities and can thrive in a fluid and changeable environment.
On Offer:
- Attractive salary, bonus & benefits – flexible working arrangements
All applications will be managed by Liz Frost, Director, Frost Legal Limited. For more information & confidential discussion please contact: E: liz@frostlegal.co.uk or call T: 0131 538 0900.
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