Counsel - Mergers & Acquisitions

Preferred location: Beachwood, Ohio at Eaton's US HQ. Remote talent will be considered with travel as needed.

About the role

Eaton’s legal organization is seeking a dynamic and passionate individual to serve as Counsel – Mergers & Acquisitions within the Mergers & Acquisitions team. Reporting to the Vice President & Chief Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions, this role is a critical position focused on all mergers and acquisition legal activities. The Counsel will advise and provide strategic counsel on acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, restructuring transactions, investments, and other strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including Eaton deal teams, legal, financial advisors, investment bankers, and regulatory authorities, to ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex transaction agreements, including preliminary agreements, purchase agreements, merger agreements, subscription and shareholder agreements, and other related documents.
• Conduct thorough legal due diligence to identify and mitigate potential risks and liabilities.
• Provide legal advice, counsel, and service to Strategy and Corporate Development, business, and legal teams in connection with M&A and corporate development matters.
• Oversee the integration of acquired businesses and joint ventures from a legal perspective, ensuring seamless transitions and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Provide guidance and training within Eaton on M&A topics and on managing joint venture and equity investments.
• Serve as project manager on transactions from the legal perspective, including coordination of advice from other legal team members and outside counsel.
• Manage and supervise outside counsel on transactions as necessary, including monitoring and forecasting external spend.
• Develop and institute standardized processes for transactions and post-transaction requirements and for joint venture and equity investment management.
• Stay current with developments in M&A law and regulations.
• Manage and mentor legal professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive post-law degree experience in mergers & acquisitions or related areas.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and closing complex M&A transactions.
• Ability to travel up to 10%, some globally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Substantive knowledge and experience with cross-border M&A transactions and other corporate transactions, acquisition integration, cash management, tax strategy, transfer pricing, and joint venture management.
• Previous law firm experience strongly preferred.
• Expertise in strategic planning and ability to connect objectives and strategy, and to coordinate projects across functions and with team members worldwide.
• Talent development of team members across Eaton’s legal organization and M&A community.
• Demonstrated experience working with legal and non-legal executives, including developing and presenting strategy, advocating and influencing, coaching and advising, and providing direct feedback.

Skills

• Solid influencing and organization skills.
• Strong executive presence, including demonstrated experience presenting, reporting out, and influencing at the executive level.
• Competitive and business-minded with a practical approach that balances risk management with commercial realities.
• Highly responsive and service-oriented; thrives in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment; able to earn trust with experienced corporate development and M&A professionals.
• Highly developed sense of judgment and risk management skills, with proven ability to think globally.
• Ability to think and act strategically.
• Good problem solver; able to analyze, evaluate, and distill complex qualitative and quantitative data and issues into workable parts and report on same.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication and platform skills; ability to communicate and relate at all levels of the company to enforce standards where necessary in a persuasive manner.

Pay

The expected potential annual salary range for this role is $220,000 to $260,000 a year. This role is also eligible for a variable incentive program.

Benefits

Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.