Senior Corporate Counsel

At Canadian Solar, our vision is to make lives better by bringing electricity powered by the sun to millions of people worldwide. As a leading manufacturer of solar panels, inverters, and energy storage solutions, we've been an industry front-runner since our founding in 2001. Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in all parts of our organization as we navigate the complexities of a booming industry.

Throughout Canadian Solar's subsidiaries, e-Storage, Recurrent Energy, MSS and CSI Solar Co., we invest in our employees' growth. Our training programs and promotional opportunities ensure we all can continue to learn. We understand the importance of work-life balance and provide various flexible work options to support our employees' well-being. Join our team to "Make the Difference" by creating a lasting positive impact on the world and the communities where we operate.

About the Company

Canadian Solar is one of the world’s largest solar module producers. As a leading vertically integrated provider of ingots, wafers, solar cells, solar modules, inverters, solar power systems and specialized solar products, Canadian Solar delivers uncompromising value to its customers across the globe. Canadian Solar also manufactures and sells residential and industrial energy storage systems.

About the Role

Canadian Solar is seeking an experienced in-house lawyer to join our legal team. The ideal candidate will have experience supporting manufacturing operations for multinationals and will have expertise in labor & employment law, procurement or both. We are looking for a confident self-starter with strong interpersonal organizational and leadership skills and a demonstrated ability to effectively provide sound legal advice, exercise good business judgment, and work with senior management, outside counsel and vendors. This is a full-time position.

Responsibilities

• A Day-to-day break-down of responsibilities by subject matter is approximately:
• Labor and Employment = 30%
• Procurement = 25%
• Special projects and transactions (corporate finance, construction, real estate, etc.) = 20%
• Regulatory compliance (environmental health & safety, etc.) = 15%
• Disputes & Litigation = 10%
• Work closely with HR to advise on labor and employment matters, including policies, complaints, investigations, worker’s comp filings and litigation avoidance and management
• Advise and assist on procurement and all other commercial transactions for the solar manufacturing business, including real estate and construction contracts, vendor agreements, intracompany agreements, debt and equity finance and supply chain related agreements
• Manage corporate housekeeping for Canadian Solar’s two US manufacturing subsidiaries
• Work closely with Canadian Solar’s Trade Compliance Counsel and internal and external logistics professionals to ensure that components and raw materials can be timely imported and that issues that arise are effectively addressed
• Work with internal regulatory and EHS compliance teams to develop and enforce legal policies, processes and procedures for the US manufacturing business
• Provide proactive, timely and effective legal advice and analysis relating to risks faced by the business
• Coordinate and supervise outside counsel on an as-needed basis and with a view managing legal costs within budget and balancing costs against business goals
• Ensure that all activities are performed with the highest ethical standards and in compliance with Canadian Solar policies, code and procedures

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications and experience:

• A J.D. from a reputable law school and strong academic credentials, generally
• Licensed to practice law in the State of Kentucky or in another US jurisdiction with the ability to become licensed in Texas
• 10+ years of legal experience, including Big Law training and at least 3 years of relevant in-house experience
• Must have expertise in either labor and employment law or procurement/supply chain (preferably both) and the flexibility and desire to handle other areas outside of one’s expertise
• Possess a demonstrated ability to effectively provide sound legal advice, exercise good business judgement, and work with senior management, outside counsel and state and local officials
• Have a team-first attitude with excellent communication skills and ability to instill confidence in your advice from your internal clients
• Be a leader, i.e. take ownership of matters, direct outside counsel, and drive innovation within the legal department and in concert with commercial leaders to achieve the company’s goals
• Be willing to travel on occasion to meet legal and business needs. Tr