Corporate Counsel, Home Energy

Kohler (Rehlko); Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Kohler (Rehlko) seeks a Corporate Counsel in Milwaukee, WI to serve as a strategic legal partner to senior leaders. You will negotiate complex commercial agreements, manage risk, and provide enterprise-wide legal guidance across governance, compliance, and contracting processes.

This role focuses on cross-border initiatives, external counsel management, and proactive mitigation of regulatory and reputational risk to support growth and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Leadership in strategic legal matters and enterprise risk.
• Experience negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Advising executives on governance and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Serve as strategic legal partner to President of Home Energy and senior leaders.
• Lead drafting, negotiation, and review of complex commercial agreements.
• Ensure agreements align with risk appetite and policies.
• Collaborate with global legal teams and manage outside counsel.

Skills

Strategic counsel

Contract negotiation

Risk management

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Active US state bar admission

Job description

Why Work at Rehlko

Our work is guided by our purpose: creating an energy-resilient world for a better future. This purpose embodies the legacy we bring, with more than 100 years as the global leader in energy resilience, delivering solutions critical to sustain and improve life.Our teams have the opportunity to provide a critical resource - energy - that ensures safety, security, and independence for people around the world. Our team members are focused on pushing boundaries, continuing to innovate in an ever-changing landscape, and keeping up with the pace required to create solutions for today's world demands.Our product range includes engines, generators, power conversion, UPS systems, EV components and electrification solutions, microgrid controls and management, and clean energy solutions that serve a broad spectrum of OEM, residential, industrial, and commercial customers. At Rehlko, you have the freedom to identify, create, and deliver solutions - large and small - that help people and communities thrive in the moments that matter.At Rehlko, our team members are the essential energy that powers our organization's success. We are committed to fostering a safe and sustainable work environment where safety is everyone's responsibility. We empower every team member to actively participate in our Zero Is Possible safety culture by encouraging open communication, proactively reporting hazards, following protocols, and suggesting improvements. Join us in creating an energy resilient world for a better future!

What We Offer

At Rehlko, our Total Rewards programs are designed to accelerate growth, energize performance, and support a culture of inclusion at every stage of life and work. We offer total rewards that are easily understood, recognize results, enable career mobility, and reflect our commitment to valuing diverse needs in a fast-moving world. We provide:

• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Work-life flexibility
• Recognition and rewards
• Development and career opportunities
• A safe and inclusive workplace

Why You Will Love this Job

The Corporate Counsel will report directly to the President of Home Energy. This role is a strategic legal partner to executive and functional leaders, responsible for leading complex commercial contracting matters and delivering enterprise-level legal risk management. The position provides strategic counsel on high-impact transactions, negotiates and structures commercially sound agreements, drives scalable contracting processes, and proactively mitigates legal, regulatory, and reputational risk in support of growth, customer commitments, and operational excellence.

Specific Responsibilities

• Serves as a strategic legal point of contact for leadership and key stakeholders.
• Delivers pragmatic daily guidance and strategic, risk-focused counsel to business leaders, effectively balancing legal risk, deal speed, and commercial goals.
• Leads the strategic negotiation, drafting, and review of a broad portfolio of complex commercial agreements, including (without limitation) customer and supplier agreements, distribution/channel agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, IT agreements, professional services and consulting agreements, NDAs, and leases.
• Ensures agreements align with the company's strategic goals, risk appetite, contracting policies, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Collaborates strategically with the global legal team to align positions, share best practices, and support cross-border initiatives; may mentor junior counsel and/or contract professionals and manage outside counsel to ensure high-quality, cost-effective support.
• Provides support for corporate governance activities, including preparing and reviewing board and committee materials, resolutions, and meeting minutes, and advising stakeholders on governance best practices.
• Supports legal entity management, including maintenance of corporate records and coordination of filings in partnership with internal teams and external registered agent/corporate services providers.
• Ensures compliance with corporate governance requirements.
• Manages external service providers.
• Provides HR functional leaders with legal support for various employment activities, including recruitment, disciplinary action, and terminations.
• Monitors and assesses the legal and regulatory landscape affecting the company's operations.
• Identifies potential legal risks and provides proactive advice and solutions to mitigate them.
• Supports corporate ethics and compliance activities, to include participating in investigations.

Education & Experience

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA‑accredited law school, with a strong academic record.
• Active admission to practice law and in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar; must satisfy all applicable licensing and professional responsibility requirements.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible post‑qualification legal experience, including substantial experience