Director Legal Counsel

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:

The Director Legal Counsel is tasked with providing and leading all legal advisory services in Japan, driving legal excellence and compliance, to ensure legal compliance, increased risk awareness as well as transparency. The role shall provide strategic and commercial legal guidance to business teams in Japan, coordinate and execute independently throughout all phases of an assigned activity and ensure appropriate quality, documentation, and communication. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Provide, oversee and facilitate legal services to adidas Japan: including counselling, contract review, drafting and negotiation, advising on legal issues and risks, structuring of transactions, legal risk assessment, and dispute avoidance to protect interests of adidas.

• Provide legal support and advice on various issues both in and out of company’s daily business and operations, including general commercial advice, privacy and data protection, promotions, HR,  consumer complaints, etc.

• Identify and lead legal projects and initiatives, and coordinate cross-function and/or cross-border efforts.

• Develop, maintain and facilitate legal review and update of guidelines, internal policies and procedures.

• Working with the business to identify best practice legal solutions, drafting templates etc.

• Working with the business and Global Privacy Team for privacy and data protection matters: to identify, minimize and address privacy and data protection risks, and support global privacy initiatives.

• Provide, oversee and facilitate global initiatives rollout in Japan.

• Manage Japan Legal team and  external counsel, provide effective and appropriate supervision and management of delivery of legal services.

• Develop and conduct educational programs and materials: as appropriate in relevant legal and compliance areas to commercial teams in Japan.

• Monitor changes and developments: in the legal and regulatory environment in Japan and provide guidance to adidas Japan management.

• Ensure compliance related matters are appropriately handed: including all aspects of communication, education and facilitation of the FairPlay framework with assigned business partners, be a Local Compliance Officer for Japan.

• Prevention: drive culture of compliance and integrity, risk assessments, compliance communications, policy implementation, trainings etc.

• Detection: administer compliance controls and other detection processes.

• Response: manage compliance incidents, investigations, consequences etc.

• Collaborate closely with Regional Compliance Managers and Group Compliance Management: to ensure the effective implementation and continuous improvement of the compliance management system.

• Oversee and facilitate corporate secretarial functions.

• Leadership: Convert the adidas Leadership Framework focusing on cross functional collaboration across all business areas as well as on creativity and flexibility when providing advice.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including communication on executive level, in order to liaise with internal and external parties in confidential matters.

• Strong background in contract law, drafting and negotiation and business counselling.

• Fluent in Japanese and English (both written and spoken) .

• Excellent client relations management skills.

• Strong commercial sense and ability to make practical evaluations of risks.

• High degree of stakeholder orientation and appropriate prioritization.

• Ability to work independently and manage and prioritize substantial and diverse workload in challenging legal environment.

• Excellent skills to analyze complex issues and to improve processes and techniques.

• Strong team player.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications: 

• 7+ years' experience in an international law firm or in-house.

• Confidence in communicating with senior and executive management level.

• Working experience in complex multi-national environments.

• Solid experience in general corporate work, commercial contracts and employment law in Japan.

Key Relationships:

• Japan senior management

• Global Legal

• Japan Legal teams

• Global Privacy and Compliance Department

• Information Security

• NTP 

• External counsel and/or consultants

• Suppliers