Chief Legal Officer for Growth & Governance

Sunstate; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 260,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunstate Equipment is creating its first General Counsel role to support growth, governance, and strategic ambitions. Reporting to the CEO, the General Counsel will serve as chief legal officer and trusted advisor to the CEO, ELT, and Board.

The Senior Vice President, General Counsel will build and lead the legal function, provide practical, commercially focused counsel, and enable growth while managing enterprise risk.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Licensed to practice law in Arizona or eligible for Arizona In-House Counsel registration.
• Typically 12+ years of progressively responsible legal experience.
• Demonstrated success advising executive leadership on complex legal and business matters.
• Significant experience negotiating sophisticated commercial agreements.
• Demonstrated experience leading or providing primary legal support for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, or other complex corporate transactions.
• Experience managing outside counsel, litigation strategy, and legal budgets.
• Exceptional business judgment, executive presence, and the ability to communicate complex legal matters in practical business terms.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal legal advisor to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and Board on strategic and legal matters.
• Develop the Company's legal strategy and priorities to support long-term objectives, growth initiatives, and acquisitions.
• Build and continuously improve Sunstate's legal operating model, including governance, policies, templates, and technology.
• Lead negotiation and review of significant commercial agreements across customers, vendors, procurement, technology, and partnerships.
• Establish enterprise contract governance and approval processes that improve consistency, speed, and risk management.
• Provide legal guidance supporting strategic initiatives and executive decision making.
• Oversee corporate governance, entity management, delegated authority, ethics guidance, and enterprise risk.
• Manage significant litigation, disputes, and investigations with outside counsel and budget oversight.
• Partner with HR on executive employment agreements, investigations involving significant risk, and policy reviews.
• Lead legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments, and financing transactions.

Skills

Executive leadership

Commercial acumen

Strategic planning

Communication

Governance

Education

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

Job description

Sunstate Equipment is creating its first General Counsel role to support growth, governance, and strategic ambitions. Reporting to the CEO, the General Counsel will serve as chief legal officer and trusted advisor to the CEO, ELT, and Board.

The Senior Vice President, General Counsel will build and lead the legal function, provide practical, commercially focused counsel, and enable growth while managing enterprise risk.