Senior Manager Legal litigation and corporate affairs

Role & responsibilities

Corporate Lawyer Litigation & Compliance

Industry: Manufacturing / Automotive / Engineering
Experience: 10–15 Years
Employment Type: Full-time
Function: Legal & Corporate Affairs
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Employer: Leading Manufacturing Organization

Role Overview

We are looking for an accomplished Corporate Lawyer with 10–15 years of experience to join the legal team of a large, established manufacturing organization.

The role requires a strong combination of litigation management, regulatory and statutory compliance, corporate legal advisory, and stakeholder management. The successful candidate should have substantial in-house legal experience within a manufacturing, automotive, engineering, industrial, or allied organization and be comfortable handling complex legal matters across multiple business functions and locations.

Key Responsibilities

Litigation Management

• Manage civil, commercial, consumer, labour, employment and other litigation involving the organization.
• Handle matters before courts, tribunals, statutory authorities and other judicial/quasi-judicial forums.
• Coordinate closely with external advocates, law firms and senior counsels for ongoing litigation.
• Prepare and review notices, replies, pleadings, affidavits, petitions and other litigation-related documentation.
• Track litigation matters, legal exposures, hearing dates, outcomes and action points.
• Develop litigation strategy in consultation with internal stakeholders and external counsel.
• Drive timely closure and resolution of disputes while protecting the organization's legal and commercial interests.
• Manage pre-litigation disputes and support negotiation, mediation and settlement wherever appropriate.

Compliance & Regulatory

• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and statutory requirements relevant to manufacturing operations.
• Monitor changes in legislation and assess their impact on the business.
• Work with business functions to strengthen the organization's compliance framework.
• Support periodic legal and compliance audits across functions and locations.
• Identify compliance gaps and recommend appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain appropriate compliance documentation, records and reporting mechanisms.
• Partner with internal stakeholders on implementation of policies, SOPs and statutory requirements.
• Support interactions with government departments, regulators and statutory authorities wherever required.

Corporate Legal Advisory

• Provide practical legal advice to business teams on day-to-day operational and commercial matters.
• Advise management on legal risks arising from business decisions, operational issues and disputes.
• Review and interpret applicable legislation, regulatory requirements and contractual obligations.
• Support senior leadership in evaluating legal exposure and developing appropriate risk-mitigation strategies.
• Provide legal guidance to HR, procurement, operations, finance, sales and other business functions.

Contracts & Documentation

• Review, draft and negotiate commercial agreements, vendor agreements, service agreements, NDAs, purchase arrangements and other business contracts.
• Identify contractual risks and recommend appropriate safeguards.
• Standardize legal clauses and documentation wherever possible.
• Support contractual dispute resolution and enforcement matters.

Legal Governance & Risk Management

• Maintain dashboards/MIS for litigation, compliance and critical legal matters.
• Identify emerging legal and regulatory risks affecting the organization.
• Support development and strengthening of internal legal governance mechanisms.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, approvals and legal controls are maintained for material matters.
• Work closely with senior management on high-impact and sensitive legal issues.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate should have:

• 10–15 years of post-qualification legal experience.
• Significant experience working as an in-house legal professional in a manufacturing organization.
• Strong hands-on exposure to litigation and dispute management.
• Demonstrated experience in statutory, regulatory and corporate compliance.
• Good understanding of laws relevant to industrial and manufacturing organizations.
• Experience coordinating with external advocates, law firms, regulatory authorities and senior internal stakeholders.
• Strong ability to assess legal risk and translate legal requirements into practical business recommendations.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, analytical and communication skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple high-priority legal matters.

Preferred Industry Background

Candidates from the following sectors will be particularly relevant:

• Automotive / Auto Components
• Heavy Engineering
• Industrial Manufacturing
• Engineering & Capital Goods
• Machinery / Equipment Manufacturing
• Metals / Steel
• Chemicals
• Consumer Durables
• Electrical / Electronics Manufacturing
• Other large manufacturing organizations

Candidates whose experience is predominantly with law firms, consulting organizations, IT/ITES, banking or financial services without meaningful manufacturing-sector exposure may not be aligned with the role.

Educational Qualification

• LL.B. from a recognized university is mandatory.
• LL.M. or additional qualifications in corporate/commercial law will be an advantage.

Key Competencies

• Litigation & Dispute Management
• Legal Compliance
• Regulatory Affairs
• Corporate Law
• Manufacturing Laws & Regulations
• Commercial Contracts
• Legal Risk Management
• Legal Drafting
• Stakeholder Management
• External Counsel Management
• Negotiation
• Legal Governance

What We Are Looking For

This opportunity will suit a legal professional who combines strong legal fundamentals with commercial judgment and is capable of operating effectively within a complex manufacturing environment.

The individual should be able to independently manage litigation and compliance matters while serving as a trusted legal advisor to senior business stakeholders.

Preferred candidate profile