General Counsel

About the role

Korn Ferry has partnered with a private equity-backed manufacturing company to find an experienced General Counsel.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute an enterprise legal strategy that supports growth, acquisitions, and shareholder value creation.
• Advise the CEO, Board, and executive leadership team on governance, fiduciary responsibilities, strategic transactions, and enterprise risk.
• Lead legal matters across commercial, corporate, employment, labor, litigation, intellectual property, environmental, regulatory, and international areas.
• Build and lead a scalable global legal organization and outside counsel strategy.
• Support complex domestic and international mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and integration activities.
• Oversee enterprise compliance, ethics, investigations, trade compliance, privacy, cybersecurity, and environmental regulatory matters.
• Lead the legal workstream for IPO readiness in partnership with the CEO, CFO, Board, private equity sponsors, investment banks, auditors, and external securities counsel.
• Develop and execute an IPO readiness roadmap, including the identification and remediation of legal, governance, and compliance gaps.
• Oversee legal due diligence and the preparation and review of Securities and Exchange Commission registration documents, including the S-1 Registration Statement.
• Design the company's public company governance framework, including Board committee structures, charters, governance guidelines, and delegation of authority.
• Establish disclosure controls, document retention requirements, insider trading policies, executive stock ownership policies, and related governance processes.
• Prepare the organization for ongoing public company filings, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K, proxy statements, and Section 16 reporting.
• Advisory leadership on securities law, material disclosures, earnings communications, investor presentations, shareholder communications, and capital markets transactions.

Requirements

• Prior experience serving as General Counsel of a publicly traded company.
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible legal leadership experience.
• Experience with public company governance, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting, securities law compliance, and Board matters.
• Experience supporting capital markets transactions, debt financings, and strategic corporate restructuring.
• Experience in industrial manufacturing, engineered products, electrical infrastructure, utilities, or another complex industrial sector.
• Experience operating in a global manufacturing environment across North America and international markets.
• Experience serving as Corporate Secretary to a Board of Directors.
• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.

Qualifications

• Commercially minded legal executive who can enable growth while protecting enterprise value.
• Comfortable advising a Board, partnering with executive leadership and private equity sponsors, navigating complex transactions, and translating legal issues into practical business decisions.

Skills

• Strong commercial judgment and business acumen.
• Credibility with Boards, investors, executives, and external advisors.
• Ability to simplify complex legal matters into practical business guidance.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• High ethical standards, integrity, and sound judgment.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, rapid growth, and organizational transformation.
• Clear and effective executive communication.
• A practical approach that supports business growth while maintaining appropriate governance and risk management.

Benefits

Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina (in office 5 days)

Travel: Approximately 25%

Compensation: $350,000 to $450,000/annually + bonus and long-term incentive

SE: 510814010