Legal Counsel

Location: Arlington, United States of America

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Knowing what Thales does today, means asking where technology is taking us tomorrow. We are creating the waves of digital transformation that will cary our customers into the future. Where these transformations intersect and interfere is where the most interesting and innovative tomorrows are being built. Thales operates at the intersection of these technologies to find every tomorrow.

Position Summary

Arlington Onsite

Thales is looking for a Legal Counsel who will:

• Serve as a corporate legal generalist for Thales’s U.S. corporate functions and business lines.

• Assist the Thales VP, Legal & Contracts and General Counsel in providing proactive legal advice and effective risk management to the Thales USA executive team on all legal matters.

• Time is currently spent 50% compliance, 15-20% M&A, litigation 10%, legal drafting 10%, personnel management 15%.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Effectively manage complex legal matters with multiple internal stakeholders and clients, including all Thales corporate functions, relevant U.S. business units, and international affiliates.

• Draft and negotiate complex custom contracts and improve existing contract templates for a broad range of commercial agreements, including software development agreements, intellectual property licenses, memoranda of understanding or teaming agreements, and high-risk purchasing contracts (such as contracts for contingent labor or telecommunications services).

• Provide legal advice and support in due diligence, drafting, and negotiation activities for U.S. mergers and acquisitions.

• Provide legal advice and support in the effective defense of pre-litigation and litigation matters.

• Provide legal advice and support to Thales’s international affiliates about matters related to U.S. commercial contract law and U.S. Government procurement law.

• Implement internal governance policies and regularly monitor compliance.

• Supervise and train junior Legal & Contracts staff, including the Contract Administrator and Legal Counsel - Procurement

• Drive development and implementation of various legal templates, forms, communications, and processes, to improve the delivery of Thales legal resources to an international client base, by working collaboratively with other Legal & Contracts team members and other Thales corporate functions and businesses

• Provide legal analyses of applicable laws, regulations, and industry guidance that affect product development, operations, and commercial agreements, and assist in the design and implementation of appropriate policies to ensure compliance

• Proactively communicate issues back to management, drive good business, legal, and operational processes throughout the organization, and draft and implement related policies

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor from an American Bar Association accredited law school or equivalent degree from a foreign common law jurisdiction

• 8-10+ years of relevant corporate legal experience in an international business environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience as a senior legal counsel in an international highly matrixed business environment

• Proven experience as a corporate legal generalist with a high level of autonomy, with the ability to propose timely and effective adaptations and adjustments to existing solutions, and to develop new solutions in response to client requirements

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of U.S. contract law and related best legal practices

• Work independently and in a team setting across multiple disciplines, in each case with the ability to identify and resolve legal issues quickly and effectively

• Develop and maintain effective client relationships

• Develop and maintain exceptional negotiations and written and verbal communications skills

• Exercise sound business judgment

• Domestic and international travel required

• Knowledge of Practical Law, Word, PowerPoint, and general legal research techniques

Special Position Requirements

Travel: 20-25%

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