Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel
Starting Date:

As soon as possible
Contract type:

Full-time and open-ended
Salary:

CHF 111'400, commensurate with relevant seniority and experience
Location:

Geneva, Switzerland
Application closing date:

30th September 2024

About the Job
Better Cotton is now seeking an In-house Legal Counsel to join the Finance & Services function to help support the organisation in achieving its new strategic direction by ensuring our legal risks are minimised.

The In-house Legal Counsel will report to the Director of Finance & Services and take the lead in ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations that apply to Better Cotton and by promoting legal, compliance and risk management best practice throughout the organisation. The role includes responsibility for day-to-day legal reviews and responding to legal issues and questions arising from Better Cotton and Better Cotton Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) operations and programmes.

This is our first in-house legal counsel role. The Legal Counsel will manage outside counsel and collaborate closely with law firms that provide legal support for the organisation.

This challenging role offers excellent opportunities for personal and professional development, supporting us to deliver the organisations mission.

Areas that play to your strengths
We are seeking a motivated Legal Counsel to join our Finance Team. In this role, you will be responsible for:

Protect Better Cotton's interests and manage Better Cotton's legal affairs in support of its mission.

Support the CEO and COO through providing advice on suitable corporate structures to enable efficient execution of strategy, manage risk and support our people in the countries where we operate.

Advise and counsel the GIF Board and Better Cotton Council and Senior Management on a broad range of legal issues.

Carry out initial legal reviews of all Better Cotton and Better Cotton GIF contracts to support programmatic activities in accordance with the law.

Identify and develop efficient solutions to address potential legal issues and exposure, including adherence to international, Swiss, finance laws and disclosure laws.

Support the Finance and HR teams in ensuring that rules relating to the tax-exempt status of each Better Cotton entity, employment practices, and human resources requirements are adhered to – referring to outside counsel as appropriate.

Conduct initial and ongoing reviews of current practices, including, but not limited to, taxes, document retention, employment actions, governance, leases and contracts, insurance, and financial controls to identify and address legal issues.

Support the Procurement team with the ongoing revision of contract templates; preparation of standard contracts for procuring goods, services, facilities, and supplies.

Prepare corporate governance and organisational policy documents, including resolutions for consideration by the Council and Board of Directors, and advise on other governance matters.

Strengthen Better Cotton's ability to forecast by staying up to date on the law, legal trends, and industry developments in relation to operations and reporting.

Reduce our organisational risk by supporting the drafting of the legal clauses for grant contracts. This will require close collaboration with members of the leadership team and fundraising team members to ensure an efficient contracting process.

Work closely with the COO and Senior HR Manager on legal matters relating to employment policies, personnel management, and human resources compliance.

Initial review of and response to any legal claims against Better Cotton in coordination with outside counsel.

Support training and skills-building of Better Cotton staff around compliance, risk management, and reporting requirements.

Lead on the governance review project which is an organisational thematic priority for Better Cotton in ******** .

Have oversight of the trademark portfolio of Better Cotton.

Any other duties as assigned by management.

We are looking for someone who is having the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Essential

Law degree with work experience in the field of law and licensed to practice law in Switzerland.

Experience in the not-for-profit sector, ideally at an international level.

Demonstrated ability to navigate legal frameworks from various countries.

Ability to identify legal issues and risks in various areas, including tax-exempt organisations, human resources, intellectual property rights, and contract rights and obligations.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach to finding and proposing solutions.

Strong written and verbal communication skills in English with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely to audiences without legal expertise.

Good organisational skills and capacity to multi-task and handle a set of different priorities.

Proficient IT skills, including but not limited to MS Office suite (PowerPoint, Teams, Word and Excel).

Strong integrity and ethics.

Desirable

Experience working in multi-cultural settings.

Interest in and commitment to sustainability.

What we offer

Competitive salary

Hybrid working – Two to three days/week in the office.

The opportunity to work from anywhere in the world for up to one month per year

Flexible working, with core hours from 10 am to 4 pm local time

Continuous learning and development

Pension scheme

25 days paid annual leave, plus 8-9 Bank Holidays and a further 3 days off over Christmas

Enhanced parental benefits

A warm, positive working environment where everyone is valued

The opportunity to make your mark and make a difference.

Working arrangements
The position is full-time (40 hours per week) and will be based in Geneva. Better Cotton offers flexible working, with core hours being 10 am – 4 pm.

Travel may occasionally be required.

Apply now
Send us your CV (2 pages maximum) and a brief cover letter (1-page maximum) by or before

30.09.2024

via this link.

In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role at Better Cotton. We want to see your personal style – what makes you tick and why you think your next opportunity is here with us.

Our hiring process

Initial Screening:
If you are selected, you will be contacted for an initial screening, which may involve a brief phone interview or video call. The purpose is to learn more about you, confirm basic qualifications, and discuss the role and organisation.

Interviews:
If you are confirmed after the initial screening, you will be invited for interviews. The interview process at Better Cotton may include one or more rounds of interviews with various stakeholders, such as the hiring manager, team members, and potentially senior management.

Assessment and Testing:
Depending on the role, you might be required to complete assessments, technical tests, or skills evaluations to gauge your competency and suitability for the position.

Reference Checks:
Once you progress further in the process, reference checks are conducted to validate your work history, skills, and qualifications, and for some roles, your education and criminal history.

Offer stage:
After completing interviews, assessments, and reference checks, the hiring team evaluates your performance and fit for the role. If you are selected and your references are relevant and satisfactory, you will receive a formal job offer letter outlining the terms of employment, compensation, benefits, and any other relevant details.

About Better Cotton
Better Cotton is the world's largest cotton sustainability programme. Our 200+ colleagues of 37+ nationalities are united by a shared passion and commitment to achieving the Better Cotton mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Through our network of field-level partners a quarter of the world's cotton is now grown under the Better Cotton Standard. We have united the industry's stakeholders behind our efforts, from ginners and spinners to brand owners, civil society organisations and governments. Everyone who cares about cotton and its sustainable future can now be part of something better.

About our Values
The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:

Trustworthy

(including honest, transparent, credible)

As having

Integrity

(including responsible, authentic)

Positive

(including problem-solving, pragmatic)

Engaging

(including adaptable, inclusive, holistic)

Daring

(including courageous, innovative, game-changing)

Being you @ Better Cotton
Better Cotton is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human, and financial resources.

We have a zero-tolerance approach to any attitudes or behaviours that put children or adults at risk of harm. Safeguarding incidents are acts of serious misconduct and are grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including, dismissal and referral to relevant authorities for criminal prosecution. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.

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