Deputy General Counsel, Commercial

We are seeking an experienced and innovative senior commercial lawyer and leader to support Thomson Reuters' ambitious growth plans and transform our commercial contracting operations and organization. This role requires a strategic leader who can enhance, streamline and automate global processes and build strong business partnerships. The successful candidate will possess a unique blend of legal expertise, technological acumen, and leadership skills, and will play a critical role in shaping the future of our commercial operations.

Reporting into the Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary, the Deputy General Counsel, Commercial will contribute to the success of Thomson Reuters, both in your capacity as a lawyer and as a member of the General Counsel's Office leadership team. You will have primary responsibility for leading our global commercial contracting team of ~50, which supports the Company's go-to-market efforts and is the GCO's largest practice group. You will have the experience and capability to handle/oversee a broad range of complex legal, compliance and transactional matters including commercial contracts, licenses, partnership agreements and strategic alliances.

Major Responsibilities / Accountabilities:

• Build and lead a global, high-performance team of that is responsible for the review, drafting and negotiation of a wide range of commercial agreements with customers, vendors, resellers and other third parties, including data licenses, software and intellectual property agreements and other complex commercial agreements.
• Identify legal, regulatory and compliance requirements and risks associated with business initiatives and develop and implement appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Provide practical and insightful business and strategic advice, leveraging deep experience in the practice of law and the legal profession.
• Transform the commercial contracting function, including end to end processes for deal management, drafting, negotiation and ongoing operations.
• Build SaaS best practices into commercial contracting, ensuring intellectual property is protected and that subscription and licensing agreements are clear and enforceable.
• Drive the transformation of contracting processes by implementing process improvement and AI/automation solutions to increase efficiency, accuracy, and speed.
• Collaborate closely with business and sales teams to understand their needs and enhance partnership effectiveness, ensuring legal strategies align with business objectives.
• Develop and implement innovative legal strategies that support business growth and risk management.
• Participate as a member of the leadership team for the General Counsel's Office.
• Participate and designate others to serve as members of the leadership teams of our Customer Segments.
• Co-ordinate hiring and supervision of external counsel. Occasional travel on an as-needed basis.
• Operate within given budget guidelines and resources and uphold departmental code of conduct and guidelines.

Location: The ideal candidate for this role will be based in one of our hub locations in Zug, Toronto, Minneapolis or Dallas and will work in a hybrid environment.

The ideal candidate for the Deputy General Counsel, Commercial role will possess the following:

Skills and Experience:

• Education/ Certifications Required: Law degree and current practicing lawyer.
• Significant post qualification experience in private practice and/or as in-house corporate legal counsel.
• Deep SaaS industry experience.
• Exceptional legal and legal professional management skills and experience.
• Extensive experience transforming global legal organizations, including implementing technology and AI-based solutions in a SaaS based organization.
• Strong commercial experience in negotiating relevant agreements, including support agreements, license agreements, confidentiality agreements and enterprise agreements.
• Demonstrable ability to draft and negotiate complex commercial agreements.
• Demonstrated expertise in transforming commercial contracting processes.
• Strong understanding of business operations, with the ability to align legal strategies with business goals.
• Proven ability to lead and inspire a team, driving change and fostering a collaborative environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think strategically and make data-driven decisions.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to drive execution, put colleagues in position to succeed and develop/elevate your team on an ongoing basis.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively, to identify and resolve legal issues.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, negotiation, organization, and analytical skills, and an aptitude for problem-solving.

#LI-PFF

What's in it For You?
You will join our inclusive culture of world-class talent, where we are committed to your personal and professional growth through:

• Hybrid Work Model: We've adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected

• Wellbeing: Comprehensive benefit plans; flexible and supportive benefits for work-life balance: flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days Off; work from another location for up to a total of 8 weeks in a year, 4 of those weeks can be out of the country and the remaining in the country, Headspace app subscription; retirement, savings, tuition reimbursement, and employee incentive programs; resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.

• Culture: Globally recognized and award-winning reputation for equality, diversity and inclusion, flexibility, work-life balance, and more.

• Learning & Development: LinkedIn Learning access; internal Talent Marketplace with opportunities to work on projects cross-company; Ten Thousand Coffees Thomson Reuters cafe networking.

• Social Impact: Ten employee-driven Business Resource Groups; two paid volunteer days annually; Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives for local and global impact.

• Purpose Driven Work: We have a superpower that we've never talked about with as much pride as we should - we are one of the only companies on the planet that helps its customers pursue justice, truth and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.

Do you want to be part of a team helping re-invent the way knowledge professionals work? How about a team that works every day to create a more transparent, just and inclusive future? At Thomson Reuters, we've been doing just that for almost 160 years. Our industry-leading products and services include highly specialized information-enabled software and tools for legal, tax, accounting and compliance professionals combined with the world's most global news services - Reuters. We help these professionals do their jobs better, creating more time for them to focus on the things that matter most: advising, advocating, negotiating, governing and informing.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments that celebrate diversity and inclusion. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

Accessibility

As a global business, we rely on diversity of culture and thought to deliver on our goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on https://thomsonreuters.com.