Watches of Switzerland is seeking a Legal Associate/Legal Advisor to join our exciting, fast paced, growing US business. This role supports the business by reviewing, managing, and negotiating agreements and ensuring that proper policies and procedures are in place to meet the commercial needs of the business while managing risk. In addition, the Legal Associate /Legal Advisor will be responsible for continuously improving compliance-related policies and procedures and managing local corporate governance.

The role will require diligence, teamwork, initiative, business acumen, and strong project and time management skills to advance multiple projects to completion and work across the business and functions to ensure quick turnaround of agreements.

The position will have reporting relationship with the Group’s General Counsel in the UK and be instrumental in obtaining advice from external law firms to provide expertise across a broad range of practice areas, including commercial, real estate, labor law, criminal/civil litigation, data/cyber, regulatory matters as well as mergers & acquisitions.

Responsibilities

• Provide solution and business-oriented legal advice, support, counsel, representation and services to all functional areas of the company, including Retail, Marketing, HR, IT, Operations, and Finance.
• Work closely with the business teams and senior management to understand the needs and strategic objectives of the company in order to provide high quality, pragmatic and focused legal advice and assist in responsibly growing the US business.
• Providing regular updates to Group General Counsel and supporting with compliance on group policies and procedures (as appropriate).
• Draft, review, negotiate and provide guidance on a wide variety of agreements including, acquisition documents, confidentiality agreements, letters of intent, non-disclosure agreements, leases, construction contracts, service agreements as well as contractor/consultant/employment agreements ensuring both legal and business objectives are met.
• Co-ordinate external advisers where appropriate and assist with managing external legal spend/budget.
• Work with colleagues to continuously improve contract structure, governance and processes as well as implementation and adherence to best practices within both the Legal function and the Group.
• Advise business units and support with training on regulatory matters such as anti-trust, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and other business-related compliance issues.
• Horizon-scanning -Periodically and proactively assess legal and compliance risk exposures for the business, and develop and implement risk mitigation initiatives including procedures, policies, and forms development.
• Support compliance activities and implementation of appropriate remediation measures.
• Monitor existing contracts using approved performance methodologies, tools, etc.; including identifying and recommending opportunities for improvement, reminders of renewals and notice periods, etc.
• Continuously strive for a deeper understanding of the organization and its unique needs in order to provide the most optimal evaluations and advice on a wide variety of legal matters.
• Provide acquisition support, including due diligence on legal and regulatory matters.
• Handle corporate formation and maintenance across the US including business licenses and related filings.
• Liaising with third party providers (including BizFilings / CT Corp) to support on secretariat matters such as board/shareholder meetings and corporate filings.
• Participate in various global corporate governance/compliance activities.
• Perform ad-hoc projects and other duties as assigned.

Role Specific Skills

• Excellent organization with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment under deadline pressure.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, with advanced skills in identifying legal and compliance issues.
• Excellent written, oral, and listening skills with proven ability to interact effectively with varied audiences, including executive team members.
• Exercise discretion/confidentiality and demonstrate sound business judgment when performing assigned duties.
• Ability to proactively take ownership of projects and take initiative to achieve ideal outcomes.
• Sound legal judgement and excellent analytical skills with the capacity of identifying risks and proactively choosing the best solutions.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong persuasive and negotiation skills and high level of professionalism.
• Fluent in the Microsoft Office suite, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Minimal travel required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Undergraduate Degree required
• Juris Doctor Degree required
• 3-5 years of full-time legal experience

Other Relevant Experience

• Previous in-house experience preferred but not required
• Previous experience on international transactions/within a global organization preferred but not required
• Retail/luxury experience preferred but not required
• Project management experience