Associate Counsel

At Upfield our mission is clear: Driving positive change; making the planet and people healthier and happier

People around the world are embracing plant-based foods for both health and ethical reasons. Our vision for a "Better Plant-Based Future" drives positive change in people's health, their daily lives and our planet's sustainability. In our main plant-based categories of butters & spreads, creams, liquids and cheeses, we have developed great-tasting products, that taste and perform as well as animal-based, but are made from plants. We believe that this is the future of food: food that is healthier and more sustainable for people and the planet, and that tastes really good.

We are the largest plant-based consumer product company in the world. We're new but our brands are not.

We have iconic brands, in the U.S. and Canada. This includes Country Crock, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Becel and Violife. We've been a trusted category leader in dairy butter alternatives since 1871 and yet we feel like we're only just getting started.

Performance, Passion and Care define who we are as a company, how we work every day, and the responsibility we feel toward our Associates, our consumers, our business partners and our world.

The Role; Desired Candidate

Upfield has identified the need for someone to assume an associate counsel position joining the Upfield North American legal team to support the legal needs of the U.S. and Canada businesses. Upfield NAM is a dynamic leader within the Upfield global business as it continues to innovate both in terms of the products it offers for consumers and how it cultivates its business. The need for additional strong, multi-faceted legal support to the company and its operations is apparent.

The candidate will have a combination of firm and in-house experience and comfort with a high level of independent thinking, drafting and negotiations and will be willing to take on diverse responsibility. Our new team member will have demonstrated experience assuring the ability to provide balanced legal/commercial counsel, and the ability to maintain high degree of credibility and effective working relationship at all levels of the organization.

Primary Responsibilities:

Day-to-day responsibilities will include exposure to all disciplines making up Upfield. Candidate must have aptitude for and comfort dealing with variety of matters. This position will often be the first line of defense on a range of issues for an evolving company, including to:

• Provide timely, complex analysis and guidance to ensure maximum protection of the company's legal rights and compliance with applicable laws.

• Review and negotiate myriad of contracts including non-disclosure agreements, arrangements with customer and vendors supplying goods, ingredients and services, programming, marketing, influencer and talent contracts.

• Support manufacturing and operations, regulatory, R&D, administrative and compliance functions, sales and marketing, HR, supply chain and procurement.

• Counsel on advertising, product claims and support.

• Proactively identify commercially-oriented solutions for potential risks.

• Assist with administration of the legal function and corporate secretarial matters.

• Conduct research relating to legal and business-related matters in evolving legal field and other ad hoc projects.

• Assist with the management of litigation.

Candidate Requirements:

• Attorney with minimum 3-5 years of experience, combination of firm and in-house experience is desirable (those with secondment assignments from a law firm to a company would also be differentiating factor).

• Member of NJ Bar (full license or in-house counsel license) or NY Bar and willingness to take required steps promptly to qualify for NJ in-house counsel license.

• In house experience in CPG or pharma industry a plus.

• Experience working with multinational companies a plus.

• Exposure to and comfort first chairing the structuring, drafting and negotiating of complex commercial arrangements.

• Exposure to and ability to navigate digital commerce and data privacy issues.

• Ability to organize and deal with multiple projects, teams, tasks, priorities and shifting and short deadlines.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to influence but careful listener and willingness to collaborate.

• Exceptional attention to detail.

• Strong proficiency of MS Office skills, including Excel and PowerPoint.

• Ability to travel as matters deem necessary (less than 10% of time).

Competencies we celebrate:

• Self-directed, motivated

• Problem-solving

• Bias for Action

• Accountability and responsibility; interest in learning and growing in the position; willingness to dig in to all facets of an organization's legal needs

• Practical creativity; entrepreneurial mindset

• Highest ethical and moral values and competencies

Upfield is an employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equal opportunities for all. We recruit based on values, qualifications, performance, skills, behaviors, experience, and knowledge. It is the policy of Upfield not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee because of age, color, sex or sexual orientation, disability, national origin, race, religion, veteran status or other protected class.

What's next

If this position sounds interesting, please hit the apply button now!

We understand your resume might not be up to date and recommend that you apply with what you have or your LinkedIn Profile. Upfield is dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workplace, we understand that you might not meet all the requirements stated in the description, but we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this role or other roles.

Upfield is an employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equal opportunities for all. We recruit based only on values, qualifications, performance, skills, behaviours, experience, and knowledge. We ensure job advertisements are free from unintentional bias.

No personal characteristics should be a barrier to joining Upfield. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or other personal characteristics.

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