Associate Counsel, Operations

BAT; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market leading annual performance bonus

Diverse health plans

Transportation support

Flexible holiday plan

Access to online learning platforms

Job summary

BAT is seeking an experienced Associate Counsel in Kuala Lumpur to provide strategic legal advice for operations and procurement. The role focuses on advising on high-value contracts and commercial transactions, ensuring compliance and mitigating legal risks.

The ideal candidate will be a qualified lawyer with at least 5 years of experience. The position offers market-leading bonuses and internal advancement opportunities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in top law firms and in-house roles.
• Strong expertise in handling complex, high-value contracts.
• Proficient in written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal advice to Operations and Procurement.
• Draft and negotiate procurement and commercial transactions.
• Identify and mitigate legal risks in commercial arrangements.
• Collaborate with Legal Counsels and other business partners.

Skills

Commercial law expertise

Negotiation skills

Contract lifecycle management

Effective communication

Education

Qualified lawyer (Malaysia, UK or equivalent)

Tools

Microsoft O365 tools

Job description

BAT is evolving at pace into a global multi‑category business. Our purpose is to create A Better Tomorrow™ by Building a Smokeless World. To achieve our ambition, we are looking for colleagues who are ready to join us on this journey! Tomorrow can’t wait, let’s shape it together.

Associate Counsel – Selangor, Malaysia

This role is designed to provide strategic legal advice to Operations (especially Procurement and Finance), supporting commercial activities such as service, supply, manufacturing, and development agreements. The focus is on delivering proactive, business‑focused legal guidance across procurement and related commercial arrangements.

Reports to: Legal Counsel, Operations. Geographic Scope: Global.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as commercial counsel for the Operations Function, providing third‑party procurement advice, supplier relationship management, and strategic feedback to support business initiatives.
• Structure, negotiate, draft, and advise on the execution of procurement and other commercial transactions, including development, services, manufacturing, and supply agreements.
• Identify and mitigate legal risks in proposed and operational commercial arrangements (intellectual property, data protection, tax, competition, and compliance risks). Advise on escalation, resolution of contractual disputes, and contract termination.
• Guide the application of BAT Group policies, procedures and governance to proposed and operational third‑party and intra‑group arrangements.
• Present proposed transactional matters for consideration and approval by the appropriate leadership team, board or committee.
• Provide strategic advice and commercial counsel directly to the Operations Function, Procurement and senior managers of other parts of the business to support key contractual arrangements in place with third parties.
• Ensure good information flows between business contacts, Legal, and other business partners to optimise commercial opportunities and manage risks.
• Collaborate with Legal Counsels within Ops, Commercial & BAT Exports, providing support as required. Act as a role model for company values.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer (Malaysia, UK or equivalent) with ~5+ years’ experience in top law firms and in‑house roles within multinational environments.
• Strong expertise in commercial law, handling complex cross‑border transactions and high‑value contracts.
• Proficiency in Microsoft O365 tools, with excellent written and spoken English.
• Effective at managing high workloads, prioritising tasks, and meeting tight deadlines.
• Skilled in legal drafting, identifying compliance risks, and addressing cross‑border issues.
• Strong negotiation, project management, and contract lifecycle management capabilities.
• Commercially astute with sound judgement to balance business outcomes and legal risk.
• Collaborative, detail‑oriented, and adaptable with strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, and the ability to communicate legal matters clearly.

What We Offer

• Market leading annual performance bonus (subject to eligibility).
• Diverse health plans, work‑life balance initiatives, transportation support, and a flexible holiday plan with additional incentives.
• Internal advancement opportunities where career progression is a reality, not a statement.
• Access to online learning platforms and personalised growth programmes to nurture leadership skills.
• Continuous improvement culture in a transformative environment, preparing for ongoing changes.

EEO Statement

Collaboration, inclusion and partnership underpin everything we do here at BAT. We are looking forward to enabling every individual to thrive, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, skills, experience, education, socio‑economic and professional background, veteran status, perspectives and thinking styles. We see the career breaks as opportunities, not obstacles, and support professionals looking to restart their careers after an extended absence (e.g., caring for family, parental leave, national service, sabbatical or starting an own venture).