Legal Counsel, Risk & Compliance Manager - North America

Bureau Veritas•Houston, TX

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Bureau Veritas is seeking a commercially minded Legal Counsel, Risk & Compliance Manager to support its Fuels business across the United States and Canada. Based in Houston, Texas, the role reports to the Vice President–General Counsel, Risk and Compliance Officer – Fuels. The position provides comprehensive legal, risk, compliance, and governance support and serves as a trusted adviser to management and operational teams. The successful candidate will use sound legal judgment and a practical, solutions-oriented approach, working responsively and independently with stakeholders and translating complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear guidance for a fast-paced, international business. The role advises on day-to-day legal matters, business initiatives and risk-based decisions; drafts and negotiates commercial contracts and supports bids, procurement and strategic transactions; and provides corporate governance and risk-management support for North American entities. It also supports the Group compliance program, ethics and regulatory matters, sanctions and trade compliance, claims and investigations, and employment and workplace matters in partnership with Human Resources. The position collaborates across business functions, manages external counsel and legal matters, and contributes to legal and compliance reporting and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Juris Doctor or equivalent law degree.
Active admission in good standing to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, with eligibility to support matters across the United States and Canada.
7–10 years of relevant post-qualification legal experience gained in a reputable law firm, in-house legal department, or a combination of both.
Substantial experience in commercial contracting, corporate and governance matters, legal risk management, and general business counseling.
Demonstrated knowledge of corporate compliance programs and regulatory requirements, including anti-bribery and anti-corruption, competition and antitrust, investigations, third-party risk, and ethics.
Practical experience advising on economic sanctions, export controls, restricted-party issues, or related trade compliance matters.
Excellent drafting, negotiation, analytical, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
Sound judgment, integrity, discretion, and confidence providing independent, practical, business-oriented advice.
Strong organizational skills, responsiveness, and ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across functions, cultures, and time zones.
Fluent written and spoken English.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting a regulated, industrial, energy, fuels, commodities, testing, inspection, certification, or other international business.
Previous experience with Canadian legal or regulatory matters.
Employment-law and workplace-investigation experience.
French language capability for Canadian matters.

Responsibilities

Provide timely, clear, practical legal advice to the Fuels business across the United States and Canada, including guidance to management and operational teams on day-to-day matters, strategic initiatives, expansion, and risk-based decisions.
Interpret applicable laws, regulations, policies, and contractual obligations and translate them into practical business guidance; build relationships with business leaders while maintaining independent professional judgment.
Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on commercial agreements, including customer and supplier agreements, master services agreements, terms and conditions, confidentiality agreements, consulting agreements, leases, technology arrangements, and strategic partnerships.
Support bids, tenders, proposals, procurement, and contractual risk assessments, including allocation of liability, indemnity, insurance, warranty, data protection, and termination risks.
Promote consistent use of approved templates, Group Terms & Conditions, contracting policies, delegated authorities, and approval processes.
Support corporate development, restructuring, integrations, joint ventures, acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions as required.
Advise on corporate law, entity management, governance, board and shareholder matters, delegated authorities, powers of attorney, and internal approvals for North American entities.
Support preparation, review, and maintenance of corporate records, resolutions, policies, governance documents, registrations, and required filings with internal and external resources.
Identify, assess, communicate, and help mitigate legal and compliance risks; maintain appropriate escalation and reporting to senior management and Group Legal.
Support the design and implementation of controls, policies, procedures, and remediation plans, and monitor material legal developments affecting the business.
Provide legal guidance on applicable U.S. and Canadian federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulatory requirements relevant to the Fuels business.
Oversee and support implementation of the Group compliance program, Code of Ethics, policies, risk assessments, controls, certifications, monitoring, and reporting.
Advise on anti-bribery and anti-corruption, fraud, conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, competition and antitrust, third-party risk, whistleblowing, privacy, records management, and other compliance matters.
Support internal reviews and investigations, including issue intake, evidence preservation, interviews, findings, remediation, escalation, and stakeholder coordination.
Provide or coordinate practical legal and compliance training, communications, and guidance for employees and management.
Manage regulatory inquiries, inspections, information requests, filings, and interactions with authorities, coordinating with subject-matter experts and external counsel where appropriate.
Advise on economic sanctions, export controls, import requirements, embargoes, restricted-party screening, anti-boycott rules, and related trade compliance obligations.
Support trade-control due diligence, risk assessments, escalations, licensing questions, contractual protections, screening processes, and investigation and remediation of potential concerns; coordinate complex or high-risk matters with Group specialists and external counsel.
Manage and advise on claims, disputes, litigation, subpoenas, incidents, and pre-litigation strategy, emphasizing early risk assessment and commercially appropriate resolution.
Preserve privilege and coordinate legal holds, document collection, factual investigations, reporting, settlement authority, and lessons learned.
Select, instruct, and manage external counsel and other advisers, including their scope, strategy, performance, and legal spend.
Partner with Human Resources on employment and workplace matters, including policies, employee relations, investigations, performance and disciplinary processes, accommodations, separations, restrictive covenants, and employment-related claims.
Coordinate with specialist employment counsel when necessary.
Collaborate with Finance, Tax, Human Resources, Credit, Compliance, Procurement, Operations, HSE, IT, Data Privacy, and other functions.
Manage competing priorities, maintain matter records, contribute to legal and compliance reporting, and support continuous improvement of templates, processes, controls, and knowledge resources.
Monitor external legal and regulatory developments and provide timely, actionable updates and recommendations to the business.
Undertake other legal, risk, compliance, and governance responsibilities reasonably required to support the North American business.