Director, Associate Counsel, Operations

Position Summary

The Royal Caribbean Group’s Legal Team is seeking a full-time Director, Associate Counsel, Operations. Reporting to the VP, Assistant General Counsel, Development and Operations, this role is based in Miami, Florida and is not eligible for work authorization sponsorship.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Structure, draft, negotiate, and review contracts for a wide variety of complex commercial transactions in accordance with company policies and legal requirements.
• Provide strategic legal advice and support hotel operations, onboard revenue, global tour operations, travel services, food and beverage, human resources, and global safety and security teams for each of the Company’s operating brands.
• Work with and actively engage cross-functional teams, including risk management, accounting, tax, and finance to ensure alignment and best practices for commercial contracts.
• Identify and evaluate risks, propose solutions to mitigate risks, and educate internal stakeholders, including senior leadership, on legal and business risks and tradeoffs in sophisticated commercial deals.
• Perform legal research and risk analysis for new business initiatives and provide business-oriented counsel and guidance on interpretation of laws, policies, and contract provisions.
• Develop ways to increase efficiency and reduce risk within the Development & Operations legal team, including identifying, developing and implementing improvements to policies, templates, and processes.
• Supervise and manage attorneys, overseeing workload, performance, and the training and development of legal team members.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications and Education

• Juris doctor degree from accredited U.S. law school is required.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of strong transactional and commercial experience either in law firm or in house and with strong academic credentials.
• Cruise line or hospitality experience preferred.
• Bar membership required; Florida Bar preferred.

Knowledge & Skills

• Excellent drafting ability; must draft contracts, reports, and business correspondence.
• Experience in directing strategy and managing complex transactions in a fast-paced environment.
• An innovative and effective approach to solve complex legal issues in order to support strategic business initiatives.
• Able to translate legal advice into actionable guidance for operations and business teams.
• A high level of professionalism, strong work ethic, outstanding legal analysis and business judgment, and the ability to make decisions and assess acceptable levels of business risk.
• Must understand the cruise/hospitality industry and the array of legal issues and challenges facing the company.
• Must be able to work independently and efficiently under time pressures and deadlines in a fast-paced environment with attention to detail.
• Able to effectively communicate with senior management; effective public speaking ability.
• Must be highly organized, proactive, responsive and flexible.
• Able to handle multiple urgent and important matters while maintaining professional but cordial relations with internal clients.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Docusign, contracts management system, and online research tools.