VP & General Manager - Legal Dept ZE0A

Marubeni•New York, NY

About The Position

Marubeni America Corporation (MAC), the primary U.S. subsidiary of Marubeni Corporation, a leading Japanese global trading and investment group, is seeking a VP & General Manager for its Legal Department. MAC operates across diverse sectors including food and agriculture, energy, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, real estate, finance, and consumer products, facilitating large-scale import, export, distribution, and investment activities in North America. With major offices across the U.S., MAC serves as a vital hub connecting U.S. markets with Marubeni’s global network, driving integrated supply chains, project development, and commercial partnerships. This role is crucial for advancing Marubeni’s global business initiatives, blending diversified trading capabilities with a commitment to responsible and sustainable enterprise.

Requirements

Member in good standing of the New York State bar.
Experience managing litigation and arbitration, regulatory and corporate compliance matters.
Extensive experience with commercial law and regulations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, relating to Marubeni Group companies' activities (e.g., FCPA, CFTC).
Knowledge of world trade regimes and documentary requirements.
High level of communication and drafting skills.
Business proficiency in verbal and written Japanese for understanding and analyzing internal documents, other legal documents written in Japanese, and for legal/compliance consultations with Japanese rotational staff.
Law degree from a top-tier U.S. law school.
15+ years of international commercial and complex corporate transactions experience, including mergers & acquisitions and divestiture transactions.

Nice To Haves

Background or knowledge in economics and finance.
Willingness to travel within the U.S. and abroad (such as Canada, Mexico, and Japan).

Responsibilities

Provides strategic legal and compliance leadership, acting as both a value creator and a guardian of MAC.
Oversees the performance of the Legal and Compliance Team.
Prevents internal errors and compliance breaches through proactive legal and compliance oversight.
Actively supports business managers to enable commercial success.
Advises senior management on the full spectrum of legal and compliance issues arising from Marubeni Group’s activities in North America.
Leads and supports the Legal and Compliance Team in their performance and daily operations.
Builds cross-functional alliances and collaborates with senior management and legal/compliance teams across other Marubeni Group companies in North America.
Advises on and manages the legal risk of commercial transactions and various projects, including preparation, review, and negotiation of contracts.
Examines MAC’s internal approval process documents (written in Japanese) and advises on significant transactions, matters, and projects (including M&A) from early stages to identify, manage, and minimize legal risk.
Manages litigation, arbitration, other dispute resolution procedures, and regulatory matters for MAC, including investigating and reporting status to senior management.
Establishes, implements, and monitors Compliance Programs and responds to compliance-related issues for MAC.
Manages legal risk associated with shareholder resolutions, board minutes, corporate powers of attorney, letters of guaranty, and other corporate secretarial documents.
Assists Risk Management Team members in debt collection, acquiring security interests, and bankruptcies.
Conducts and manages research on legislation and legal precedents for MAC.
Provides legal support for MAC’s operational and administration activities.
Identifies and assesses compliance and regulatory requirements applicable to MAC’s operations.
Supervises, directs, monitors, reviews, and audits MAC’s compliance activities and general activities to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
Provides input on all compliance-implicated practices, procedures, and transactional activities (commercial and investment) of MAC.
Supports Business Units (BUs) and Business Administrative (BA) Teams in originating systemic practices and procedures for corporate responsibility, assisting in their development and integration into MAC’s compliance regime.
Provides outreach and support for the development of corporate responsibility programs at Marubeni Group companies in North America.
Serves as the Compliance Program Administrator for Antitrust, Anti-boycott, FCPA, Import Management System, and Export Management System programs.
Coordinates compliance matters with the parent company based on the Marubeni Group Compliance Manual.
Works closely with the Human Resources Team and other internal stakeholders to maximize performance.
Develops, upgrades, and improves compliance training and provides assistance to BA Teams responsible for training in support of formal compliance programs.