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About The Role

The Senior Counsel I is responsible for providing legal and/or business support to the Digital Transformation Solutions strategic business unit (“DTS SBU”). This position will report directly to a member of the Legal and Compliance Leadership Team such as the Associate General Counsel or Deputy General Counsel. The Senior Counsel I will also work closely and strategically with the Legal and Compliance leadership to support operational, functional and/or business clients on significant matters impacting the global enterprise. The successful candidate must be able to handle complex negotiations and successfully and timely complete assignments assigned by legal leadership with little supervision. The Senior Counsel I must also have a broad understanding of Harman's business objectives and the impact of external factors on the DTS SBU and on Harman’s corporate function including, but not limited to corporate tax and/or treasury, engineering, marketing, human resources, finance, and information technology.

Advanced level contract review, drafting, and negotiation experience related to multi-million dollar agreements is required. Additionally, the successful candidate will have strong communication skills for purposes of interfacing with key customers, suppliers and external stakeholders in collaboration with Legal and Compliance leadership in support of the Harman’s business leaders. This role will also support operational managers by providing strategic, practical advice and counsel on key business issues; as well as manage litigation and corresponding outside counsel law firms and legal service providers. A basic understanding of budgets, accruals, forecasting, and financial statements is also needed. Finally, this role requires an intermediate level in project management of strategic enterprise, divisional, or functional projects or initiatives and advanced, cross-functional communication and collaboration skills, powers of persuasion, and influence.

Your Team

This position will manage (i) 1 or more direct reports, including junior attorney(s) and/or contract managers.

What You Will Do

Managing Legal and Business Risk

• Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating a wide variety of technology services and other technology-related agreements, including master services, licensing, professional services, marketing, joint venture, and vendor agreements.
• Identifying legal and regulatory issues in product initiatives and customer agreements, including awareness of artificial intelligence, privacy and data security issues, and working cross-functionally with the appropriate teams to create solutions and minimize risk.
• Engaging strategically in risk assessment/mitigation and developing innovative approaches to legal issues in support of business objectives.
• Providing practical, creative legal advice in a fast-paced, high growth environment.
• Working closely with Legal and Compliance leadership to support the teams charged with generating business and proactively establishing relationships across the legal team and with other departments including operations, marketing, finance, product, and engineering, among others.
• Applies strong analytical legal skills and demonstrates risk and compliance awareness when supporting complex projects or making strategic decisions.
• Promptly and effectively addresses unforeseen legal risks if they arise and communicates to Legal and Compliance leadership within the legal department and/or to the DTS SBU leaders within the business in a timely manner; process complex, uncertain, or incomplete information quickly to identify potential implications for the business.
• Works with business teams and helps them understand, assess, and appropriately address business risks and implications and helps to influence business decisions.
• Directs and/or collaborates with other Legal and Compliance staff and organizational partners to develop, update and maintain templates, negotiation resources and playbooks.
• Supports with the development and implementation of innovative ways to scale commercial legal processes.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You Need

• The candidate should have Juris Doctor and Bar admission (or equivalent in jurisdiction).
• Roles at this level are experienced professionals providing strategic legal counsel to at least one defined function area or business unit.
• These roles work closely and strategically with legal leadership, business and/or functional clients.
• Strong analytic skills, task-focused, works on own initiative to get things done, is able to work under pressure and manage multiple stakeholders; well-developed project management skills.
• Exercises good judgement and sound decision making. These roles may take significant roles in broader strategic projects for the department.
• 8+ years of relevant (generally in-house or law firm) experience and a law degree from law school.
• Also 6+ years of either specialized experience in technology services agreements and other technology transactions.

Critical skills required to perform the core responsibilities of the position:

Operational Effectiveness and Efficiency

• Effectively prioritizes, delegates, supervises, and monitors work carried out by external legal resources or non-legal project teams to ensure high quality and timely delivery.
• Identifies potential legal and compliance issues and consults with appropriate stakeholders to identify a solution.
• Takes initiative to develop or improve internal company guidance documents, using legal know-how for the benefit of the entire business or function.

Influencing and Communicating

• Able to translate legal issues for primary business client and explain in a comprehensible manner; possesses diplomacy skills.
• Able to communicate effectively at all legal levels and enable the sharing of information and resources across the legal team for the collective benefit of at least one division or function.
• Always considers the commercial impact when applying legal and regulatory principles and seeks workable solutions for at least one division or function.
• Networks in the legal industry.
• Is approachable and makes time to support junior colleagues.
• Has developed sustainable and effective networks both inside the legal team and across the primary client SBU or function they serve.

Commercial Awareness and Effectiveness

• Seeks regular feedback and discusses primary client business needs to fully understand business drivers from the beginning.
• Prioritizes resource and effort around key client business deliverables.
• Uses legal experience and knowledge to anticipate client business need and seeks to add value.

What Is Nice To Have

• Serves as a legal role model creating a constructive and collaborative working environment.

What Makes You Eligible

• Be willing to travel up to 10%, domestic and international travel.
• Be willing to work remotely and occasionally in an office located in one of the followings: Novi, Michigan, Stamford, Connecticut, Richardson, Texas or Sunnyvale, California.
• Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen.

What We Offer

• At Harman, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is $165,000 - $202,000, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
• Access to employee discounts on world class HARMAN/Samsung products (JBL, Harman Kardon, AKG, etc.).
• Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies.
• Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work life integration and collaboration in a global environment.
• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development.
• Tuition Reimbursement.
• “Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.