Senior Legal Counsel, Labor & Employement (EMEA)

VF Corporation is looking for an exceptional Senior Legal Counsel L&B Corporate (EMEA) to join our Legal team based in Stabio, Switzerland.

Let’s talk about the role!

Reporting directly to the Vice President Regional General Counsel, the Senior Counsel provides pragmatic, business-oriented legal support across VF’s corporate activities in the region.

The Corporate Business Area remit is broad and includes, among other matters, corporate & finance support (governance, entity management and restructuring, intragroup and financing arrangements), acquisitions and divestitures (including M&A and integration), property & real estate, and sourcing & supply chain matters, as well as relevant compliance workstreams (e.g., SOX-, tax- and ESG-related support, as applicable). Within this wider scope, labour & employment (L&E) is a primary accountability of the role: the Senior Counsel is expected to identify, lead and coordinate L&E advice as a cross-cutting workstream, translate employment risk into clear business actions in close partnership with HR and other stakeholders, and support consistent employment risk management and reporting across the region.

To that end, the Business Area Leader will ensure the use of the Department’s TAC operating model across their team to drive rigorous, value-driven delivery of legal services to VF clients. The TAC model emphasizes a cross-brand service approach and close collaboration across VF brands and shared functions. This description is intended to attract Employment Counsel or Corporate Counsel profiles with a strong labour & employment foundation, able to operate in a broad corporate scope while owning L&E accountability as a critical, cross-cutting workstream.

Primary Accountabilities:

Within the framework of VF's strategic reorganization and the pivotal role of the Business Area Corporate, the Business Area Leader shall shoulder the following primary responsibilities:

• Resource Allocation: Devise exhaustive plans detailing resource deployment. This entails scoping the need for both internal expertise and external legal partnerships, while assessing potential ROI.

• Legal Surveillance: Continually monitor legal nuances, especially those impacting corporate governance, acquisitions, divestitures, and the other intricate facets of the Corporate Business Area within the region.

• Strategic Counsel: Offer informed legal direction on the Legal Matters specified in the Annex. Collaborate with other Business Area leads to spot common intersections in strategy and potential legal risks. Offer strategic legal advice, particularly on matters of corporate structuring, labour and employment, and overarching corporate strategy.

• L&E Governance: Establish and maintain a consistent labour & employment governance framework across the region (in partnership with HR), including escalation pathways, playbooks/templates, decision logs for material cases, and the coordinated management of external employment counsel to ensure compliant and timely outcomes.

• Contract Oversight: Supervise the genesis, negotiation, and culmination of pivotal corporate contracts, including real estate, sourcing or employment, ensuring alignment with VF’s overarching objectives while mitigating legal exposure.

• Risk Management: Innovate and execute methodologies to pinpoint and neutralize potential legal pitfalls, especially within the Corporate Business Area’s vast spectrum. This includes monitoring potential challenges to VF's enterprise actions and decisions.

• Legal Ops Synergy: Collaborate closely with the Legal Ops team to ideate, bring to life, and maintain requisite compliance tools and procedures tailored specifically for corporate operations.

• Financial Oversight: Exercise judicious oversight over the engagement of external legal entities, ensuring their services align with the budgetary constraints specific to corporate initiatives.

• Training Campaigns: Conceive and oversee the roll-out of educational vehicles targeted at VF personnel, centring on corporate-related legal themes, risk mitigation strategies, and best practices.

• Reporting: Draft and deliver cogent reports to both regional and global hierarchies on strategic corporate legal subjects. Emphasize predictive enterprise risk analyses and region-specific countermeasures.

• Committee Engagement: Actively partake in, and at times spearhead, various committees. These span both regional and global compliance forums as well as strategic roundtables pertinent to the Corporate Business Area.

Skills for Success

The successful candidate for the Business Area Leader, Corporate, will exhibit the following qualifications and skills:

Educational Background:

• Legal Mastery: Possession of a Juris Doctor or master’s degree in law.

Professional Expertise:

• Track Record: A minimum of 10-12 years of dedicated experience in corporate legal responsibilities in multicultural environments with solid expertise in Labor & Employment. A combination of law firm and corporate in-house experience is highly desirable.

• Commercial Insight: Profound knowledge of legal aspects related to corporate business operations, ranging from contracts, stakeholder relations, to regulatory adherence. A strong background in protecting intellectual property rights for consumer brands is essential.

• Technical Insight: Comprehensive understanding of the corporate legal landscape, including, regulatory matters, compliance, litigation, and risk management, as well as overall corporate governance.

• Can establish systems and scalable processes, including internal policies and procedures

• Financial Oversight: Demonstrable experience in budget formulation, allocation, and fiscal management.

• Communications Excellence: Outstanding ability to convey intricate legal topics clearly and persuasively to a range of stakeholders, both within and outside the organization.

• Cultural Adaptability: Proven track record of thriving in an inclusive, diverse, and multicultural workspace.

• Linguistic Proficiency: English fluency is mandatory. Proficiency in additional regional languages will be a distinct advantage.

• Critical Thinking: Exceptional legal research, analytical reasoning, and drafting prowess.

VF is a global apparel company connecting people to the lifestyles they cherish through our family of iconic brands. At the heart of our journey lies our purpose: We power movements of sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and our planet. This is our purpose. It’s the reason we come to work every day. Our purpose unites us and leads us to pursue our goals, together. This is our calling. Learn more at vfc.com

What’s in it For You

We’re in the business of unleashing human potential, driven by the ideas, energy and commitment of our people. That’s why we offer comprehensive benefits that encourage mental, physical and financial well-being for all VF associates. When it comes to benefits, we’re the total package.

A supportive feedback-based culture where respect and integrity guide us in what we do

An inclusive international environment where people of diverse backgrounds, lifestyles and nationalities love working together

Be part of an iconic lifestyle brand in a multi brand, multi countries organization

On site gym offering health and well-being initiatives

A discount card with 50% on all VF brands

Break out areas offering complimentary hot drinks

Free to Be, Inclusion & Diversity

As a purpose-led, performance driven company, we strive to foster a culture of belonging based on respect, connection, openness and authenticity. We are committed to building and maintaining a workplace that celebrates the diversity of our associates, allowing them to bring their authentic selves to work every day.

As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, VF is committed to support disadvantaged groups whilst providing equal opportunities for both VF associates and applicants alike.

If you like what you have read and want to join our team then we would like to hear from you!

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