VP & General Counsel, North America

ASSA ABLOY•Monroe, NC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President & General Counsel is based in the Greater Charlotte Area and serves as the chief legal advisor for ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems Business Segment Pedestrian North America. This executive provides strategic legal leadership, oversees all corporate legal matters, ensures compliance with regulatory and contractual obligations, and supports business objectives through sound legal guidance. The role manages a team of direct reports, including a Risk & Insurance Manager and six Contract Managers. This role offers a hybrid work environment, 3 days in the office, 2 days remote each week.

Requirements

Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
10 to 15+ years of senior legal experience, including leadership within a corporate legal department.
Background as a General Counsel, Deputy/Associate GC, or similar in‑house counsel experience.
Strong business acumen.
Experience using Contract Lifecycle Management tools (ideally Agiloft experience) for managing contract processes.
Excellent negotiation, drafting, and communication skills.
Ability to lead teams and influence senior leaders.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting manufacturing, technology, engineering, or industrial businesses preferred.
Work in a global matrixed organization preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary legal advisor to executive leadership on all legal, regulatory, and compliance matters across North America.
Provide counsel to and serve as an active executive partner to the President and Senior Leadership Team on corporate governance, commercial strategy, risk mitigation, and enterprise-wide legal exposure.
Work with Head of Legal and Executive Management to develop, refine and implement legal policies and practices.
Oversee all commercial contracting functions, including drafting, negotiation, and approval of customer and supplier contracts and lease agreements.
Manage and improve contracting processes through the Contract Management team and using automated contract lifecycle management tool.
Guide negotiations involving complex commercial agreements, technology licenses, NDAs vendor and distributor relationships and other transactional work.
Supervise the Risk & Insurance Manager to evaluate and mitigate operational, contractual, and enterprise risk through company insurance programs and best practices for claims management. Works with Risk & Insurance Manager and HR to mitigate workers’ comp and other labor and employment claims risks.
Work with Head of Legal for Entrance Systems Division and Senior Corporate Paralegal as need to support oversight of corporate governance activity, including board and secretary functions.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including employment law, safety, data privacy, and industry-specific standards.
Support internal audits, policy development, ethics programs, and compliance training.
Work with Senior Corporate Paralegal to manage all disputes and litigation, regulatory inquiries, and external counsel relationships.
Direct litigation strategy and evaluate settlement options.
Support legal integration of acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures.
Lead, develop, and mentor team of direct reports.