Harman
About the Role
As the Manager, Commercial Counsel, you will provide comprehensive legal and business support to assigned business divisions and strategic business units, interfacing with functions such as sales, engineering, product, customer service, finance, and supply chain. Your focus will be on commercial and regulatory risk mitigation and contract strategy, requiring intermediate-level experience in contract review, drafting, negotiation of multi‑million‑dollar agreements, and the ability to handle complex negotiations with minimal supervision.
Your Team You will interface with operational or functional teams of the division, managing legal risk, making legal decisions, and escalating based upon Legal department guidelines, the company’s exposure, and GAR.
What You Will Do Managing Legal and Business Risk Across the functions for the division and its SBUs (including the LATAM region):
Commercial Legal Support : Partner with sales teams to review, draft, and negotiate diverse commercial agreements (products, services, licensing, joint developments, vendor agreements), provide antitrust guidance (e.g., MAP), train sales team on contracts/processes, and oversee commercial litigation with outside counsel.
Compliance & Regulatory Management : Identify legal and regulatory issues across product initiatives and customer agreements, manage privacy/data security compliance, coordinate with trade compliance teams on export controls and tariffs, and work with product compliance on regional regulatory requirements and certifications.
Financial Legal Partnership : Advise finance teams on contractual rights and obligations including audit rights, payment terms, defaults, and royalties while managing external counsel spend aligned with annual legal budgets.
Procurement Support : Negotiate supplier agreements and advise on contract terms to address supply chain issues including consignment and exclusivity arrangements.
Strategic Risk Management & Leadership : Provide practical legal advice in a fast‑paced environment, conduct risk assessments, address unforeseen legal risks, support customer service teams with disputes and regulatory liability issues, and help develop scalable legal processes and resources.
What You Need to Be Successful
Legal Qualifications & Experience : Juris Doctor and U.S. Bar admission, with 8+ years of relevant in‑house or law firm experience providing strategic legal counsel to business divisions.
Contract Expertise : Extensive experience reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements (distribution, dealer, e‑commerce, licensing, supply agreements) and managing contract lifecycle from negotiation to execution, including familiarity with contract management systems.
Regulatory & Industry Knowledge : Deep familiarity with industry regulations including safety standards, data privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA), MAP, selective distribution, consumer safety laws (CPSC), export regulations, and understanding of consumer product lifecycle.
Dispute Resolution & Litigation Management : Proven experience in negotiation, mediation, and managing litigation while overseeing outside counsel, with ability to advise leadership on matter resolution decisions and approval escalations.
Strategic Leadership & Skills : Strong analytical and project management capabilities, ability to work under pressure with multiple stakeholders, exercise sound judgment in decision‑making, and collaborate strategically with legal leadership and business clients on broader departmental initiatives.
Critical Skills Required to Perform the Core Responsibilities of the Position
Legal Communication : Translate complex legal issues into comprehensible terms for business clients and communicate effectively across all organizational levels.
Commercial‑Legal Integration : Consider commercial impact when applying legal principles, seek regular feedback on business needs, and use legal expertise to anticipate client needs and add value.
Project and Resource Management : Effectively prioritize, delegate, and supervise external legal resources and project teams while identifying potential legal and compliance issues and consulting with stakeholders for solutions.
Internal Development and Mentoring : Take initiative to develop internal guidance documents for business benefit and make time to support and mentor junior colleagues.
Strategic Networking and Relationship Building : Network within the legal industry and develop sustainable, effective relationships both within the legal team and across the primary client business units.
Bonus Points if You Have
Spanish or Portuguese fluency
Serves as a legal role model, creating a constructive and collaborative working environment.
What Makes You Eligible
Be willing to travel up to 10%, domestic and international travel.
Be willing to work remotely and occasionally in an office located in one of the following: Northridge, CA, Richardson, TX, or Novi, MI.
Successfully complete a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment.
What We Offer
Competitive wellness benefits and 401K Retirement Savings plan.
An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities.
Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work‑life integration and collaboration in a global environment.
Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies and extensive course catalog.
Tuition Reimbursement.
Access to employee discounts on world‑class HARMAN products (JBL, Harman/Kardon, etc.).
“Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.
