Position Overview:
The mission of the Legal, Compliance, and Safety, Environmental, and Facilities (SEF) department is to support the business with sound legal strategies, develop and support compliance programs, sustain board operations while providing leadership and support, and to promote business growth and continuous improvement. The Corporate Counsel is preferably located within a commuting distance of Amsterdam or another major city in the Netherlands. The Corporate Counsel reports to the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer and Secretary located in the United States.
Quick summary:
The Corporate Counsel will be responsible for providing enterprise thinking, effective legal and compliance guidance, support to the CLO, the company’s leadership team, and its Board of Directors, in addition to guiding legal and compliance initiatives worldwide. This individual will apply a generalist business mindset to translate legal guidance to outcomes needed by the business to meet stated goals. This role will assist the CLO in managing litigation and outside legal service providers, and in supporting government relations. This individual will also work to link our purpose to create quality for life to our culture of compliance through counsel on ethical business practices and risk mitigation. To maximize our operational effectiveness, this individual will advise and support management. This individual will work with the legal department and cross functional teams to support commercial contract negotiations around the world, and in supporting corporate governance and serving as a corporate director for EU-based subsidiaries, including in the Netherlands. To support our growth strategies, the Corporate Counsel will also provide strategic advice and participate as necessary on due diligence and integration teams for acquisitions.
Basic Background Requirements:
Ability to work with all levels of the organization and with multiple cultures, ability to build strong internal and external partnerships, strong written and verbal communication, detail oriented, disciplined with the ability to work within ambiguity and under pressure to meet deadlines, ability to work independently, and willingness to travel to international locations as needed.
Successful candidates will have:
- a 4-year undergraduate degree in law and have passed the national legal professional qualification exam in the Netherlands.
- native/bilingual fluency in spoken and written Dutch and English (required, as this position will support the legal department’s needs worldwide, and not only in the Netherlands.
- at least three years of experience in a law firm with a strong interest in global business, specifically related to global/cross-border commercial contracting, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate secretarial work (at least five years of relevant experience required to be considered for appointment as Senior Corporate Counsel, at least eight years of relevant experience required to be considered for appointment as Assistant General Counsel).
- experience in a law firm or corporate legal department with significant exposure to matters in the Netherlands and Poland.
We strongly prefer candidates who have:
- passed the national legal professional qualification exam in Poland.
- native/bilingual fluency in spoken and written Polish.
It is a plus if candidates also have:
- experience in an international law firm with significant exposure to matters in the U.S. and/or EU.
- completed, or will soon complete, an LLM or a JD from an ABA-accredited law school in the U.S.
- experience analyzing and applying EU regulations and directives, including environmental regulations (REACH, RoHS, China RoHS, etc.
- a broad curiosity for legal and business topics and exposure to compliance, human resources/labor law, and intellectual property.
- professional working fluency in Polish and/or Romanian.
Performance Profile Objectives
0-3 months
- Learn and adopt Kimball Electronics philosophies and culture, especially our Guiding Principles
- Establish relationships with the CLO and key leaders at Shared Services and in our global operations
- Learn applicable business processes within the Legal team, especially contract negotiation and review, compliance reporting, and secretarial/corporate operations
- Take ownership of corporate governance as a corporate director in EU subsidiaries and as a legal reviewer for commercial agreements globally
- Attend KEI or subsidiary Board or Board committee meeting
3-6 months
- Learn and partner with the Audit Management Services team on the Enterprise Risk Management process, system, and action planning
- Counsel on effective compliance and governance systems
- Create and enhance dual- and local-language templates and contract playbooks to support Europe, other global facilities and developing the company wide Legal site for the efficient and effective sharing of Company legal policies
- Attend bi-annual strategic planning session for Kimball Electronics to support connection to business plan and goals
- Attend a Safety, Environmental and Facilities assessment of a global business entity
- Attend KEI or subsidiary Board and Board committee meeting and begin acting as legal representative at a Board Committee meetings (including taking minutes)
6-12 months
- Serve as internal counselor for company-wide adoption of legal rules and regulations to ensure compliance
- Participate, as necessary, on due diligence and integration teams as a representative of Legal and SEF to support growth strategies
- Take primary ownership of legal review of EU commercial agreements
- Assist in preparation, effective execution, and ensuring accuracy and integrity of KEI and subsidiary Board and Board committee meeting agendas, scheduling, management, and action planning
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Kimball Electronics is an Equal Opportunity Employer.