Manager Contracts Counsel - International Commercial Contracts

InterviewPanel; Mumbai; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 3,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited in Mumbai seeks a Contracts Counsel - Manager to lead international contract lifecycle management, drafting, reviewing and negotiating cross-border commercial agreements to protect brand interests.

You will coordinate with internal teams and external counsel across jurisdictions, advise on licensing, trade and regulatory risks, and help standardize contracts to drive compliant business across multiple markets.

Qualifications

• 7–9 years of professional experience in contracts law.
• Strong knowledge of contracts, sale of goods, international trade and cross-border arrangements.
• Familiarity with common law and civil law implications for drafting and enforcement.
• Knowledge of international taxation, DTAA, FEMA and cross-border payments.
• Awareness of sanctions, anti-bribery laws (FCPA, UK), competition and privacy laws.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end international contract lifecycle management.
• Draft, review and negotiate cross-border commercial agreements.
• Advise on regulatory, tax and dispute risks across multiple jurisdictions.
• Coordinate with external counsel, auditors and business stakeholders.
• Standardize contracts to mitigate legal risk and ensure policy compliance.

Skills

Contract drafting

Cross-border negotiations

International trade law

Regulatory compliance

Legal risk assessment

Stakeholder management

Contract lifecycle management

IP licensing

Dispute resolution

FCPA/UK Bribery Act

Taxation basics

Leadership

Education

Master's in International Law

Job description

Do you want to master the complex legal landscape of global retail, driving 200+ high-stakes cross-border transactions annually across international jurisdictions, licensing, and trade laws?

Join us as Contracts Counsel - Manager to spearhead international contract lifecycle management and safeguard iconic global brands.

JOB DESCRIPTION - CONTRACTS COUNSEL - MANAGER

I. POSITION DETAILS

Position / Job Title: Contracts Counsel - Manager

Business: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited

Unit: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited

Department: Legal

Location: Mumbai (Kurla Office)

Reporting To: Geetika Jayaswal (Deputy General Manager)

Superior's Superior: Jyothi VK (ABFRL, ABLBL, ABDFVL & their subsidiaries General Counsel and Sr. VP & Data Protection Officer)

II. JOB PURPOSE

In relation to ABFRL, ABLBL, and ABDFVL and their subsidiaries:

• To manage entire contract cycle by drafting, reviewing, negotiating the international commercial contracts as per the business requirement, to mitigate legal risks arising from the commercial contracts through standardization of contracts, identification of legal risk in contracts, negotiation of clauses with internal and external stakeholders and reporting risks.
• To support international business operations and independently manage complex cross-border commercial transactions.
• To advise business teams on contractual structuring, legal, commercial, regulatory, tax and dispute-related risks arising from transactions across multiple jurisdictions.
• To mitigate legal risks through creating awareness about laws, processes and legal risks through trainings, focused group discussions, newsletters, etc., to the above businesses and implementation of new processes or process corrections in line with the company's policies and practices.
• To co-ordinate with external counsel, auditors and business stakeholders in matters pertaining to international commercial transactions, cross-border buying and selling arrangements, international trade issues, audits and collection of documents/evidence.

Know-How, Problem Solving & Communication Skills Required:

• 1. Experience: Professional experience of 7 to 9 years.
• 2. Legal Knowledge: Strong knowledge of laws relating to contracts, sale of goods, international trade and cross-border commercial arrangements.
• 3. Legal Systems & IP: Sound understanding of common law and civil law legal systems and their implications for contract drafting, interpretation and enforcement, as well as intellectual property issues relevant to licensing and brand-led businesses.
• 4. International Taxation: Working knowledge of international taxation principles and Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements/Treaties (DTAA).
• 5. Foreign Exchange & Arbitration: Understanding of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and cross-border payment regulations relevant to transactions involving India and international arbitration and cross-border dispute resolution.
• 6. Regulatory Compliance: Awareness of sanctions regimes, anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws (including FCPA and UK Bribery Act), competition, privacy and other regulatory considerations relevant to international transactions.
• 7. Sector Expertise: Familiarity with commercial practices relevant to the fashion, retail and e-commerce sectors, enabling effective structuring, drafting, negotiation and risk management of complex multi-jurisdictional transactions while balancing legal risk and business objectives.
• 8. Risk Identification: Ability to identify legal, commercial, regulatory, tax and dispute-related risks arising from international transactions.
• 9. Transaction Ownership: Capability of taking ownership of an international transaction from a legal perspective, understanding the business proposition, identifying jurisdiction-specific risks, determining the appropriate contractual structure and protections, drafting, reviewing and leading negotiations with international counterparties and taking the transaction through to execution.
• 10. Stakeholder Coordination: Experience in working with and coordinating foreign counsel, international business teams, tax advisers and other specialists across jurisdictions.
• 11. Communication: Communication and stakeholder management skills that are essential to coordinate with multiple stakeholders, effectively convey legal risks and solutions to businesses and confidently engage with senior stakeholders, overseas business teams and external counsels across jurisdictions.
• 12. Process Orientation: Eagerness to understand business models and contribute towards developing or improving processes that mitigate legal and operational risks.
• 13. Qualifications: A Master's degree or specialization in International Law, International Trade Law or a related discipline from a reputed overseas university and/or qualification to practise law in India or another recognised jurisdiction (candidates possessing one