Principal, Counsel

Job Title: Principal, Counsel

Job Code: 45930

Job Location: Melbourne, FL

Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days – totaling 80 hours worked – and have every other Friday off

Job Description:

We are seeking an experienced attorney to join our legal team, specializing in supply chain, procurement, and operations support. This role will focus on providing legal support to both direct and indirect supply chain procurement teams across all phases of sourcing, contracting, and vendor management. The attorney will report to the Senior Director, Supply Chain & Procurement Legal and collaborate closely with internal stakeholders and business leaders to ensure compliance, mitigate risks, and drive operational efficiencies across the company's supply chain operations. This role will regularly interact with and advise leadership across the enterprise.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful individual contribution to the legal framework supporting the company's supply chain and procurement operations. If you are a skilled attorney with strong negotiation capabilities, a passion for driving operational efficiency, and a desire to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, we encourage you to apply.

Essential Functions:

Provide practical and business-oriented legal advice and counseling on all aspects of supply chain and procurement law, including direct materials sourcing, indirect procurement, vendor relationships, contract negotiations, and supply chain risk management.

Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of supply chain agreements, including master supply agreements, purchase orders, statements of work, service agreements, manufacturing agreements, distribution agreements, logistics contracts, and vendor/supplier contracts.

Lead and support contract negotiations with suppliers and service providers, leveraging strong negotiation skills and sound legal judgment to secure favorable terms while balancing business needs and legal risk.

Support the development and implementation of procurement policies, procedures, and best practices that drive operational efficiencies and standardization across the organization.

Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve contract templates, and enhance procurement workflows, and collaborate with stakeholders to support adoption.

Advise on legal issues related to supplier selection, qualification, and onboarding, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.

Support supply chain operations by addressing legal issues related to supplier performance, delivery delays, quality disputes, pricing adjustments, and contract terminations.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Procurement, Operations, Finance, Quality, and Compliance to address supply chain-related legal matters and support strategic sourcing initiatives.

Monitor changes in commercial law, trade regulations, and supply chain-related legislation to ensure company policies and practices remain compliant and competitive.

Assist in managing and resolving pre-litigation disputes and claims related to supplier contracts, including breach of contract, warranty claims, indemnification issues, and performance disputes.

When outside counsel is engaged, coordinate and support their work to align with the company's legal strategy and objectives.

Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree with a minimum of 12 years of prior related experience. Graduate Degree with a minimum of 10 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 16 years of prior related experience.

JD from an accredited law school and a minimum of 7 years of legal experience, with a focus on commercial contracts, procurement, and supply chain law.

Member in good standing of a state bar.

Preferred Additional Skills:

Meaningful experience negotiating supply chain and procurement agreements, with demonstrated success in achieving favorable business outcomes.

Working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and flowdown requirements in government contracting environments.

Experience contributing to the development of policies, procedures, and process improvements that drive efficiency and operational excellence.

Ability to collaborate effectively with and influence stakeholders across multiple levels of the organization.

Strong interpersonal skills, sound judgment, and excellent written and oral communication and analytical skills, with the ability to effectively engage a variety of business audiences.

Detail-oriented, with the ability to work effectively and collaboratively across multiple teams and functions.

Ability to juggle and prioritize multiple time-sensitive tasks effectively and independently in a fast-paced environment.

Experience with international procurement, import/export regulations, trade compliance, and supply chain risk management.

Experience supporting supply chain aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.

Law firm and/or in-house experience at a publicly traded company, preferably in aerospace & defense, manufacturing, retail, or distribution industries.

Familiarity with logistics, warehousing, transportation agreements, and supply chain technology platforms is a plus.