Legal Operations Director

Requisition ID 67255 
Position Type FT Permanent 
Workplace Arrangement  #LI-Hybrid

About The Role

Kerry's Legal Function is on an ambitious journey to build a world-class legal organisation that delivers strategic value to the business while effectively managing risk in an increasingly complex global environment.

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Legal Operations Director to lead the strategy, transformation and operational excellence of our global Legal Function. Reporting directly to the Group General Counsel and serving as a member of the Legal Leadership Team, this role will play a critical part in shaping how the legal function operates, scales and delivers value across the organisation.

The Legal Operations Director will be accountable for legal operations strategy, legal technology and AI, process excellence, legal spend management, data and analytics, external counsel governance, knowledge management and organisational effectiveness.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a strategic thinker with strong execution capability, a passion for continuous improvement, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across a complex multinational environment.

Kerry operates a hybrid working policy, and candidates will be required to work from our Naas office three days per week.

## What Success Looks Like

Within the first 24 months, the successful candidate will

- Establish a clearly defined Legal Operations strategy and roadmap.
- Build a high-performing Legal Operations team.
- Deliver measurable improvements in legal efficiency, productivity and service quality.
- Implement scalable legal technology and AI solutions.
- Create meaningful legal performance and risk reporting capabilities.
- Improve external legal spend visibility and value management

## Key Responsibilities

## Legal Function Strategy & Leadership

- Partner with the Group General Counsel and Legal Leadership Team to define and deliver the Legal Function's long-term vision, strategic priorities and operating model.
- Develop and oversee a multi-year Legal Operations roadmap aligned to Kerry's business strategy and legal transformation objectives.
- Serve as a strategic adviser to the Group General Counsel on organisational effectiveness, resource allocation, capability development and operational performance.
- Contribute as a member of the Legal Leadership Team to broader legal function priorities, culture, talent and succession planning.

## Lead Legal Transformation & Operational Excellence

- Design and implement a best-in-class legal operating model that increases efficiency, scalability, consistency and business impact.
- Co-lead global transformation initiatives across legal service delivery, workflow management, contracting, compliance and governance activities, including driving improvements in how we extract value from our CLM system.
- Drive continuous improvement programmes through process redesign, automation and simplification.
- Establish standardised ways of working, governance processes and service delivery standards across the legal function.
- Apply leading legal industry practices and benchmarking insights to enhance the effectiveness of the function.
- Develop fit for purpose approach to legal records, retention, legal-hold and information-governance processes

## Legal Technology, Innovation & AI

- Own the Legal Technology and AI strategy, ensuring Kerry leverages leading technology solutions to improve service delivery, productivity and risk management.
- Lead the identification, selection, implementation and optimisation of legal technology solutions, including contract lifecycle management, knowledge management, matter management, reporting and AI-enabled tools.
- Chair the Legal Innovation and Digitalisation Committee translating its priorities into initiatives with clear ownership, investment decisions and measurable benefits.
- Develop governance frameworks to ensure responsible and effective use of legal technologies and AI solutions.
- Drive adoption and change management across the legal organisation.

## Data, Analytics & Business Insight

- Establish a data-driven legal function with meaningful KPI frameworks and performance measurement systems.
- Develop executive dashboards and reporting for the Group General Counsel, Legal Leadership Team and senior business stakeholders.
- Analyse legal workload, risk/compliance exposure, resource allocation, contract performance, litigation trends and operational effectiveness.
- Generate actionable insights that support strategic decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Develop regulatory change and legal horizon-scanning infrastructure.

## External Supplier Management & Legal Spend Governance

- Lead Kerry's global external counsel panel management framework.
- Develop and maintain best-in-class processes for engaging and managing external legal service providers.
- Establish billing guidelines, performance metrics and value management initiatives.
- Drive legal spend transparency and identify opportunities to optimise the use of external legal resources.
- Partner with Procurement and Finance to maximise value and efficiency from legal suppliers

## Financial Management

- Own and manage the Legal Operations budget.
- Partner with Finance and the legal SLT to oversee legal function budgeting, forecasting and financial performance.
- Monitor and analyse external legal spend and operational expenditure.
- Ensure disciplined financial governance and robust reporting processes.

## Team Leadership & Talent Development

- Recruit, lead, coach and develop a high-performing Legal Operations team.
- Build capability in legal technology, project management, analytics and operational excellence.
- Establish clear goals, accountability measures and development plans for team members.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
- Support talent development initiatives across the wider legal function.

## Knowledge Management, Communications & Capability Building

- Lead the legal function's knowledge management strategy and framework.
- Co-lead training and capability-building programmes with member of the Legal leadership team that improve legal effectiveness across the organisation.
- Drive communication and engagement initiatives across the global legal community.
- Support the preparation of executive, Board, Legal Senior Leadership Team and legal function presentations and communications.

## Cross-Functional Partnership

- Build strong relationships across Finance, Procurement, HR, IT, Compliance, Internal Audit and business leadership teams.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives that improve governance, efficiency and business support.
- Act as a visible ambassador for the legal function across the organisation.

## External Engagement

- Represent Kerry in legal operations forums, industry networks and benchmarking organisations.
- Monitor developments and emerging trends in legal operations, AI, technology and operating models.
- Identify opportunities to bring innovative practices into the organisation.

## Qualifications & Experience

- Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Management, Technology or a related discipline.
- 10+ years in working in a legal or consultancy environment and 5+ years of experience working on legal operations, legal transformation, consulting, operational excellence, business transformation or related matters.
- Proven track record of leading complex transformation and change programmes.
- Demonstrated experience building and leading high-performing teams.
- Strong experience implementing legal technology and digital transformation initiatives.
- Significant budget management and financial governance experience.
- Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills.

## Desirable

- Experience within a global legal department.
- Legal Operations certifications (CLOC, CLOP or equivalent).
- Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2 or equivalent).
- Experience deploying AI-enabled legal solutions at scale.
- Experience managing global legal panel arrangements and external counsel programmes.

Get in touch today!

In Kerry we benefit from the knowledge of our colleagues who bring a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, and experiences. One team fostering an inclusive culture that, above all, inspires food and nourishes life. One culture where everyone brings their unique perspectives and experiences to help make us better, together. We are committed to nurturing an environment of positivity and inclusiveness, where everyone can be at their best, both personally and professionally.

Our recruitment, selection and assessment process are based on the skills and competencies of the specific roles and based entirely on merit.  We are committed to and value Diversity and Inclusion in all recruitment processes within Kerry and do not discriminate based on gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status, or any other protected characteristic.

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world.

Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. In addition, Kerry does not currently utilise video chat rooms (e.g., Google Hangouts) to conduct interviews. Refuse any request that asks you to provide payment to participate in the hiring process (e.g., purchasing a “starter kit,” investing in training, or something similar). Kerry will not ask you to pay any money at any point in the hiring process with the exception of reimbursable travel expenses. In addition, any payments made by Kerry will be from official firm accounts bearing the Kerry name.

Please note We do not accept CVs or candidate profiles from recruitment agencies where Kerry terms of business have not been signed. Additionally, we will not consider or agree to payment of any recruiter fee under these circumstances. This also applies to CVs or candidate profiles sent directly to any Kerry Hiring Managers.