Commercial Counsel Europe at Kerry in Location not listed

About The Role

Kerry is seeking an experienced and commercially minded lawyer to support customer-facing contracting and Kerry's growth agenda across Europe. The role will manage an assigned portfolio of sales and strategic commercial agreements, working closely with commercial, business development, innovation and cross-functional stakeholders.

The Commercial Counsel, Europe will work closely with the General Counsel (Europe) and other Senior Commercial Counsels on the Europe Legal Team and be a trusted day-to-day legal partner to Kerry's commercial, business development and innovation teams, managing an assigned portfolio of customer-facing sales, strategic commercial and intellectual property-related agreements from instruction through negotiation and execution.

This is an experienced professional role. The role holder will set objectives for their assigned portfolio, execute tactical legal plans, deliver operational results, resolve complex contracting issues where precedent may be limited, and contribute to process improvement. The role is expected to operate independently on matters within agreed parameters, while seeking manager support on material, novel, high-risk or strategically significant matters.

Please note: Occasional travel within Europe may be required.

Key Accountabilities

Sales, Distribution and Customer Contracts

• Draft, review and negotiate customer supply, master sales, distribution, agency, route-to-market, strategic partnership, development, services, confidentiality and related commercial agreements for Europe and, where appropriate, global/multi-jurisdictional.
• Take ownership of an assigned contract portfolio and support opportunities from early engagement through negotiation, approval, execution and implementation.
• Provide practical, commercially informed, risk-based advice on specifications, quality, warranties, claims, liability, indemnities, exclusivity, termination, change control and other relevant commercial terms.
• Guide and assist commercial teams on pricing mechanisms, forecasts, volumes and other key commercial (and not always strictly legal) terms.
• Support sales growth by identifying legal solutions that enable timely decision-making while balancing and protecting Kerry's legitimate commercial, operational and reputational interests.

Intellectual Property and Strategic Partnerships

• Draft, review and negotiate IP-related commercial agreements, including licences, R&D and development agreements, collaboration agreements, technology evaluation agreements, material transfer agreements, confidentiality agreements and commercialisation arrangements.
• Work with Intellectual Property, R&D, innovation, marketing and commercial stakeholders to address ownership, use rights, improvements, background and foreground IP, confidentiality, publications and protection of know-how and trade secrets.
• Identify when specialist IP advice is required and coordinate with Kerry's IP Legal team or external counsel.
• Support practical contracting models for new products, technologies, partnerships and routes to market.

General Counsel (Europe) Support

• Work closely with the General Counsel (Europe) on strategic matters for the European business.
• Support Kerry's Speak Up initiative in Europe within an agreed Speak Up governance framework and under the direction of the General Counsel (Europe) and the Senior Employment Counsel (Europe).
• Support the General Counsel (Europe) on selected cross-functional, governance, regulatory and strategic legal matters, including preparation of briefings and coordination of follow-up actions.
• Support the development of Kerry templates, playbooks, approved positions and contract lifecycle management tools.
• Deliver targeted training and know-how to business stakeholders and share learning across the Europe Legal Team.
• Support effective matter management, reporting and use of data to improve legal service delivery.
• Utilise AI responsibly to drive efficiencies in the delivery of advice and legal support.

Qualifications & Experience

• Qualified lawyer in a European jurisdiction with 3-5 years PQE and entitled to practise or provide in-house legal services as required in the relevant location.
• Fluent written and spoken English. Fluency in a second European language is desirable.
• Relevant post-qualification experience in commercial contracting, typically gained in-house and/or in a large international law firm, sufficient to manage an appropriate portfolio with a meaningful degree of independence.
• Demonstrable experience in customer-facing sales contracts and complex commercial negotiations.
• Demonstrable experience negotiating IP, licensing, technology, R&D, development or collaboration agreements, including the ability to advise on ownership, use rights and commercialisation structures.
• Experience supporting contracts in a multinational or global organisation or advising international clients on cross-border commercial matters.
• In-house experience in a multinational organisation, particularly in food, ingredients, biotechnology, manufacturing or FMCG, preferred.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong drafting, negotiation and contract risk-assessment skills, with the ability to translate legal issues into clear and workable business solutions.
• Commercially pragmatic and able to balance growth, speed, value and legal risk.
• Able to organise and prioritise a varied workload, meet business timelines and maintain appropriate records and workload management and reporting discipline.
• Confident stakeholder manager who collaborates effectively across functions, cultures and jurisdictions.
• Sound judgement, integrity and discretion, with an appropriate understanding of when to decide, when to consult and when to escalate.
• Comfortable working in a matrixed international organisation and using contract lifecycle management and other legal technology tools.

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

Get in touch today!

In Kerry we benefit from the knowledge of our colleagues who bring a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, and experiences. One team fostering an inclusive culture that, above all, inspires food and nourishes life. One culture where everyone brings their unique perspectives and experiences to help make us better, together. We are committed to nurturing an environment of positivity and inclusiveness, where everyone can be at their best, both personally and professionally.

Our recruitment, selection and assessment process are based on the skills and competencies of the specific roles and based entirely on merit. We are committed to and value Diversity and Inclusion in all recruitment processes within Kerry and do not discriminate based on gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status or any other protected characteristic.