Senior Counsel, Development - South Asia

Description

The Global Legal Team is responsible for administering the Company’s legal activities to ensure maximum protection while engaging in global business and ensuring compliance with the Company’s legal obligations.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

As Senior Counsel, South Asia, you will provide legal support to the Company’s managed and franchised hotel development teams as they work to grow and maintain the Company’s hotel portfolio throughout India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. The ideal candidate will have experience within the hospitality industry, including managed, franchised, and branded residence models. Responsibilities include providing substantive legal advice in the negotiation and drafting of the Company’s key contracts, as well as hotel operations, owner relations, real estate and related financing arrangements, managing outside counsel, and advising business partners throughout the Company. 

What your day-to-day will be like: 

• Negotiate, draft, and review a variety of agreements relating to system hotels, including management and franchise agreements with hotel owners and finance-related agreements with lenders
• Support the Company’s relationships and transactional dealings with owners of system hotels throughout the lifecycle of the contractual relationship, including negotiating contract amendments and resolving issues
• Manage outside counsel and implement local law advice from a variety of jurisdictions with different legal systems
• Work within the standard systems, procedures, and forms of the Company and the Global Legal Team, and contribute to the continuous improvement and updating of these
• Assist with drafting and maintenance of standard form agreements / documents for the APAC Legal Team
• Ensure the company is conforming to all internal policies and procedures. Compliance related or other wise.

How you will collaborate with others:

• Provide legal advice and counsel to business partners (including Development, Operations, Finance, Brands) on areas of subject matter expertise
• Formulate and deliver training programs and self-service tools for business partners
• Support the APAC Legal Team to partner with colleagues in the Americas and EMEA, in the coordination, deployment and implementation of global initiatives and priorities of Legal Development

What we are looking for:

• A problem solver who has a passion for finding new and creative solutions to hard problems 
• Strong writing, communication, and leadership skills
• Self-motivated, with a strong work ethic and desire to perform at the highest level
• A creative, business-minded, and strategic method to problem solving and performance improvement within the department
• An innate desire to support an inclusive and diverse workforce
• The ability to communicate clearly and effectively with people from different backgrounds and cultures
• The drive to provide outstanding customer service, with consistent attention to detail and the initiative to ensure responsive support
• The ability to prioritize and undertake multiple projects and critical tasks with contending pressures in a fast-paced environment

Requirements

WHY YOU’LL BE A GREAT FIT 

You have these minimum qualifications:

• 10 years post-qualification experience 
• Experience with the hospitality industry, particularly in relation to management and franchised agreements, but also in relation to operations
• Practiced at a leading law firm or in-house as a transactional attorney, along with “first chair” experience leading successful commercial agreement negotiations
• Law degree from a leading university
• Licensed to practice law in India
• Experience interacting with senior business partners and developing trust
• Detailed understanding of key legal concepts and ability to seamlessly relay them to business partners
• Domestic and International travel as required, which may be frequent

It would be useful if you have:

• Licensed to practice law in additional common law jurisdiction(s)
• Experience with franchise business models
• Comfort with cross-border legal issues, and exposure to legal systems in multiple jurisdictions

WHAT IT IS LIKE WORKING FOR HILTON

Hilton, the #1 World’s Best Workplace, is a leading global hospitality company with a diverse portfolio of world-class brands. Dedicated to filling the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, we have welcomed more than 3 billion guests in our more-than 100-year history. Hilton is proud to have an award-winning workplace culture and we are consistently named among one of the World’s Best Workplaces. Check out the Hilton Careers blog and Instagram to learn more about what it’s like to be on Team Hilton!