Associate General Counsel

SanMar Corp.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 220,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k plan and matches

Life insurance

Short/long-term disability coverage

Paid maternity/paternity leave

Job summary

SanMar, based in the United States, seeks an Associate General Counsel to act as a strategic legal advisor to business leaders, guiding on commercial, operational, and regulatory matters with practical, scalable solutions. The role requires independent judgment and leadership of high-value negotiations and cross-functional initiatives.

You will draft and negotiate complex agreements, advise on international operations, governance, IP, data privacy, and product compliance, and oversee outside

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school and active bar membership
• 7-9 years of corporate legal experience
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements (licensing, manufacturing, distribution, technology)
• Experience managing disputes, investigations, and outside counsel relationships
• Familiarity with employment and labor law, including investigations and disputes
• Governance and entity management experience
• Experience with international operations, cross-border transactions, trade compliance, or cross-border regulatory matters
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into practical business guidance
• Ability to work independently with strong judgment and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication and trust-building with business partners across levels
• Experience in apparel/retail/consumer products industry is a plus

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial agreements, independently managing high-value matters from inception through resolution
• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to business units and senior leadership, identifying risks and offering practical solutions
• Advise on domestic and international operations including sourcing, supply chain, and cross-border trade
• Provide legal counsel on strategic transactions from evaluation through execution, coordinating with outside counsel
• Lead cross-functional projects like market entry, product launches, and expansions
• Manage disputes, investigations, and outside counsel relationships; oversee budgets and resources
• Advise on employment and labor matters including policies, wage/hour compliance, and disputes
• Advise on commercial credit operations and risk management
• Oversee corporate governance, entity formation, and organizational structuring
• Advise on IP, data privacy, regulatory compliance, and product commercialization initiatives
• Monitor regulatory developments in product safety and compliance
• Develop templates, playbooks, policies; lead training to improve scalability and risk management
• Perform other duties as assigned and comply with policies

Skills

Corporate legal experience

Complex commercial agreements

Negotiation

Disputes & outside counsel mgmt

Employment law familiarity

Governance & entity mgmt

International operations & trade

Independent judgment & prioritization

Communication & relationship building

Industry knowledge: apparel/retail/CP

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

At SanMar, the work you do makes a difference.

What's the Short Version?

The Associate General Counsel serves as a strategic legal advisor to business leaders across the company, providing practical guidance on complex commercial, operational, and regulatory matters. This role requires substantial independent judgment to manage significant legal projects, lead high-value negotiations and cross-functional initiatives, develop scalable legal processes, and partner closely with executive leadership to support business growth while managing commercial, financial, operational, and reputational risk.

What Will You Be Doing?

• Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial agreements (partnerships, licensing, manufacturing, distribution, MSAs, technology, vendor/supplier arrangements, leases, and capital improvement and operational services contracts), independently managing high-value matters from inception through resolution.
• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to business units and senior leadership, partnering cross-functionally to identify risks, develop practical solutions, and support strategic initiatives.
• Advise on domestic and international operations, including sourcing, supply chain, logistics, freight and shipping, manufacturing, distribution, cross-border trade, import/export compliance, and government relations.
• Provide legal counsel on domestic and international strategic business transactions, including investments, financings, joint ventures, acquisitions, and corporate restructurings, from initial evaluation and due diligence through execution, coordinating with outside counsel as needed.
• Lead complex cross-functional projects such as new market entry, product launches, and operational expansions, coordinating legal input across subject areas.
• Manage disputes, investigations, claims, and pre‑litigation matters; oversee outside counsel relationships, legal budgets, and efficient use of legal resources.
• Advise on employment and labor matters, including employee relations, workplace policies, wage and hour compliance, leave administration, employment‑related disputes, and management of employment litigation and agency proceedings.
• Advise on commercial credit operations, including customer credit policies, risk assessment frameworks, secured transactions, and management of collections and recovery matters.
• Oversee corporate governance, entity formation and maintenance, subsidiary management, and organizational structuring matters.
• Advise on intellectual property, branding, marketing, advertising, and product commercialization initiatives, as well as data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and other technology‑related matters.
• Advise on product safety and regulatory compliance across federal, state, and international requirements, and monitor relevant legal developments.
• Build and maintain contract templates, negotiation playbooks, legal policies, and operational best practices; lead process improvement initiatives and deliver training designed to improve scalability, efficiency, and risk management across the organization.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Comply with all policies and standards.

What Are We Looking For?

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing
• 7-9 years of corporate legal experience
• Licensed Attorney (varies by state)
• Strong foundation in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including licensing, manufacturing, distribution, and technology arrangements
• Experience managing disputes, investigations, and outside counsel relationships
• Familiarity with employment and labor law, including employee relations, workplace investigations, and employment‑related disputes
• Background in corporate governance and entity management
• Track record of building scalable legal processes, templates, playbooks, or training programs is preferred
• Experience with international operations, cross‑border transactions, trade compliance, customs, import/export regulations, supply chain, government relations, or cross‑border regulatory matters is a meaningful plus.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into practical business guidance
• Comfortable working independently, exercising substantial judgment on high-value matters, and managing multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment
• Strong communicator who builds trust with business partners across all levels of the organization
• Experience in the apparel, retail, wholesale, or consumer products industry is preferred but not required. Exposure to intellectual property, data privacy, technology transactions, product regulatory matters, or corporate transactions (M&A, investments, restructurings) is a plus

What's Our Offer?

Salary Range: You’ll earn between $220,000 - $270,000 annually, depending on experience.

Bonus: You’ll be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus up to 20% of base salary.

Paid Time Off: You’ll accrue paid time off on a bi‑weekly basis based on hours worked up to 152 hours per year to start. Employees also receive 8 paid holidays and 1 paid family day off.

Additional Benefits:

• 401k plan and matches $1 for $1 up to 4% of earnings, matched & vested at every pay cycle
• Life insurance
• Short/long‑term disability coverage
• Paid maternity/paternity leave

What Should You Expect?

Remote: Our standard working hours are 8:00-5:00 PST. Periodic travel may be required. The employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods while working on a computer and participating in virtual and in‑person meetings. Frequent use of hands for keyboarding and standard office equipment is required. Occasional standing, walking, and reaching may be needed to attend meetings or collaborate in an office setting. The role requires the ability to perform close visual work on a computer for extended periods. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 10–15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Why Work at SanMar?

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. They bring their talent, passion and dedication to work with them every day. Their hard work inspires us and gives us purpose. We love working here together.

Whether you work in our headquarters, from your home or in one of our distribution centers across North America, we believe that investing in you is just the right thing to do. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support your health and well-being, life balance, career growth and (eventually) retirement.

SanMar works with brands you already know, like Nike, The North Face and Brooks Brothers, as well as providing industry‑leading private label apparel and accessories. Our people come to work excited to do their part, providing clothing that helps people feel that they’re a part of something special.

Here’s your chance to be a part of this story. If you’re ready to work in a place where your participation matters and your growth is a priority, we’re ready for you.

SanMar is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, whoever you love or follow in faith, whatever your disability or superpower status, whichever ethnicity or gender you identify with, you are welcome at SanMar.

SanMar participates in E-Verify.