Associate General Counsel

Location: Portland, Oregon

• This position is hybrid and requires working in our Portland, OR area HQ three days per week.

ATTENTION MOVERS AND SHAKERS.

As pioneers of relentless improvement, we strive to make things better in everything we do, including coming to work each day.

Based in Portland, Oregon since 1938, Columbia Sportswear Company hosts a family of global brands including SOREL, Mountain Hardwear, and Prana. From the forests of the Pacific Northwest to the beaches of Southern California, we're on a mission to empower people to experience the outdoors to the fullest while keeping our planet healthy.

Our innovative products are built to transcend trends. We craft footwear for those who never stop moving, jackets for serious weather, and essentials that leave no trace. It's all about getting you out there—way out there.

Join the greatest adventure yet.

About The Position

The Columbia Sportswear Legal Department protects company interests across the globe, advancing company strategy through high quality advice, and support to all brands and regions. Our aim is to safeguard our most valuable assets and assist in the creation of a competitive industry advantage while managing risk and ensuring compliance with global laws and regulations.

As Associate General Counsel, you’ll be a key business partner, responsible for working with the legal team to guide Columbia Sportswear Company’s overall legal strategy. Within this role you’ll report to the Deputy General Counsel and support the company on a wide variety of legal affairs, including commercial transactions, compliance, regulatory matters, legal disputes, and litigation.

Here you’ll elevate the legal organization by implementing legal operations best practices. Together with the Legal team, you’ll ensure management teams understand the risks associated with policies, procedures, and business decisions. You will also assist with the coordination of all legal department activities.

How you’ll make a Difference

• Offer counsel on a variety of legal issues for a global, public company, with a focus on commercial, corporate, contracts, and regulatory issues.
• Collaborate and coordinate business and legal needs with other departments within the company, including Sales, Procurement, HR, Retail, and Marketing.
• Research and anticipate unique legal issues that could impact the company.
• Provide training to the company on legal topics as necessary.
• Negotiate, draft, and review a broad range of contracts supporting the organization’s operations. Create and improve contract templates, playbooks, and processes to support the business teams.
• Provide legal support for the management and continued development of the company’s four brands, including its customer-facing activities (advertising, marketing, promotions, and social media).
• Ensure protection of the organization’s legal rights, utilizing broad familiarity with legal disciplines relevant to the company.
• Research and provide advice on legal trends, new or proposed legislation, and administrative rules that may affect the Company in areas of responsibility.

YOU ARE

• Ethical and collaborative, leading others by exhibiting honesty, fairness
• A self-starter, comfortable operating in areas outside of usual expertise, and digging in to become familiar with new subject matter
• Capable of rational, logical thinking, consistently able to make creative decisions reflective of sound judgment, and an understanding of business and financial considerations
• Able to recognize and respond quickly and pragmatically to urgent situations and demanding clients
• Adept at establishing trusted relationships with business teams

YOU HAVE

• J.D. from an accredited law school, and 5+ years of experience in legal practice – a combination of law firm and in-house experience is preferred
• Experience with legal department operations, including assistance across external legal relationships
• Excellent communication skills with a demonstrated ability to explain legal issues and related risk-based considerations to business stakeholders and other non-lawyers to enable informed decision making
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary groups, coordinating legal support across a range of disparate business functions
• Ability to quickly gain an understanding of the company’s risk tolerance and strategic goals, and to balance competing risks and priorities based on the same
• Active member in good standing of a U.S. state bar, and the ability to practice law within the state of Oregon

Columbia Sportswear Company and our portfolio of brands, including Columbia, SOREL, Mountain Hardwear and prAna, know a thing or two about adventures. After all, we've been on one since 1938, working to perfect the art of enjoying the outdoors. Behind everything we make is an employee who's found that the greatest adventure starts with joining a company that strives to do the right thing.

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities, but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.

Columbia Sportswear is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. The Know Your Rights poster is available here: https://www.eeoc.gov/poster The pay transparency policy is available here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OFCCP/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf Columbia Sportswear is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please notify your recruiter.