Hilton is one of the largest and fastest growing hospitality companies in the world, with more than 7,600 properties with more than 1.1 million rooms in 126 countries and territories. In the 100+ years since our founding, we have defined the hospitality industry and established a portfolio of 24 world-class brands, including our flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, which is the most recognized hotel brand in the world. Hilton was recently crowned World’s Best Workplace by Great Places to Work and Fortune Magazine and we have more than 170 million members in our award–winning customer loyalty program, Hilton Honors.
\nPosition Statement:
\nIn-house Counsel position within the Legal Department providing legal support to business partners, regional offices, and hotels across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. You will provide legal expertise across a wide range of commercial contracts to support corporate initiatives and hotels operated by Hilton, including agreements for procurement, food and beverage, sales, and engineering operations. You will serve as legal adviser to various corporate functions, including Corporate Communications, Corporate Supply Management, Sales, Finance, Human Resources, and Risk Management. Additionally, you will serve as the legal lead for the range of contractual matters required to support hotels prepare for openings.
\nYou will form part of the Operations Legal team reporting to the Vice President & Senior Counsel, International Franchising, and Operations and Development EMEA. (Please note that this is not a Legal Operations role in the sense of overseeing the budget of the legal team or legal department initiatives. Rather, this role refers to providing legal support to hotels preparing for opening and hotels currently operated by Hilton across its portfolio of brands, as well as to corporate functions within Hilton.)
\nYour responsibilities will also include:
\n• Providing appropriate and timely advice, consistent with company policies and procedures.
\n• Drafting and negotiating a wide suite of commercial contracts, including agreements for hotels and for corporate departments such as Supply Management, Sales, Finance and Engineering Operations.
\n• Supporting HR with corporate and hotel-level employee related matters, policies and guidance, including compensation and benefits initiatives.
\n• For hotels preparing for opening, assessing whether any applicable conditions in the hotel’s management or franchise agreement have been satisfied, preparing localised powers of attorney for hotel bank accounts, partnering with HR on local employment law issues relevant for the employment of team members, supporting the business understand any regulatory and governmental approvals that may apply, and generally providing legal support for the range of contracts entered into by the hotel during its pre-opening phase.
\n• Assisting with hotel-level leases, licences, and concession agreements.
\n• Supporting the Risk and Safety & Security team with various legal matters including crisis management.
\n• Supporting the F&B team with NDA’s, franchise, license, third party and outsourcing agreements for chefs, restaurants, and consultancy services.
\n• Providing advice to managed hotels and business partners on contentious and non-contentious matters, collecting information and preparing documentation in relation to actual and anticipated disputes and assisting in the preparation for litigation, mediation and arbitration.
\n• Assisting various business functions including Government Affairs, Corporate Communications, Finance, Human Resources, Brands, and Development.
\n• Developing and maintaining constructive and cooperative working relationships within the Legal Department, internal business partners, and external legal counsel.
\n• Providing support and strategic guidance to the business when contractual disputes arise, working to protect the company and find appropriate commercial solutions when available.
\n• Helping to ensure the Legal Department’s EMEA operations are conducted within established budgetary parameters and requirements including engaging and managing outside counsel in accordance with engagement policies and budgets.
\n• Assisting legal colleagues globally in the coordination, deployment and implementation of global initiatives and priorities.
\n• Formulating and delivering training programs for business partners, and identifying, planning and implementing additional self-service programs for business partners to help themselves on recurring matters wherever possible.
\n• Working with Hilton Legal’s standard systems and procedures and assisting in their continuous improvement and updating.
\n• Undertaking knowhow development and management for the Operations group.
\n• Leveraging effective partnerships with outside counsel resources, internal clients, and other corporate departments.
\nHow you will collaborate with others:
\n• You will work closely within the Operations team in Legal, including with global colleagues. You will also collaborate and work with colleagues in the legal development, employment, compliance, privacy, commercial services, anti-competition, dispute resolution and intellectual property teams.
\n• You will also work with business partners leading or supporting hotel operations, and across other business functions critical to Hilton’s wider business.
\nDirect Reports: N/a.
What are we looking for?
• As a problem solver, you will seek to find solutions to drive the business goals, while advising on risk.
• A creative thinker, you will find solutions to problems, connect business partners with legal experts and constantly think of ways to be more efficient and collaborative.
• Exceptional critical thinking and both quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, with the ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions to problems.
• Ability to understand complex legal concepts and relay them in persuasive, simple terms to business partners to enable informed decision-making.
• Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions, even among seemingly unrelated events.
• Absolute discretion and confidentiality regarding sensitive information.
• Developed and demonstrable legal drafting skills and legal analysis.
Attributes/skills
\nThe success in this role will demonstrate itself through the following attributes and skills:
\n• Comfortable working with legal professionals (both in-house and in private practice).
• Ability to exercise independent judgment, decision making skills and discretion (with supporting guidance from the legal team) to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and to provide recommendations for optimal solutions.
• Ability to work well under pressure and effectively handle multiple, concurrent demands and appropriately prioritise responsibilities.
• Effective communication and comprehension skills, with the ability to clearly and concisely express ideas both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with key internal and external partners.
• Experience negotiating contracts.
• Keen attention to detail.
• Ability to cut through ambiguity and obtain/review/implement local law advice from a variety of jurisdictions with different legal systems.
• Understanding of corporate structures and different forms of legal persons, as well as financial statement and structures.
• Experience of working in a large organisation with the ability to co-ordinate with different offices and functions.
• A hands-on, pragmatic work style – a “doer”.
• Act on your own initiative and know when it is appropriate to seek support or guidance.
• Excellent organisational skills, the ability to manage a large number and variety of mission-critical projects, working both independently and collaboratively and often against tight deadlines with the ability to prioritise and follow up where required.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage details through to completion and ensure project deadlines are met.
• Resilient, assertive, patient, robust and independent.
• A self-starter with confidence and high degree of professionalism.
• Self-motivated and success orientated.
• Able to work alone and as part of a small professional team.
• Efficient and well organised.
• Sound and practical business judgement and strong commercial awareness.
• Strict compliance with applicable laws, company policies and the highest standards of professional responsibility, ethics and integrity.
• Ability to demonstrate and exemplify hospitable service skills appropriate to the hospitality industry.
• Ability and desire to take responsibility and act in a fast paced environment.
Required Qualifications
\n• Significant PQE
• LLB/BA/BS/Bachelor's Degree – a law degree from a ‘common law’ jurisdiction (or equivalent professional training)
• Completion of the Legal Practice Course or Bar Vocational Course (or equivalent professional training)
• Experience in a law firm and/or in-house legal department as a counsel (or equivalent position)
• Commercial law and marketing law experience, including drafting and negotiating commercial contracts and understanding of corporate structures
• Strong IT skills and numerically literate
• Proficient in carrying out legal research
• Ability to travel when required to do so – 10%
Preferred Qualifications/Experience
\n• The preferred candidate would have experience in a law firm and/or in-house legal department
• Understanding of hotel sector and hotel operations in particular
What will it be like to work for Hilton?
\nHilton is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For more than a century, Hilton has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. Hilton is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Our vision “to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality” unites us as a team to create remarkable hospitality experiences around the world every day. And, our amazing Team Members are at the heart of it all!
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