Industry 1: Food & Beverages
Industry 2: Food Production
Industry 3: Dairy
Job ID: 34543329813
Category: Sales and Marketing
Location: Chicago, IL
Our client is a rapidly growing food brand known for its beloved, high-quality products that consumers know and love! With a strong presence in the market and a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and excellence, they are now hiring their first-ever in-house legal counsel—a unique opportunity to shape the legal function, drive strategy, and make a lasting impact in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Key Responsibilities:
- Serve as the first in-house counsel for the U.S. market, ensuring legal compliance and risk management across business operations.
- Identify and address emerging legal risks, providing practical solutions and working cross-functionally to implement policies and governance frameworks.
- Advise on marketing and promotional claims in collaboration with regulatory and intellectual property teams.
- Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements for distribution, sponsorships, sales, and procurement (including media/advertising, professional services, logistics, and digital platforms).
- Partner with global and regional legal teams to drive compliance initiatives in areas such as sustainability, data privacy, antitrust, anti-bribery, and cybersecurity.
- Oversee litigation, dispute resolution, and settlement negotiations with external support as needed.
- Manage relationships with outside counsel on litigation and strategic legal matters.
Qualifications:
- J.D. from an accredited law school and licensed (or eligible for licensing) in Illinois.
- 7+ years of post-qualification experience (PQE) with a strong focus on commercial and marketing law, including at least 3 years in an in-house legal role.
- Experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) or food & beverage industry preferred.
- Strong leadership, teamwork, and communication skills in a matrixed environment.
- Business-oriented mindset with the ability to anticipate legal risks and provide practical, risk-based solutions.
- Self-motivated and able to work autonomously in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience managing external counsel and translating legal advice into actionable business strategies.
- Experience working across North and Latin America is a plus.
BrainWorks is a leading executive search firm that excels in delivering top-tier talent to drive sales and marketing success. Our Sales & Marketing Practice specializes in identifying high-performing professionals who can elevate your business outcomes.
From mid-level managers to C-suite executives, we partner with clients across industries to place leaders in key roles, including sales, marketing, business development, and product management.
BrainWorks prides itself on quality, speed, and results, powered by our proven process refined over 30 years. Partnering with BrainWorks means gaining a trusted ally who is passionate about your success. Visit us at brainworksinc.com.
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