Legal Counsel, Manufacturing

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal guidance on a broad range of employment and labor law matters, including employee relations, workplace conduct, disciplinary actions, performance management, leaves of absence, accommodations, and wage and hour compliance
• Lead or support workplace investigations
• Partner closely with HR on various workforce planning initiatives
• Aid in the development, implementation, and enforcement of employment policies and procedures across manufacturing sites, ensuring alignment with federal, state, and local laws
• Support employment-related immigration initiatives, including coordination with outside immigration counsel on visas, work authorization, compliance, and related workforce planning matters
• Support workplace safety and environmental compliance efforts in coordination with EHS and operations teams
• Assist with government inspections, audits, and regulatory inquiries
• Help develop and implement consistent site-level protocols for regulatory engagement and incident response
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including construction, vendor, supplier, logistics, and services contracts
• Advise on contract disputes, claims, and resolutions while preserving business relationships
• Provide day-to-day legal support to manufacturing and construction operations, with a strong onsite presence
• Identify legal and operational risks early and provide practical, business-focused solutions
• Design, develop, and deliver practical legal and compliance training for plant leadership, supervisors, and employees to promote legally compliant decision-making and effective documentation
• Oversee litigation, claims, and pre-litigation disputes arising from manufacturing, construction, employment, commercial, and regulatory matters
• Serve as the primary internal point of contact for outside counsel, including selection, budgeting, strategy alignment, and performance management
• Coordinate with risk management and insurers to manage insurance claims
• Track litigation matters, assess risk exposure, and provide regular updates and recommendations to the General Counsel and business leadership
• Support operations in a multi-national environment, partnering with global stakeholders and outside counsel as needed
• Assist with cross-border supplier relationships, intercompany agreements, and international operational matters

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant legal experience, preferably supporting manufacturing
• Active license to practice law in Indiana (required); Kentucky license is strongly preferred
• Experience with employment law, end-to-end contract negotiation and management, OSHA/workplace safety, and regulatory compliance