Director, Associate Counsel, Operations

Royal Caribbean Group; Miami (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Caribbean Group is seeking a skilled legal counsel to support various departments including hotel operations and travel services in Miami, Florida. The role involves managing complex transactions, providing strategic legal advice, and drafting contracts.

The ideal candidate will possess a Juris Doctor degree, have 7-10 years of experience, preferably in the cruise or hospitality industry, and hold a Florida Bar membership. Excellent drafting and communication skills are essential for this fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of strong transactional and commercial experience.
• Cruise line or hospitality experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Structure, draft, negotiate, and review contracts.
• Provide strategic legal advice to various operational teams.
• Identify and evaluate risks and propose solutions.

Skills

Excellent drafting ability

Experience managing complex transactions

Innovative approach to solve legal issues

High level of professionalism

Ability to communicate with senior management

Working knowledge of MS Office and contracts management

Education

Juris doctor degree from accredited U.S. law school

Florida Bar membership preferred

Job description

Position Summary

Operates as designated legal counsel for several Royal Caribbean departments supporting a wide variety of matters, including hotel operations, onboard revenue, global tour operations, travel services, food and beverage, human resources, and global safety and security. Provides legal support to operational teams by identifying areas of risk (legal, reputational, and compliance), advising on and guiding the launch of new programs and projects, serving as lead counsel on strategic deals, and providing day‑to‑day legal advice. Legal counsel will also review, negotiate, and prepare various types of contracts, including but not limited to concessionaire agreements, tour operator agreements, master service agreements, and air charter agreements.

Location: Miami, Florida (onsite). This position is not eligible for work authorization sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Structure, draft, negotiate, and review contracts for a wide variety of complex commercial transactions in accordance with company policies and legal requirements.
• Provide strategic legal advice and support hotel operations, onboard revenue, global tour operations, travel services, food and beverage, human resources, and global safety and security teams for each of the Company’s operating brands.
• Work with and actively engage cross‑functional teams, including risk management, accounting, tax, and finance to ensure alignment and best practices for commercial contracts.
• Identify and evaluate risks, propose solutions to mitigate risks, and educate internal stakeholders, including senior leadership, on legal and business risks and tradeoffs in sophisticated commercial deals.
• Perform legal research and risk analysis for new business initiatives and provide business‑oriented counsel and guidance on interpretation of laws, policies, and contract provisions.
• Develop ways to increase efficiency and reduce risk within the Development & Operations legal team, including identifying, developing and implementing improvements to policies, templates, and processes.
• Supervise and manage attorneys, overseeing workload, performance, and the training and development of legal team members.
• Perform other duties as required. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to perform any other job‑related duties assigned by their supervisor or management.

Qualifications and Education

• Juris doctor degree from accredited U.S. law school is required.
• Minimum of 7‑10 years of strong transactional and commercial experience either in a law firm or in‑house and with strong academic credentials.
• Cruise line or hospitality experience preferred.
• Bar membership required; Florida Bar preferred.

Skills

• Excellent drafting ability; must draft contracts, reports, and business correspondence.
• Experience in directing strategy and managing complex transactions in a fast‑paced environment.
• An innovative and effective approach to solve complex legal issues in order to support strategic business initiatives.
• Ability to translate legal advice into actionable guidance for operations and business teams.
• A high level of professionalism, strong work ethic, outstanding legal analysis and business judgment, and the ability to make decisions and assess acceptable levels of business risk.
• Must understand the cruise/hospitality industry and the array of legal issues and challenges facing the company.
• Must be able to work independently and efficiently under time pressures and deadlines in a fast‑paced environment with attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively communicate with senior management; effective public speaking ability.
• Must be highly organized, proactive, responsive, and flexible.
• Ability to handle multiple urgent and important matters while maintaining professional but cordial relations with internal clients.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, DocuSign, contracts management system, and online research tools.

It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.