Associate Counsel, Legal & Compliance

Outdoor Cap Company; Bentonville (AR); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Outdoor Cap Company, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, seeks an Associate Counsel to join the in-house legal team. The role entails hands-on contract drafting, review, and negotiation across supplier, manufacturing, licensing, and vendor agreements, plus internal advisory on regulatory and IP matters.

You will manage disputes, coordinate with outside counsel, and help develop policy, compliance, and ESG initiatives as the company grows, with a clear path toward broader leadership within

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Bar admission in at least one U.S. state; Arkansas admission not required.
• 0–3 years of legal experience in-house, at a law firm, or in compliance.
• Coursework or experience in contracts, intellectual property, international trade, or regulatory law is a strong plus.
• Experience in manufacturing, consumer products, retail, licensing, or apparel is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements (supplier, manufacturing, distributor, licensing, NDAs, influencer agreements, services/ software).
• Provide legal advice to internal teams and manage disputes; coordinate with outside counsel and legal spend.
• Advise on licensing, IP matters, advertising, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
• Research tariff programs, product safety regulations, labeling, and origin rules; monitor regulatory developments.
• Draft and update internal policies and procedures; support ESG and supplier compliance initiatives.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Legal research

Plain language communication

Project management

Microsoft Office

Contract management tools

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Bar admission in at least one US state

Tools

Contract management software

e-signature tools

Job description

Outdoor Cap Company is a privately held headwear and apparel company headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, with a global supply chain and key retail, promotional, licensing, and direct-to-consumer channels, including subsidiaries JUNK Brands and Legendary Headwear. The Associate Counsel works directly with the Head of Corporate Responsibility (the company's chief legal counsel) to handle the contracts and legal issues that come through the business — drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements, answering legal questions from internal teams, and supporting trade, product, and social compliance.

This is a hands-on, in-house legal role with a deliberate development path. The person in this role will start with supervised work on contracts and research and take on full ownership of matters as their judgment and experience grow. Over time, they will be developed to take on broader leadership of the company's legal and compliance functions. We are looking for someone who wants a long-term in-house career with a growing company, not a short stop.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Contract Drafting, Review & Negotiation

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including supplier and manufacturing agreements, customer vendor agreements and retailer terms, NDAs, licensing agreements, distributor and sales rep agreements, influencer and creator agreements, and services and software agreements.
• Identify legal and business risk, prepare redlines and issue summaries, and recommend a position — not just a list of concerns.
• Manage the contract lifecycle: intake, approval workflow, execution, storage, and tracking of renewals, notice deadlines, and key obligations.
• Build and maintain contract templates, a clause library, and a negotiation playbook so routine agreements move fast.

Legal Advice & Issue Management

• Serve as the first point of contact for legal questions from sales, product, marketing, e-commerce, and operations teams; resolve routine issues and elevate significant ones with a clear recommendation.
• Advise on intellectual property matters, including trademark clearance and filings, copyright, and licensed property approvals.
• Advise on advertising, marketing, and e-commerce matters, including product claims, origin claims, influencer disclosures, website terms, and consumer privacy.
• Handle demand letters, customer and supplier disputes, chargebacks, and claims; manage litigation holds; coordinate and manage outside counsel and legal spend.

Licensing & Audit Support

• Review and manage license agreements and licensor requirements; support royalty reporting, product approvals, and licensor audits.
• Track licensor compliance obligations and deadlines and flag changes to account leads and management.

Trade, Customs & Product Compliance

• Research and advise on tariff programs, classification, country of origin, customs protests and refunds, and forced labor import rules (including UFLPA).
• Advise on product safety and chemical regulations (including CPSIA, Prop 65, and state PFAS laws), labeling requirements, and customer-specific compliance requirements.
• Research legal and regulatory requirements for new markets as the company expands outside the U.S. and into apparel.

Policy & Regulatory Monitoring

• Draft and update internal policies and procedures, including codes of conduct, supplier standards, and records management.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments and prepare clear, practical summaries for management.

Social Compliance & Responsible Sourcing

• Support the legal side of the supplier compliance program, including supplier code of conduct terms, audit findings, corrective action plans, and supply chain due diligence.
• Support emerging ESG and sustainability reporting and disclosure requirements.

Team Support & Development

• Provide legal guidance and training to the Corporate Responsibility team and other internal teams.
• Take on progressively greater responsibility, including direct work with executive leadership, ownership of key customer and licensor relationships on legal matters, and leadership of compliance programs.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills; writes clearly and precisely.
• Sound critical thinking and judgment — able to identify the real issue, weigh legal and business risk, and recommend a practical course of action.
• Strong legal research and analysis skills across contracts, regulations, and case law.
• Able to explain legal issues in plain language to non-lawyers and give a direct answer.
• Organized and able to manage many matters at once under deadline pressure.
• High integrity and discretion with confidential and privileged information.
• Business-minded: understands that the goal is to get deals done and protect the company, not to avoid all risk.
• Coachable, self-directed, and comfortable working independently once trained.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint/OneDrive); experience with contract management or e-signature tools a plus.

Education & Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Licensed and in good standing in at least one U.S. state or the District of Columbia. Arkansas admission is not required. Recent graduates awaiting bar results will be considered; the role will carry the title Legal & Compliance Associate until admission.
• 0–3 years of legal experience in-house, at a law firm (corporate, commercial, IP, or trade practice), in a judicial clerkship, or in a compliance role.
• Coursework or experience in contracts, intellectual property, international trade, or regulatory law is a strong plus.
• Experience in manufacturing, consumer products, retail, licensing, or apparel is a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Primarily sedentary role; ability to remain stationary approximately 80% of the workday.
• Frequent use of computer and standard office equipment.
• Regular written and verbal communication with internal teams and external parties.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.