Head of Legal Benelux

Head of Legal Benelux  

About the Position 

We have an excellent leadership opportunity for an experienced business lawyer to make the difference at Kraft Heinz. The position is based at the company's Europe & Pacific Developed Markets (EPDM) HQ, in Amsterdam.  You will be a member of the EPDM Legal Leadership team reporting into Annie Jelavic, General Counsel – EPDM. You will also be part of the Benelux (BNL) leadership team led by Managing Director, Steven Debrabandere who – together with other senior members of the BNL Leadership team - will be your main business partner. 

Some travel to other Kraft Heinz sites in Europe may be required. 

 
Main Responsibilities 

• Guide the business on decisions considering the regulatory landscape in BNL and the short and long-term impact to the company; 

• Protect the company, our people and our (IP) assets through excellence in litigation, brand protection and compliance; 

• Be the strategic business partner of the Benelux teams providing proactive, pragmatic, innovative and high quality legal support in relation to: contracts & general commercial law, IP, competition law, data protection, media/advertising and compliance. 

• Take an active part in decision-making related to legal and commercial matters to ensure that the strategy is fit for the business’ needs; 

• Lead complex projects from legal perspective while protecting our brands and IP assets through strong partnership with Regulatory, IP, Marketing and External Communications teams; 

• Draft, review and support the negotiating of a broad variety of contracts balancing risk and reward; 

• Contribute to internal knowledge development by creating and maintaining templates, trainings, toolkits and standard methodologies; 

• Collaborate closely with and managing (i) outside counsel(s) and (ii) when needed public authorities; 

• Work closely with peers in the EPDM Legal Leadership team and the EPDM General Counsel on wider European issues;  

• Handle (potential) claims, disputes and litigation. 

Qualifications 

 
Hard Skills 
 

• Qualified lawyer with a minimum of 6+ years’ experience ideally within leading consumer goods companies;  

• Excellent legal training in a leading law firm and/ or in-house; 

• Strong commercial, consumer and marketing law knowledge and experience; 

• Excellent judgment with the capacity to make decisions and give advice that reflects an understanding of overall business objectives and the risks/rewards of each situation; 

• Learning agility and strong organizational skills; 

• Self-starter with the ability to work independently; and 

• Ability to build relationships and influence across all levels within the organization. 

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:  

Business Acumen: 

• Grasp key drivers of the business and industry and quickly become immersed in the most important business and legal issues facing the Kraft Heinz; 

• Understand the Kraft Heinz’s business, policies, people, goals and risks; 

• Speak fluently in lay terms to a range of audiences about the business and legal priorities and challenges of the Kraft Heinz;  

• Setting Strategy and serve as an outstanding legal strategist in terms of planning and executing the plan; 

• Anticipate future business and legal opportunities and challenges and develop strategies to address them; 

• Proactively identify risks to the Kraft Heinz and propose risk mitigation strategies.  

Executing for Results 

• Creatively solve problems and offer solutions; 

• Demonstrate a strong work ethic with ability to handle a fast-paced vigorous schedule; 

• Manage a budget; 

• Drive positive change within the Legal department and Kraft Heinz as a whole;  

• Take initiative and operate with a sense of urgency, decisiveness and responsiveness; 

• Make nuanced recommendations and business decisions based on facts and the culture of the Kraft Heinz; 

• Marshall the appropriate level and mix of legal resources as required by circumstances; 

• Work through ambiguity, both internally and externally, utilizing strong communication and problem solving; skills; 

• Effectively negotiate and work collaboratively with Kraft Heinz stakeholders internally and externally.  

Leading Teams 

• Continually raise the quality of both content and delivery of legal services in order to protect and promote the business; 

• Lead through example and strive for excellence in all we do; 

• Lead the recruitment, development, and retention of legal talent to support the needs of the organization; 

• Drive the appropriate level of external benchmarking of best practices through the legal function.  

Building Relationships and Using Influence 

• Demonstrate a positive, professional, and collaborative demeanor and strong business acumen in order to gain the confidence, trust and reliance of colleagues around the world;  

• Maintain established relationships with external legal resources that would be characterized by credibility, respect, trust; 

• Develop and maintain a strong network of relationships inside and outside the organization to support the objectives of the Legal department and the business; 

• Communicate in an articulate, appropriately-accessible, and persuasive manner, both in oral and written form; 

• Demonstrate excellent written, verbal and listening skills.  

Professional Attributes 

• Ability to Simplify 

• We like to keep it simple. And to execute fast. Your ability to simplify will be highly appreciated, when you provide simple solutions when dealing with complex challenges.  

• Analytical  

• We’re a very data driven Kraft Heinz. You know how to translate complex data into a simple solution with your analytical mindset.  

• Project management skills 

• You’re organized, structured and always have an overview of all the deliverables. You know how to bring multiple projects to a successful ending within the given timeframe.  

• Networking skills 

• You’re able to be interesting and interested in business conversations, motivating people to want to be in your network. The stronger the network you have, the more easily you can get things done. You are constantly expanding your network. 

• Team player 

• Achieving results is nice, but achieving results with the team is simply the best. You’re a team player, which means you’re sometimes a leader, sometimes a follower but always working towards the same common goal together with your teammates.   

What we offer you 

• An ambitious employer; we only want the best for you;   

• A competitive salary and excellent bonus structure (above market);