Associate General Counsel, Commercial and Procurement

About the role

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including foodservice, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs. Our Sustainability Commitment The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

We are a dynamic industrial company committed to building the future through operational excellence, innovation, and integrity. As our business continues to transform and grow, we are investing in people who are energized by change, motivated by meaningful work, and eager to help shape a modern legal and compliance function. Our culture is collaborative, pragmatic, and forward-looking. We value leaders who can balance legal risk with business objectives, communicate clearly across functions, and bring practical solutions to complex operational challenges. This is an opportunity to join a company where legal is viewed as a strategic partner, where your voice will matter, and where you will have the chance to help strengthen the contractual infrastructure that supports customer relationships as well as sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and logistics in a visible, high-impact role.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Associate General Counsel, Commercial and Procurement to join our legal team in either our Lake Forest, Illinois or Charlotte, North Carolina location in a hybrid capacity. This role is ideal for a highly capable attorney with 15+ years of experience in commercial contracting, procurement, supply chain and related transactional matters who is excited to work at the intersection of strategic deal support, operational continuity, proactive risk management, and scalable contracting operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee drafting and negotiation of complex, high-value commercial agreements, including supplier, procurement, services, outsourcing, licensing, and strategic partnership contracts.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior business and functional leaders on commercial risk, deal structure, and contract strategy.
• Establish negotiation strategies and risk positions for mission-critical transactions involving pricing, payment terms, warranties, indemnities, limitations of liability, intellectual property, quality expectations, service levels, continuity of supply and termination rights.
• Partner closely with sales, procurement, operations, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, IT, HR, and other stakeholders to enable scalable and efficient contracting processes.
• Drive the development and continuous improvement of commercial contract templates, playbooks, and policies to promote consistency, supplier governance and disciplined risk management.
• Provide guidance on legal and regulatory considerations impacting commercial agreements, including data protection, operational risk and privacy issues related to vendor relationships.
• Contribute leadership, mentorship, and best practices within the legal department and support broader corporate initiatives as needed.
• Perform or assist in special projects as directed by the Deputy General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Required Qualifications:
  • J.D. from an accredited law school
    • Active state bar membership in good standing
  • Minimum of 15 years of progressive commercial and transactional legal experience, including serving as the primary legal lead for complex, enterprise-level commercial agreements.
    • Demonstrated ability to set negotiation strategy, assess and approve risk positions, and advise senior business leaders on high-value transactions.
  • Significant experience with customer, supplier, services, sourcing and other operational agreements; experience supporting manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, or industrial contracting environments strongly preferred.
    • Proven ability to advise senior leaders and deliver practical, business-focused legal solutions in a fast-paced environment.
  • Experience operating with a high degree of autonomy and limited supervision in a fast-paced, enterprise environment.
    • In-house experience in manufacturing, consumer products, or similar operational industries is a plus.
  • Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including presentation skills and the ability to communicate and influence at all levels within the organization.
  • Sharp analytical skills, sound discretion, and the ability to handle confidential matters with professionalism.
    • Team-oriented with the ability to contribute effectively in highly collaborative, high-performing environments.

Desired but not required

• Training from a large, top-tier law firm
  • Prior in-house experience supporting an industrial, manufacturing, or other operationally complex business

What Success Looks Like

• Leading complex commercial, procurement and supply chain transactions efficiently while balancing legal risk with business objectives.
• Building trust with internal stakeholders by providing timely, practical, and business-focused legal advice.
• Strengthening commercial contracting processes through clear templates, playbooks, and consistent risk-management practices that support supplier and operational discipline.
• Bringing discipline and visibility to contract negotiation, issue escalation, and cross-functional decision-making on high-value transactions affecting supply continuity and operational performance.
• Helping the legal department operate as a modern, strategic, and solution-oriented partner to the business.

Why Join Us

This is a compelling opportunity for an attorney who wants a broad, high-impact role as a senior commercial legal leader with meaningful visibility across the enterprise, supporting a large-scale, operationally driven business and partnering closely with leadership on critical commercial and procurement matters. You will work closely with senior legal leadership, partner across the organization, and play an important role in shaping how the company negotiates commercial contracts, manages risk, and builds scalable, business-friendly contracting practices.

Compensation

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $245-275,000 + bonus + benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. At Novolex, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

Company Benefits

• Benefits With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits that include medical, dental and vision insurance as well as a variety of other well-being resources focused on mental, physical and financial health.
  • Specific benefits and well-being programs may vary depending on where you work.
• Community Engagement At Novolex, giving back to the local communities that support us is important. Our Focused Giving Program prioritizes support for organizations whose missions promote sustainability initiatives or address food and hunger needs. We also encourage facility level support of activities in the communities where our employees live and work.

Technical / Professional Skills

• Experience working with a CLM platform.
  • Comfortable using or learning AI-enabled legal tools for contract review, workflow support, issue spotting, and productivity enhancement
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
  • Ability to synthesize complex legal issues into practical, business-oriented advice

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