Senior Legal Counsel

Kiwa North America is seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Legal Counsel to support our legal team with a wide range of legal tasks. The ideal candidate will have experience in legal research, drafting, and reviewing documents, managing case files, contracts review and negotiation. This role is essential to ensuring the smooth operation of our legal department and requires a professional with excellent communication skills and a proactive attitude.

Responsibilities

Corporate Governance:

• Assist with corporate governance matters, including entity management, board resolutions, and compliance with internal policies.
• Maintain corporate records and ensure compliance with statutory requirements.

Regulatory Compliance:

• Ensure the company adheres to applicable laws and industry regulations, including data privacy, employment law, and trade compliance.

Risk Management:

• Identify potential legal risks and provide strategic solutions to mitigate liability and exposure
• Dispute Resolution and Litigation Support:
• Assist in handling disputes, managing external counsel, and responding to claims, subpoenas, government investigations or regulatory inquiries
• Develop practical, business‑oriented solutions to minimize exposure and support strategic decision‑making.

Employment and HR Matters:

• Provide guidance on employment law, workplace policies, and employee relations issues.
• Legal Research and Policy Development/Implementation:
• Conduct research on statutes, case law, and regulations relevant to the company’s legal matters.
• Summarize findings and provide recommendations
• Assist with development and implementation of company policies, ensuring they align with current laws and best practices.

Contracts Review and Negotiation:

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including customer, vendor, supplier, and partnership contracts.
• Maintain organized and secure filing systems for physical and electronic documents.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school
• Active license to practice law in Texas
• 5+ years of experience in corporate law, preferably in-house
• Experience in corporate, commercial, or litigation environments is an advantage

Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent negotiation and contract drafting abilities
• Ability to work independently while collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Business-oriented mindset with the ability to balance legal risks with commercial objectives
• Experience with international contracts and cross-border transactions.
• Familiarity with industry standards such as ISO, ASTM, or API.
• Knowledge of safety and environmental regulations in Oil & Gas or TIC sectors.

Location: Houston, TX, 77024

Schedule: Full-time

About Kiwa:

Kiwa North America is part of the Kiwa Group. The company was established in 1948 in the Netherlands and provides safety-related certification, testing, inspection, auditing, advising and training services to a wide range of clients, including manufacturers, service companies and consumers. Kiwa is a fast growing company and employs over 10.000 people in 35 countries. The total Revenue is around 1.3 billion Euro(www.kiwa.com). Since 2021 Kiwa is part of the SHV Group. SHV is a Dutch family-owned multinational company with more than 60,000 employees and a turnover of euro 26 billion (www.shv.nl). Kiwa offers strong benefit package, including Health Insurance, 401k plan with company contribution, health and childcare spending/savings accounts, paid time off and more