Senior Legal Director, Strategy and M&A

Johnson Controls; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 184,000 - 276,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson Controls is seeking a senior M&A attorney to join the global team in Milwaukee or DC, reporting to the Chief M&A Counsel. You will advise senior leadership on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and equity investments with a business-minded risk approach.

The role requires leading complex transactions, collaborating across functions, and managing external counsel and expenses while delivering practical, strategic guidance.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree and admission to a US state bar.
• Minimum of 10+ years of legal experience.
• Substantial M&A transactional experience at a large law firm, including cross-border M&A.
• In-house experience is preferred, especially with a large multinational publicly-traded company.
• Knowledge of antitrust and competition law.
• Venture capital experience is a plus.
• Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin or the Washington, DC area.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple, complex M&A transactions in a fast-paced department.
• Advise on legal issues related to deal structure and documentation.
• Lead negotiations on complex M&A transactions across jurisdictions.
• Draft and/or review transaction documents with external counsel.
• Translate legal terms into identifiable business risks and recommendations.

Skills

M&A experience

Cross-border M&A

Negotiation

Legal drafting/review

In-house experience

Antitrust knowledge

Venture capital experience

Team collaboration

Education

Law degree / JD and US bar

In-house experience preferred

Job description

This position will join the legal team reporting to the Chief M&A Counsel and provide legal support for Johnson Controls’ global M&A activities. In this role you will advise senior leadership and the Strategy and Acquisition Office on all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and equity investments. The transactionsthat you work on willhave significant strategic value to the company. The ideal candidate will have strong technical skills and the ability to provide efficient and effective representation using a practical business-minded approach to risk assessment.

The candidate will need the ability to:

• lead multiple, complex M&A transactions in a fast paced, energetic department of experienced M&A professionals
• ability to operate in a global environment and collaborate among functions, regions, business units, and internal and external counsel.
• advise on legal issues related to deal structure and documentation
• lead negotiations on complex M&A transactions spanning multiple jurisdictions
• draft and/or review with external counsel all relevant transaction documentation
• think creatively, provide practical and pragmatic advice, and drive improvements in transaction processes and execution
• manage external legal expenses and providing regular reports to management on deal status
• work independently, be a self-starter and be proactive
• be a team player with exceptional interpersonal skills, a sense of humor, unquestionable ethics and integrity, and sound judgment
• work well laterally both with other attorneys and with clients.
• be organized and hard-working, ability to maintain focus while managing complex projects simultaneously in a fast-paced work environment, and manage people and tasks to deadline.
• communicate professionally and effectively, write clearly and concisely, translate legal implications of contract terms into identifiable business risks and make recommendations based on a considered risk-benefit analysis

Key requirements are:

• Law degree and member of US state bar
• Minimum of 10+years legal experience
• Substantial M&A transactional experience at a large law firm, including cross-border M&A experience
• In-house experience preferred, particularly with a large multinational publicly-traded company
• knowledge of antitrust and competition law
• experience with venture capital a plus
• Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin or Washington, DC area

Hiring Salary Range:

$184,000-276,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.) This role offers a competitive Bonus plan that will take into account individual, group, and corporate performance. This position includes a competitive benefits package. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us

Johnson Controls International plc. is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law. To view more information about your equal opportunity and non-discrimination rights as a candidate, visit EEO is the Law . If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit here .