#LI-EC1 HARMAN is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. HARMAN is committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse marketplaces and communities of our global colleagues and customers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Pay Transparency Pay range: $129,750 – $190,300. Depending on the position offered, other forms of compensation are also available, such as bonuses or commission.
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Your Team You will interface with operational or functional teams of the division, managing legal risk, making legal decisions, and escalating based upon Legal department guidelines, the company’s exposure, and GAR.
What You Will Do Managing Legal and Business Risk Across the functions for the division and its SBUs (including the LATAM region):
Commercial Legal Support : Partner with sales teams to review, draft, and negotiate diverse commercial agreements (products, services, licensing, joint developments, vendor agreements), provide antitrust guidance (e.g., MAP), train sales team on contracts/processes, and oversee commercial litigation with outside counsel.
Compliance & Regulatory Management : Identify legal and regulatory issues across product initiatives and customer agreements, manage privacy/data security compliance, coordinate with trade compliance teams on export controls and tariffs, and work with product compliance on regional regulatory requirements and certifications.
Financial Legal Partnership : Advise finance teams on contractual rights and obligations including audit rights, payment terms, defaults, and royalties while managing external counsel spend aligned with annual legal budgets.
Procurement Support : Negotiate supplier agreements and advise on contract terms to address supply chain issues including consignment and exclusivity arrangements.
Strategic Risk Management & Leadership : Provide practical legal advice in a fast‑paced environment, conduct risk assessments, address unforeseen legal risks, support customer service teams with disputes and regulatory liability issues, and help develop scalable legal processes and resources.
What You Need to Be Successful
Legal Qualifications & Experience : Juris Doctor and U.S. Bar admission, with 8+ years of relevant in‑house or law firm experience providing strategic legal counsel to business divisions.
Contract Expertise : Extensive experience reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements (distribution, dealer, e‑commerce, licensing, supply agreements) and managing contract lifecycle from negotiation to execution, including familiarity with contract management systems.
Regulatory & Industry Knowledge : Deep familiarity with industry regulations including safety standards, data privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA), MAP, selective distribution, consumer safety laws (CPSC), export regulations, and understanding of consumer product lifecycle.
Dispute Resolution & Litigation Management : Proven experience in negotiation, mediation, and managing litigation while overseeing outside counsel, with ability to advise leadership on matter resolution decisions and approval escalations.
Strategic Leadership & Skills : Strong analytical and project management capabilities, ability to work under pressure with multiple stakeholders, exercise sound judgment in decision‑making, and collaborate strategically with legal leadership and business clients on broader departmental initiatives.
Critical Skills Required to Perform the Core Responsibilities of the Position
Legal Communication : Translate complex legal issues into comprehensible terms for business clients and communicate effectively across all organizational levels.
Commercial‑Legal Integration : Consider commercial impact when applying legal principles, seek regular feedback on business needs, and use legal expertise to anticipate client needs and add value.
Project and Resource Management : Effectively prioritize, delegate, and supervise external legal resources and project teams while identifying potential legal and compliance issues and consulting with stakeholders for solutions.
Internal Development and Mentoring : Take initiative to develop internal guidance documents for business benefit and make time to support and mentor junior colleagues.
Strategic Networking and Relationship Building : Network within the legal industry and develop sustainable, effective relationships both within the legal team and across the primary client business units.
Bonus Points if You Have
Spanish or Portuguese fluency
Serves as a legal role model, creating a constructive and collaborative working environment.
What Makes You Eligible
Be willing to travel up to 10%, domestic and international travel.
Be willing to work remotely and occasionally in an office located in one of the following: Northridge, CA, Richardson, TX, or Novi, MI.
Successfully complete a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment.
What We Offer
Competitive wellness benefits and 401K Retirement Savings plan.
An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities.
Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work‑life integration and collaboration in a global environment.
Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies and extensive course catalog.
Tuition Reimbursement.
Access to employee discounts on world‑class HARMAN products (JBL, Harman/Kardon, etc.).
“Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.
#LI-EC1 HARMAN is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. HARMAN is committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse marketplaces and communities of our global colleagues and customers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Pay Transparency Pay range: $129,750 – $190,300. Depending on the position offered, other forms of compensation are also available, such as bonuses or commission.
#J-18808-Ljbffr