Sr. Director & Managing Counsel - Compensation and Benefits

Walgreens; Deerfield (IL); On-site; USD 175,000 - 284,000; Full time

Job summary

Walgreens is seeking a Senior Director & Managing Counsel, Compensation and Benefits, a high-visibility enterprise legal leadership role. You will oversee all legal matters related to compensation, benefits, and ERISA governance, including health and welfare plans, retirement programs, and executive compensation.

You will partner with HR, Total Rewards, Labor Relations, and external vendors to provide strategic legal guidance, manage risk, and support plan design and administration for the

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school.
• Required Illinois bar membership or active bar in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• At least eight years of legal work experience in corporate or private practice.

Responsibilities

• Formulates and implements legal strategy to support long-term business goals.
• Acts as senior legal leader and primary contact on all legal matters for the assigned division.
• Provides advice to top executives on a broad range of legal issues and public policy.
• Collaborates with legal resources to optimize service delivery and mitigate risk.
• Oversees and directs work of legal staff and external counsel as needed.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Legal counsel

Education

Juris Doctorate

Illinois bar

Tools

Contract drafting

Job description

Job Summary

The Senior Director & Managing Counsel, Compensation and Benefits is a highly visible enterprise legal leadership role with responsibility for all legal matters related to compensation, benefits, and ERISA governance across Walgreens. The position oversees legal support for health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, executive compensation, incentive compensation, sign-on and retention programs, paid leave compliance, ERISA litigation, and employment-related agreements. The role partners closely with executive leadership, HR, Total Rewards, Labor Relations, and external vendors to ensure compliance, mitigate risk, support plan design and administration, and provide strategic legal guidance on complex compensation and benefits matters affecting the organization.

Job Responsibilities

• Formulates and implements legal strategy for an assigned business division to support its long term business goals and objectives. Alternatively, may develop strategies and processes required for successful provision of legal services within a Legal business unit. Accountable for establishing and maintaining the expectations of the business division supported or legal function/service provided.


• Functions as the senior legal leader and primary point of contact on all legal matters for an assigned division or business unit of the Walgreen Company or a legal entity that is part of the Walgreens family of companies and is accountable for delivering accurate, timely and comprehensive legal advice to the entity they serve.


• Provides advice and counsel to the top division executives and the most senior executives of the assigned division or business unit on a broad range of legal issues and to ensure consistency of approach and philosophy, including but not limited to material legal and business matters impacting or potentially impacting the division. Engages business leaders and their teams in public policy, strategy development and execution.


• Collaborates with and creates business solutions with the appropriate legal resources in the Legal division so as to optimize service deliverables, mitigate risk to Walgreens, minimizes the expense associated with the use of outside counsel and drive solutions for the business.


• Identifies high risk areas and creates joint mitigation opportunities for the supported division or in the case of the SME functions, in support of cross-divisional legal interpretations and support.


• Leverages legal expertise and business acumen to support the division in achieving its objectives.


• Identifies process improvements available to the business and ensure that best practices are shared with other Legal Business Partners and the leadership of the Legal Division to facilitate continuous process improvement and effectively avoid unnecessary expenses.


• Oversees and directs the work of law professionals, paraprofessionals and support staff. Directs the allocation of appropriate legal resources to meet divisional objectives and to provide the highest level of customer support. Ensures the ongoing training and development of direct reports.


• Develops and mentors staff through on-boarding, open communication, training and development opportunities and performance management processes; builds and maintains employee morale and motivation; ensures the team is appropriately staffed with required competencies; fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace.


• May select and engage outside counsel to provide critical support on complex legal, regulatory and business issues.


• Acts an integral part of the leadership and fabric of the supported division to facilitate an environment of trust, the timely involvement of appropriate resources from the Legal Division. Garners and effectively utilizes a deep understanding of the operations, strategic direction and industry trends for the supported business unit or legal entity.

About Walgreens

Founded in 1901, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) proudly serves nearly 9 million customers and patients each day across its approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Walgreens has approximately 220,000 team members, including nearly 90,000 healthcare service providers, and is committed to being the first choice for pharmacy, retail and health services, building trusted relationships that create healthier futures for customers, patients, team members and communities.

Basic Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school and at least eight (8) years legal work experience within a corporation and/or private law practice.


• Required licensure to practice law in at least one state


• Required Illinois bar membership or active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction


• Active Illinois bar membership or active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction


• At least five (5) years of experience providing legal advice and counsel to senior business leaders and their teams.


• Experience using time management skills such as prioritizing/organizing and tracking details and meeting deadlines of multiple projects with varying completion dates.


• Experience providing customer service to internal and external customers, including meeting quality standards for services and evaluation of customer satisfaction.


• Experience developing and executing strategies at the business unit level


• At least 5 years of experience contributing to financial decisions in the workplace.


• At least 5 years of direct leadership, indirect leadership and/or cross-functional team leadership.


• Willing to travel up to/at least 25% of the time for business purposes (within state and out of state).

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school and at least eight (8) years post-bar attorney legal work experience within a corporation and/or private law practice

We will consider employment of qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

The Salary below is being provided to promote pay transparency and equal employment opportunities at Walgreens. The actual hourly salary within this range that you will be offered will depend on a variety of factors including geography, skills and abilities, education, experience and other relevant factors. This role will remain open until filled. To review benefits, please click here jobs.walgreens.com/benefits. If you are applying on a job board or unable to click on the link, please copy and paste this URL into your browser jobs.walgreens.com/benefits

Salary Range: $175000 - $284375 / Salaried