Assistant General Counsel – Marketing & Innovation – Global Petcare

The Assistant General Counsel role is a strategic global legal leader in Petcare who is focused on partnering with our Marketing & Innovation teams and helping to lead the strategic direction of our Intellectual Property function for marketing and innovation intellectual property (brand protection trademark copyright social media AI innovation etc.). This role will provide a holistic view across the Petcare divisions to help shape our growth and innovation strategies including supporting our innovation pipeline marketing ambitions and provide thought leadership on IP matters to ensure they are aligned with our end-to-end demand strategy and supports our overall growth innovation demand and marketing agenda within Petcare. This position will play a key role in enabling innovation and brand differentiation in a competitive fast-moving consumer landscape with a diverse set of businesses in the Petcare segment ranging from traditional consumer packaged goods to veterinary and lab services underpinned by foundational and transformational sciences.

The Assistant General Counsel is responsible for Marketing & Innovation across the Petcare business segment of Mars Incorporated. Petcare is comprised of four distinct business units: Pet Nutrition Royal Canin Mars Veterinary Health and Science & Diagnostics spanning a number of technologies and brands including for example comprehensive veterinary care (including: AniCura BANFIELD BLUEPEARL Linnaeus and VCA) nutrition (including ACANA PEDIGREE ROYAL CANIN and WHISKAS) diagnostics (including Antech and Heska) wearable health monitoring DNA testing and pet parent platforms. Moreover our Waltham Petcare Science Institute is also supporting foundational and future science to support pet health by driving innovations to improve pet health through nutrition data and veterinary care.

What are we looking for

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school or equivalent.

• Licensed/Qualified to practice law in a US or Foreign jurisdiction. If not a member of the U.S. State bar in which the position is location then the successful attorney must take steps to gain admission by complying with the rules for that states in-house corporate counsel.

• Minimum of 12 plus years as a practicing law with demonstrated experience in supporting marketing and innovation initiatives; if an in-house lawyer law firm experience earlier in career is preferred.

• Possess an understanding of the corporate environment and specifically the importance of the linkage between a companys business objectives end to end demand strategies including Marketing Innovation and R&D efforts and related global portfolio development protection and enforcement strategies.

• Exposure to global issues and strategic vision delivering business priorities.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work well with and relate to company personnel at all corporate and scientific levels.

• Demonstration of the ability to be sensitive to cultural issues arising from a global business that may impact a business or legal decision.

• Strong written and oral communications skills with the ability to communicate and interact effectively with clients and business leaders at all levels of the organization; must be able to identify critical issues requiring action and convey them in a manner that is understandable and useful to the client.

• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to function well in a multi-disciplinary team environment.

• Quick study able to handle complex matters with multiple initiatives going on simultaneously.

• A positive track record in leading and engaging a large geographically dispersed legal function.

• Successful experience developing talent building and motivating a legal team and when necessary advocating and instituting change within a legal department; a leader who innately develops followership.

• A mindset that is collegial and collaborative and who will bring a proven commitment to the creation of a positive working environment within the legal organization.

• Experience in talent development and an appreciation of the benefit of having a diverse team of in-house attorneys.

What will be your key responsibilities

• Strategic leadership across an array of legal areas (marketing advertising contract IP/brand protection AI social media etc.) to provide a broad view of critical focus areas & investments across the Segment (including brands claims innovation as well as Digital and AI initiatives).

• Legal lead in supporting holistic brand & innovation strategies to deliver Petcare OGSM includes building comprehensive legal strategies at Segment level in support of our marketing and innovation ambitions.

• Ensure integrated approach to IP protection and development for innovation and brands ensuring a cross-divisional approach to science focused on pet health (as supported by Waltham) and translated into business-focused deliverables

• Partner with Brand Experience Marketing & Strategy teams at Petcare level to support initiatives including advertising claims branding co-branding and digital/AI marketing projects and strategies.

• Oversees the integrated approach to protecting and enforcing our worldwide brands and content portfolios aligned to the Segment priorities.

• Liaise with the business unit Legal leads Food law SRA Marketing R&D and Innovation teams as well as broader business associates to develop and implement a well-conceived strategy to optimize the Segments IP & Brand positions including evaluating the competitor portfolios and enforcement activities.

• Ensure that the Intellectual property function provides necessary legal support as appropriate to the Segments Marketing Innovation Commercial (procurement) Digital Technologies Business Development Sales Supply and R&D teams.

• Oversee strategic approach to Marketing related agreements including but not limited to NDAs MSAs consulting agreements licenses and other IP related agreements.

• Oversee the continuous refinement of the portfolio mapping and life cycle management programfor the Segments trademark portfolios.

• Provide IP due diligence support to other law department members in connection with technology investments and business acquisitions.

• Contribute to and ensure a high performing and collaborative legal team supporting the intellectual property function across the Segment in an integrated approach.

• Strong people management across the function including hiring supervising and evaluating the

• Segments intellectual property lawyers; implement an effective program to continue tomotivate mentor and retain members of the Segments legal team.

• Assist in setting and managing the Segments IP budget for Brands/Marketing and approve spend against the budget to ensure aligned with segment priorities.

• Liaise and coordinate with business unit Legal Leads to ensure team members are meeting ongoing needs of business unit to support both strategic and operational initiatives across the business.

• Ensure high performance collaboration across the Intellectual property teams cross-segment and in partnership with Center of Legal Excellence to ensure efficient and effective use of resources within the Petcare Segment and broader Mars Inc organization.

What can you expect from Mars

• Work with diverse and talented Associates all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company where were striving to build the world we want tomorrow today.
• A strong focus on learning and development support from day one including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package including company bonus.

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