Sr. Counsel, Commercial Contracts & Vendor Management

General Mills Operations, LLC; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 150,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

General Mills Operations, LLC in Minneapolis, MN seeks a Senior Counsel to lead commercial contracting and vendor management. The role supports global sourcing, procurement, and supply chain with sophisticated legal guidance on complex agreements.

The successful candidate will draft and negotiate indirect and direct contracts, manage vendor relationships, assess risk, and help scale a new enterprise vendor management function, working across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school.
• Active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (Minnesota preferred).
• 7+ years of post-J.D. experience in commercial contracting across indirect procurement, direct materials, and supply chain.
• Demonstrated dispute resolution experience and ability to craft strategies to resolve complex disputes.
• Proven ability to operate in a large multinational, matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent business judgment and ability to translate legal concepts into actionable guidance.

Responsibilities

• Prepare contracting approach and draft/negotiate a broad range of complex commercial agreements for global sourcing and supply chain.
• Provide legal support for indirect contracts including software licensing, SaaS and tech services, and IP licensing.
• Draft and negotiate direct materials contracts (ingredients, raw materials, packaging).
• Structure external supply chain contracts (co-manufacturing, warehousing, logistics).
• Develop and maintain templates, playbooks, and AI tools to drive efficiency and consistency.
• Identify legal risks and propose risk-mitigating approaches; escalate as needed.
• Partner with Sourcing, Supply Chain, Finance, Digital & Technology, marketing, and leadership to deliver practical legal advice.
• Provide significant legal support to a new enterprise vendor management function.
• Review vendor agreements, identify rights/obligations, and develop negotiation positions and strategies.
• Engage with vendors to resolve disputes and draft settlements; assist with contract renewals and terminations.

Skills

Dispute resolution

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Business judgment

Self-starter

Team collaboration

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Tools

CLM tools

AI legal tech tools

Job description

COMPANY OVERVIEW

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.

Senior Counsel, Commercial Contracts & Vendor Management

General Mills is seeking a Director, Commercial Contracts & Vendor Management to join its Legal Department in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This attorney will serve as a trusted legal advisor to the company’s procurement and supply chain organizations, providing sophisticated counsel on a broad portfolio of complex commercial agreements while also delivering critical legal support to a newly established enterprise vendor management function. This is a high-impact, business-facing role for an experienced transactional attorney who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and is energized by the opportunity to shape legal strategy across a wide range of commercial relationships. The ideal candidate combines deep contracting expertise with the business judgment and dispute resolution skills needed to protect the company’s interests and drive value across its vendor ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Contracting

• Prepare contracting approach for, draft, and negotiate a broad range of complex commercial agreements in support of General Mills’ global Sourcing processes and Supply Chain operations


• Provide key legal support for indirect contracts, including software licensing agreements, SaaS and technology services agreements, professional and consulting services agreements, marketing and advertising agreements, and intellectual property licensing agreements (both inbound and outbound)


• Draft and negotiate direct materials contracts for the procurement of ingredients, raw materials, and packaging materials used in the manufacture of General Mills’ consumer packaged goods products


• Structure and negotiate external supply chain contracts, including contract manufacturing agreements (co-manufacturing/co-packing), warehousing and distribution agreements, transportation and freight agreements, and other logistics and supply chain services agreements


• Develop, maintain, and leverage template agreements, playbooks, contracting guidelines and artificial intelligence tools to drive efficiency and consistency across the procurement legal function


• Identify and assess legal risks and propose risk-mitigating approaches across the commercial contracting portfolio, escalating significant issues to senior leadership as appropriate


• Partner closely with cross-functional stakeholders including Sourcing, Supply Chain, Finance, Digital & Technology, marketing, and business and operating unit leadership to deliver practical, business-oriented legal advice

Enterprise Vendor Management Support

• Provide significant legal support to a new enterprise vendor management function housed within the Sourcing organization


• Review existing vendor agreements to identify, catalog, and assess General Mills’ contractual rights, obligations, and remedies


• Develop negotiating positions and legal strategies to resolve vendor disputes, including disputes related to service levels, pricing, intellectual property, indemnification, and breach of contract


• Engage directly with vendors and their counsel to resolve disputes through negotiation, mediation, or other dispute resolution mechanisms


• Document the resolution of vendor disputes, including drafting settlement agreements, amendments, and related correspondence


• Advise the vendor management team on contract interpretation questions and the exercise of contractual remedies as well as contract renewals, amendments, and terminations


• Collaborate with litigation counsel as needed when vendor disputes escalation beyond informal resolution

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school


• Active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (Minnesota bar admission or eligibility for admission preferred)


• 7+ years of post-J.D. experience in commercial contracting, with substantial hands-on experience across multiple categories of complex commercial agreements (indirect procurement, direct materials, and supply chain/logistics)


• Demonstrated dispute resolution experience, including developing legal strategies and negotiating positions to resolve complex commercial disputes


• Proven ability to work effectively in a large, multinational, matrixed organization with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities


• Strong drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills with meticulous attention to detail


• Excellent business judgment and the ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance for business partners


• Self-starter with the ability to manage a high-volume workload, prioritize effectively, and exercise sound independent judgment

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior in-house experience at, or significant advisory work for, a multinational consumer or manufacturing company


• Commercial contract litigation experience


• Experience supporting vendor management, supplier relationship management, or procurement governance programs


• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools and legal technology platforms, including AI-based tools (e.g., Harvey.AI)


• Experience mentoring sourcing or procurement professionals regarding contract issues and dispute resolution techniques

SALARY RANGE

$149,500 - $249,300 Annual

At General Mills we strive for each employee's pay at any point in their career to reflect their experiences performance and skills for their current role. The salary range for this role represents the numerous factors considered in the hiring decisions including, but not limited to, educations, skills, work experience, certifications, etc. As such, pay for the successful candidate(s) could fall anywhere within the stated range.

Beyond base salary, General Mills offers a competitive Total Rewards package focusing on your overall well‑being. We are proud to offer a foundation of health benefits, retirement and financial wellbeing, time off programs, wellbeing support and perks. Benefits may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors. You may also be eligible to participate in an annual incentive program. An incentive award, if any, depends on various factors, including, individual and organizational performance.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet a minimum 18-year age qualification.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER (EOE)

General Mills is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital or familial status, status regarding public assistance, or membership or activity in a local human rights commission.

If you need to request an accommodation during the application or hiring process, please fill out our online accommodation request form by following this link: Accommodation Request.