Legal Counsel - Mars Petcare

Job Description:

Role: Legal Counsel - Mars Petcare (Mars Pet Nutrition & Royal Canin)

Location: Hyderabad

Job Purpose: Given India’s complex and evolving legal/regulatory landscape it is it imperative to have a legal resource on the ground in Hyderabad to build a closer relationship to the business to manage and navigate the increasingly complex legal risks. The resource will support the business units of Mars Pet Nutrition (Hyderabad) and Royal Canin (Mumbai ). This will help building legal talent, capabilities and succession for Mars Petcare.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assisting the Senior Counsel for Mars Petcare India in:
•    Corporate Governance:

• Handling the corporate governance & secretarial compliances - manage and coordinate the Board of Directors, Annual & Extra Ordinary General meetings, prepare and finalize meeting agendas, minutes of meetings, and resolutions, prepare and file various forms and returns in compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act, maintain, ensuring CSR compliance and preserve all applicable records and returns

  
  

•    Contracts & T&C

• Templatizing key contracts, devising a tracker and repository for contracts

  
  

• Preparing bespoke contracts, documents, undertakings where required, contract negotiation, and risk management to protect the interest of the Company

  
  

• Reviewing terms and conditions for offers/promotions/programs to ensure they are water-tight

  
  

• Review of advertising/ marketing communication to ensure compliance with advertising guidelines & Applicable Laws

  
  

• Ensure compliance with applicable data privacy legislation, deploying consents where necessary

  
  

•    Litigation, Notice, and Challenges

• Litigation and compounding matter management – developing and coordinating litigation strategies, engaging and supervising local counsel, and tracking developments and outcomes to minimize exposure.

  
  

• Filing/defending challenges before the Advertising Standards Council of India 

  
  

• Issuance of legal notices as well as defending legal notices received by the Company

  
  

•    Cross function Collaboration

• Partner with S&F and provide relevant support on closure of statutory audit in time

  
  

• Foster the speak-up culture by partnering with Associate Relations & P&O in organizing speak-up & POSH sessions and advice on associate issues.

  
  

• Partner with Regulations to ensure proactive compliance to new legislations with minimum impact on business

  
  

•    Business Partnering 

• Identifying, evaluating and addressing risks on business initiatives and different areas of operation thoughtfully and providing quality, pragmatic, expert strategic legal advice and support to the business and functional teams.

  
  

• Proactive partnering with sales team and be adept in guiding sales in competition related queries as well as to minimize exposure to commercial risks.

  
  

•    IT enablement – ensuring optimum utilization of  digital compliance management tool at the units, circulating periodic dashboards, holding training sessions and driving momentum towards digitization.
•    Management of outside counsel and legal budget

Job Specifications/Qualifications:

Education & Professional Qualifications: The position requires an attorney with a minimum of 6-8 years of experience with CS and LLB degree from a reputed Law school.
Knowledge / Experience: Generalist lawyer having experience in general Commercial Law incl. Contracts, Marketing and Advertising, Employment, Legal Metrology, Factory Compliance with the ability to handle the broad spectrum of day – to -day legal affairs of the business and corporate secretarial compliance. Previous work experience as in-house legal in a company preferably FMCG/ Pharma and Law firm.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.