Senior Counsel- Vendor Transactions & Procurement

SUMMARY 

Advises Alliant corporate departments and business groups on a broad range of legal issues and manages outside counsel when needed. Reviews, drafts, and negotiates a variety of contracts and other forms, in addition to other general corporate and compliance matters.  Collaborates with senior department leadership (such as the CLO, Deputy General Counsel, and/or Associate General Counsel) to oversee the progress of legal department initiatives, development of team processes, procedures, and practices, as well as policies, processes, and procedures for the company.  Assists with supervising, mentoring, and training attorneys and other legal team members in specific areas of focus.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES  

• Provides leadership and guidance on complex legal matters and anticipates, mitigates, and advises on potential legal problems across corporate groups, client engagements, and third-party relationships.
• At the direction of senior department leadership, leads and oversees a variety of legal initiatives, projects and/or functions, serving as a subject matter expert and the primary trusted partner for such initiatives/projects/functions.  Elevates certain legal matters and problems to senior department leadership, as appropriate, for feedback on proposed solutions and next steps, and partners with senior department leadership to elevate to company leadership as appropriate.
• Participates in the supervision, mentoring, work allocation, and training of senior associate attorneys, associate attorneys, and support staff (as applicable), including assisting with the recruiting, onboarding, and work allocation of such team members.
• Contributes to legal advice and strategy to support complex corporate department and business leadership decisions.
• Partners with the Vendor Compliance and Governance team to advise on compliant procurement strategies and processes.
• Provides proactive and pragmatic strategic and legal advice and counsel with respect to enterprise-wide and other complex vendor relationships.
• Reviews, drafts, negotiates, and advises on a wide range of contracts including independent contractor agreements, vendor agreements, data privacy agreements, collaborative agreements, and confidentiality agreements.
• Oversees the negotiation of enterprise-wide and other complex vendor contracts to proactively identify and mitigate risk and promote the company’s business interests.
• Partners with multi-functional transactional teams, including corporate and business development, accounting, sales, and human resources, on company policy, process, and procedure development and revisions and legal compliance.
• Partners with other internal attorneys and legal operations to create, refine, and update contract templates and other forms.
• Develops, maintains, and updates playbooks and other resources to ensure a consistent and best in practice approach to the review of vendor agreements and vendor relationships.
• Remains current with all laws and regulations impacting procurement and vendor relationships, and consistently reviews templates, policies, processes, training materials, and other resources to promote legal sufficiency and compliance.
• Supports merger and acquisition activities relating to Senior Counsel’s assigned focus areas, including due diligence and integration efforts.
• Works with other internal attorneys and legal operations to develop, revise, and manage legal department policies, processes, and procedures to increase efficiencies and support business objectives.
• Works with other team members to develop and manage training protocols for new attorneys and other team members.
• Develops and gives presentations to various corporate groups and management on best practices with regard to contracting, legal compliance, and other legal matters.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS 

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE 

Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school is required

Member in good standing of at least one State Bar or the District of Columbia Bar is required

Experience in effectively preparing, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts with minimum supervision

Experience in negotiating, reviewing, and interpreting a variety of vendor agreements, including but not limited to, professional services, on-premise software, Software-As-A-Service (SAAS), technology, marketing, and other agreements, with a strong understanding of cloud services and general SaaS business practices

Experience in AI contracting is preferred

Experience in privacy and data protection laws and regulations (including U.S. State and federal consumer protection and privacy laws, GDPR, and other privacy laws) and best practices is preferred

Seven (7) or more years of related work experience 

SKILLS

Excellent verbal and written communication skills (ability to be clear and persuasive, orally and in writing)

Ability to give legal guidance in a practical, business-oriented manner to non-lawyer company representatives in order to help reach solutions, with an understanding of how legal terms translate to business impact

Advanced analytical, problem-solving, and time management skills

Demonstrated business acumen with ability to inspire trust and confidence with senior management

Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to adapt skills based on context and environment

Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish good professional relationships with internal clients, management, and legal colleagues

Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment and to balance business needs against legal risk

Excellent planning, organizational, and prioritization skills, including ability to multi-task on multiple high-priority projects

Good judgment, including good business judgment

Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office products

Ability to lead and mentor staff

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