Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is headquartered globally in Hollywood, California, with European headquarters in East Grinstead, UK, and other European offices in London, UK, Cavan, Ireland, Moerdijk, the Netherlands, and Hamburg, Germany. Fender was born in Southern California and has built a worldwide influence beyond the studio and the stage. A Fender is more than an instrument; it’s a cultural symbol that resonates globally.

As Senior Counsel – EMEA you will be responsible for drafting and negotiating Fender’s commercial contracts and supporting the legal, human resources, and compliance teams in other legal and compliance-related matters, including in the area of employment law. This role calls for a legal professional who can wear multiple hats and someone who loves navigating a never-ending variety of challenges. In this position you will report to Fender’s General Counsel and support our dynamic legal team. This position will be based out of Fender’s European Headquarters in East Grinstead, UK, but may be remote.

Essential Functions:

• Provide day-to-day legal advice and support in connection with various legal matters impacting Fender’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”) region, particularly focusing on the United Kingdom and European Union.
• Provide practical employment-related legal advice to our EMEA human resources team on employment issues including those relating to wage and hour, non-competes, independent contractors, hiring, and compensation.
• Draft, review and negotiate all types of commercial contracts (including confidentiality, vendor, partnership, employment, lease, data processing, and master services agreements) and related documents (including statements of work, amendments, addenda, attachments, forms, etc.).
• Partner with various business units including human resources, finance, supply chain, marketing, and sales to provide legal counsel on a variety of legal issues including employment, litigation, trade, and compliance.
• Provide training to business units in the EMEA region to increase levels of compliance and awareness.
• Develop and maintain up-to-date knowledge and awareness of the musical instrument manufacturing industry and relevant regulatory and/or policy developments and analyze the impact of such developments on Fender’s business in the EMEA region.
• Coordinate with outside counsel as needed when jurisdiction-specific or specialized legal advice or representation is required.
• Lead and take charge of special legal projects from start to finish.
• Prepare responses to administrative agency claims and interact with those external agencies to resolve conflicts.
• Develop and implement internal policies and procedures where appropriate due to legal, regulatory, industry, and business developments.
• Cost effectively monitor and oversee outside counsel and litigation to ensure successful resolution.
• Perform other key legal, advisory, training, and compliance-related tasks as may be required from time to time.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• A European honors degree in law, a juris doctor from an ABA-accredited US law school, or an equivalent legal degree.
• Qualified to practice in England & Wales, or in any EU member-state jurisdiction.
• At least 7+ years of experience in a globally recognized law firm or corporate in-house legal department is required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Fluency in French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and/or German a plus.
• Previous in-house experience in a consumer products company a plus.
• Extensive experience and proven working knowledge of commercial contracts and employment law.
• Ability to multi-task and effectively manage multiple ongoing priorities in a fast-paced business environment.
• Interest in and ability to stay up-to-date on cutting edge legal and regulatory developments that impact Fender’s business in the EMEA region.
• Strong business acumen and communication skills coupled with the ability to provide legal and compliance advice in the context of business initiatives and goals.
• An unwavering attention to detail, paired with excellent partnership management and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to effectively work remotely and still provide an optimal level of service to the business.
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout the UK and EU, and potentially to the US.

About Fender Musical Instruments Corporation:

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is one of the world’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, marketers and distributors, whose portfolio of brands includes Fender®, Squier®, Gretsch®, Jackson®, EVH®, Charvel® and Bigsby®, among others. For more information, visit www.fender.com.