Sr. Group Counsel - Commercial Transactions at Johnson Controls International

What will you do

In this position you will work with senior lawyers in the Commercial Transactions and Business Partner legal team. You will provide commercial transactions support. The transactions that you work on will have significant strategic value to the Company. 

You will be responsible for providing timely advice to business and sales leaders regarding contractual terms at the proposal, negotiation, and contract performance stages, including drafting, review, and negotiation of  contracts.  You will develop, deliver, and implement legal and compliance strategies, best practices, templates, tools, playbooks and associated policies, processes, and training.

How will you do it

• Review, draft and negotiate high revenue and high complexity sales contracts, including energy performance contracts, construction and technology integration contracts, subcontract agreements, and enterprise wide account contracts.

• Manage legal risks arising from regional operations and sales contracts, including identifying and mitigating such risks, escalating consideration of such risks within the enterprise in accordance with establish policies and procedures, and driving alignment among legal professionals, sales professionals, and other business stakeholders concerning such risks.

• Advise business leaders and front-line personnel on negotiating, executing, and operating under several types of contracts.

• Partner with front-line business leaders to navigate the company’s contract approval process that ensures proper consideration of key provisions.

• Counsel the business and manage pre-litigation disputes, collections matters and partnering with outside counsel on litigation matters the businesses you support. 

• Build organizational structure, best business practices, policies and processes (including training and communication) to optimize resource allocation based on company and business needs, efficiency and risk reduction, including the use of external providers.

• Train and guide clients across a full range of issues that arise in commercial transactions generally and the construction industry.

• Work directly with BSNA legal business partners, corporate center of excellence, regional legal teams and outside counsel to ensure cost-effective support of commercial transactions and other matters of strategic importance to BSNA. 

• Work with the Commercial Transactions and Legal Business Partner lawyers on cross-functional projects.

• Identify continuous improvement opportunities, and implement resulting changes, related to the contract review processes.

What we look for:

• The successful candidate will be a forward-looking lawyer, with the motivation and capacity to develop a deep understanding of the businesses they support.  They must have the credibility to function as a trusted advisor to the business leaders they support. 

• For this position, the qualified candidate will have a demonstrated interest in products, services and sales in the construction industry, complex commercial negotiations and helping businesses be successful in achieving their business plans.

• Substantial transactional experience at a large multinational publicly traded company or law firm, especially in construction, is preferred. 

• They must have a J.D. or LLB degree and be qualified to practice law within the United States. The candidate will have a  minimum of 8- years of relevant experience supporting complex contract negotiations, preferably in the construction industry. 

• The successful candidate must be a disciplined legal drafter/writer and possess a problem-solving, “can do” orientation with a demonstrated ability to simplify complex situations. 

• Experience selecting and managing outside counsel is a plus. 

• Ability to influence without authority and to work within a matrixed legal team are key attributes.

• Ability to develop and sustain relationships with management at all levels across geographies and customer management skills are required. 

• Must be a team player, with exceptional interpersonal skills, a sense of humor, unquestionable ethics and integrity, and sound judgment. Must work well laterally both with other attorneys and with clients. 

• Ability to communicate professionally and effectively, write clearly and concisely, translate legal implications of contract terms into identifiable business risks and make recommendations based on a considered risk-benefit analysis. 

Johnson Controls International plc. is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law. To view more information about your equal opportunity and non-discrimination rights as a candidate, visit EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit here.