Associate Legal Counsel (Legal Manager)

Purpose of the Role:

The purpose of a Legal Manager is to safeguard the company from legal risks, ensure strict compliance with complex food, advertising, and consumer laws, and provide strategic advice for fast-paced business operations, covering everything from product launches (labelling, IP) to contracts (vendors, distributors) and handling disputes (consumer complaints, litigation). They act as a bridge between the business teams and regulators, translating complex laws into actionable policies to support rapid growth while minimizing legal exposure

Qualification & Experience:

• Required Education Qualification: LLB and/or LLM
• Required prior Work Experience:Prior experience in FMCG will be preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Competencies­:

• Strong Planning and Execution Skills
• People Skills with Government bodies
• Systems & Process orientation
• Business Focus

Job Responsibilities:

• Generalist lawyer with the ability to handle the broad spectrum of day-to-day legal affairs of the business.
• Strong basis of contractual law and related advising and litigation.
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts, including manufacturing, marketing, supply, copacker and distribution agreements.
• Providing legal advice and - Identification of key legal risks facing the business and commercial areas (such as contract use and interpretation, food and marketing regulation, privacy, competition and other customer or third-party claims.
• Developing and coordinating litigation strategies and coordinating centrally all litigation across the country, including engaging and supervising local counsel, and tracking developments and outcomes to minimize exposure.
• Retaining, directing, instructing and supervising external counsel and other professional advisors as required in connection with litigation.
• Proactive partnering with the sales team and be adept in guiding sales in distribution relations, competition related queries, as well as compliances to minimize exposure to commercial and penal risks
• Ensuring compliances to Legal Metrology, Food laws, and IPR laws, rules and regulations including periodical changes announced from time to time to avoid undue litigation along with allied Act/Rules.
• Provide legal support to manufacturing and supply chain operations, including advice on factory laws, labour and industrial relations matters, EHS compliance, contract manufacturing arrangements, product quality and recall issues, regulatory investigations, and business continuity risks
• Experience working closely with factory and manufacturing operations is highly preferred.

Reporting Relationships:

Upwards

Head Legal Foods

Downwards

Executive- Legal

Growth Path & Future:

Role holder can move upwards depending on performance evaluation.