The General Counsel is responsible for the vision and leadership of the Company’s global legal strategy and the comprehensive management of all legal matters, and will serve as a hands-on, trusted legal advisor, providing pragmatic, risk-balanced, results-oriented, business-focused counsel to the Company and its leaders, with a full “seat at the table.” As the General Counsel, the successful candidate will be a key member of the senior leadership team and will report directly to the Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Strategic Planning with a dotted-line reporting to the Company President. In addition, the General Counsel will serve as a key liaison with the Company’s parent company. The successful candidate will also manage corporate governance and compliance, and oversee the administration of corporate records.

This position requires an attorney with a strong business orientation. The individual must be self-motivated and have a drive to learn and understand MonoSol’s business, and to contributing in a meaningful, practical and efficient way to achieving its strategy and long-term strategic goals. In addition to possessing the requisite skills, the successful candidate must approach this role from an experienced and pragmatic business perspective and demonstrate a high degree of ethics, integrity and credibility, as well as having strategic and conceptual thinking and problem-solving capabilities.

Responsibilities

Provide legal counsel to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and other senior leaders of the Company.
Lead and provide guidance on negotiations and structure major contracts/commercial arrangements, including complex sales, supply and IT agreements, joint development agreements, and other business transactions.
In collaboration with the Company’s Vice President, Research and Development, manage and protect the Company’s Intellectual Property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
Lead and provide guidance on environmental, safety and health (including sustainability) regulatory and compliance matters.
Provide guidance on employment and labor issues, particularly related to employee relations/EEO, collective bargaining, and related issues.
Lead and provide guidance on trade and logistics matters.
Manage corporate governance and compliance matters; oversee the administration of corporate records.
Develop, lead, and mentor a small legal team commensurate with the Company’s size and needs, setting strategic priorities for the department, including budgeting/cost management and responsibility allocation, reporting, and setting administrative procedures designed to maintain and improve office and corporate efficiency, and communication.
Judiciously choose and manage outside counsel (although the Company’s legal department, led by the General Counsel, should be the primary source of legal services and advice for MonoSol, in certain circumstances and for particular issues, outside counsel expertise likely will need to be retained).
Manage and provide strategic legal counsel for litigation matters, including all arbitrations and disputes.

In all the above, build and foster relationships and partner with line business functions to achieve respective goals, assessing, planning for and managing appropriately risks to maximize upside and minimize downside for MonoSol.

Qualifications

Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
Admitted (or able to qualify) and in good standing to the bar of either Illinois or Indiana.
10+ years of experience as a practicing attorney, with 5+ of prior in-house experience, and previous firm tenure.
A broad range of strong generalist experience, including IP and technology-related transactions.
Experience in managing legal staff and outside counsel.
Experience in implementing and using turnkey technologies to streamline and enhance efficiency of provision of legal services and company’s contracting and record keeping processes, with a focus on smoothing and enhancing customer and supplier relationships (removing “drag”).
Prior experience as a General Counsel is preferred, or as a Deputy or Associate General Counsel in roles of increasing responsibility.
Prior experience serving as the chief legal officer or senior attorney of a subsidiary of a Northeast Asia or other non-United States entity is preferred.
Prior experience in a materials science, chemicals, or consumer packaged goods company is a plus.

Attributes

Possesses and demonstrates unquestionable ethics, integrity and credibility.
Has exceptional communication (written and oral) and negotiation skills, with the ability to convey complex legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders clearly and concisely.
Exercises sound judgement, works collaboratively, embodies a roll-up-your sleeves/get-it-done, pragmatic approach.
Possesses a business-minded, creative, risk-based and solutions-focused mentality.
Triages well, quickly identifying and focusing on the mission-critical objectives and actions that add value to the Company, putting aside or deferring the rest.
Manages multiple projects in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.
Is a strategic thinker with the ability to work with different stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, and the parent company.
Has excellent relationship skills, inspiring confidence and working well with an array of people, including lawyers and non-lawyers, technical and non-technical individuals, and handling differences in backgrounds and perspectives, and difficult issues with tact and discretion.
Is energized about joining a company in transformation mode and helping that company achieve its goals.

Location: Chicago, Illinois / Greater Chicago Area (hybrid remote), with occasional travel.

Additional Information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with a pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:

The compensation range that is described below is the possible base pay compensation that the company believes in good faith that it will pay for this role at the time of posting based on job grade for the position. Individual compensation within this range is based on many factors such as years of experience etc. so the company might pay more or less than the posted range and it is understood that this range may be modified in the future.
In addition to base compensation, MonoSol provides a yearly incentive compensation bonus, a profit sharing bonus when eligible, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision insurances, short term disability, long term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, term life insurance, voluntary term life insurance, transit flexible spending account (if applicable), employee assistance program, identity theft protection, 401k and paid time off (vacation and sick days).

Compensation range - $200,000.00 – $275,000.00

Incentive Compensation Bonus Target – 20%

Paid time off amount – 20 days

Closing

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees assigned to this position. This is not intended as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. MonoSol, LLC reserves the right to make changes to the job description whenever necessary.

Disclaimer

As part of MonoSol, LLC’s employment process, finalist candidates will be required to complete a physical, drug/alcohol test, and background check prior to employment commencing. MonoSol, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, or marital status.

MonoSol, A Kuraray Company

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Director - General Counsel