Senior Legal Counsel - Dairy & MADE (ANZ)

About the role

Danone is looking for an experienced, commercially minded Senior Legal Counsel to join its ANZ team in Melbourne. Reporting to the Head of Legal & Compliance ANZ, the role acts as a trusted legal advisor to the business, supporting the dairy product portfolio and the MADE Group's full product portfolio across Australia and New Zealand. It covers innovation, marketing claims, commercial contracts, procurement, manufacturing and supply point operations, intellectual property and company secretarial matters.

Key responsibilities

• Serve as lead legal counsel for Dairy & MADE across Australia and New Zealand, advising on product innovations, packaging changes, brand activations and commercial initiatives
• Review and advise on advertising, packaging, digital content, social media campaigns, influencer arrangements, sponsorships, competitions and promotions, and support claims review and approval
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements such as supplier, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, services, technology and sustainability contracts
• Support factory and operations stakeholders on manufacturing, production, quality, logistics and supply chain matters, and investigations and remediation
• Lead legal review of sponsorship, partnership and strategic collaboration arrangements, and support corporate projects, restructures and disputes
• Support board and committee governance, including board papers, resolutions and meeting materials
• Manage trademarks and intellectual property, and advise on brand protection and infringements
• Advise on sustainability initiatives, claims and reporting obligations, and monitor FMCG legal and regulatory developments
• Identify and manage legal and compliance risks, support policy implementation and training, and champion ethical business practices

Required profile

• Admitted legal practitioner in Australia or New Zealand
• Minimum 6-8 years post-qualification experience in a leading law firm and/or in-house legal team
• Experience advising FMCG or other consumer goods, food, dairy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing or other highly regulated businesses
• Strong experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts and supporting cross-functional commercial and operational stakeholders
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills
• Highly desirable: previous in-house FMCG or food manufacturing experience, company secretarial or governance experience, manufacturing or infrastructure project experience, and experience advising on marketing, consumer law and claims substantiation

What we offer

• Flexible schedule, including 3 PM finishes every Friday
• Personalised learning and development
• Health, life and salary continuance insurance
• 26 weeks gender-neutral paid parental leave
• Employee share subscription plan and performance-related incentives