Kapital HR is looking for an experienced Legal Director. Our client is a significant player in agribusiness, encompassing both manufacturing and sales of vegetable oil. The company holds a long-term vision and delegates entrepreneurship to its people, meaning high levels of responsibility and autonomy.

This challenging position involves taking over the role from one of the shareholders and reporting directly to the owner.

The role has a significant impact on the local organization, dealing directly with its leadership and helping them to strengthen the profitability and growth of the different Business Units (agri & food).

The position combines a strategic and hands-on approach, ensuring that all agricultural and food operational and commercial areas are fit for purpose and highly effective for both internal and external clients.

The Legal Director will be accountable for all legal activities of the group (quality and cost), including business partnering, local compliance, litigation, general legal services (contracts, intellectual property/patents), labor, regulatory, product safety, promotions, approvals (products/manufacturing), cooperations (commercial/strategic), risk management, and external legal advisor contacts.

His/Her role is to protect the company’s assets and reputation and to ensure compliance with all applicable local country laws and regulations, including those pertaining to all foreign subsidiaries of the Group (export markets).

Key Objectives:

• Coordinate and provide legal advice and counsel to all operational areas in the group to ensure that their current and proposed activities, policies, business practices, and transactions comply with all relevant laws and regulations, including special projects such as acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures.
• Steer the risk management function and involve in major Compliance projects.
• Ensure overall legal and Corporate Compliance in the group by coordinating corporate compliance activities needed such as training, seminars, and focused campaigns, and managing appropriate Compliance Committee meetings and reports.
• Identify and address issues of legal risk, risk management, and compliance risks (including reporting, risk-mitigating activities, balance-sheet-related measures).
• Prepare contracts, letters, and other documents related to a variety of trade, commercial, promotional, regulatory, financial, and other operational matters to protect the company assets and the overall organization’s legal and business interests. Support in drafting and validation of commercial contracts before authorized signature.
• Coordinate the legal activities pertaining to business transactions and pending litigation involving the company and the legal professionals assigned (internal or external resources).
• Manage active and/or defense litigation including ensuring proper representation by outside counsel (while securing case reporting and strategic alignment).
• Report (and interpret/enforce) court or government authority/agency decisions, statutes, and governmental regulations and advise management on pending developments in these areas.
• Interact/negotiate with the legal representatives of customers, trade associations, government authorities/agencies, including law enforcement agencies.
• Provide advice and primary legal direction on special projects such as acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures.
• Retain outside counsel as warranted on all matters related to the group’s business (while ensuring that no retainment may occur without his/her approval and further securing that the retainment of outside counsel may only occur in matters that from a capacity/experience point of view cannot be handled in-house).
• Provide support and advice in matters related to labor laws, industrial relations, employment contracts, and conditions of employment.
• Institutional relationship: obtaining/updating documents from Registrul Comertului (Trade Office), Authority for Personal Data Processing, OSIM, ANPC, etc.
• Hold or organize legal and compliance trainings as required.
• Implement all legal advice, establish control processes to monitor the implementation.

Selection Criteria:

• The ideal Legal Director has a very strong legal background and experience gained from progressively responsible positions with professional legal practice and experience of not less than 10-15 years, with particular emphasis on the agribusiness and FMCG industries. Experience in handling documentation of cross-border trade will be an advantage.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of civil, corporate, IP law, and procedures.
• Experience working in very dynamic organizations with the ability to engage in the detail of operational implementation as well as taking a strategic view.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and authoritatively to a diverse audience, and to explain complex regulatory legislation and principles.
• Expert negotiation skills with the ability to manage relationships with diplomacy and tact.
• Ability to always maintain confidentiality and ensure that confidential data is handled in a sensitive manner.
• Experience in developing systems, designing processes, and leading change.
• Able to work in partnership with people at all levels, demonstrating strong skills in networking and influencing.
• Ability to independently plan, prioritize, and deliver a wide variety of legal work for the organization to tight timescales in a fast-moving environment.
• Excellent Romanian and English languages (including outstanding grammar and vocabulary).
• Availability to travel when needed since the group has branches all over Romania.
• Fluency in English is an absolute must (export and external partners, possible M&As, etc).

Thank you for your applications, and we look forward to meeting you. Please apply at recrutare@kapitalhr.com.