IT Associate Counsel

**BAT is evolving at pace - truly like no other organisation.**

**To achieve the ambition, we have set for ourselves, we are looking for colleagues who are ready to live our ethos every day. Come be a part of this journey**

**BAT MALAYSIA** **IS LOOKING FOR AN IT ASSOCIATE COUNSEL**

**FUNCTION**: Legal & External Affairs
- Business Integrity and Compliance

**LOCATION**:Selangor, Malaysia

**ROLE POSITIONING AND OBJECTIVES**

The Assistant Counsel is responsible for:

- providing specialist commercial legal advice and expertise to the Global IT function as well as taking the lead in highlighting legal and regulatory risks of the Global IT function and Company in all respects
- ensuring robust corporate governance is in place for internal compliance.
- supporting legal and regulatory risks of the Company's business operations in all aspects and safeguarding the Company's legitimate business rights to pursue strategic objectives.
- providing pragmatic advice and support to the Company and relevant functions, locally and globally.
- taking a leading role in problem-solving and decision-making in all areas of the business, and consistently working to minimize and manage commercial and legal risks.

The Associate Counsel is a member of the Business, Integrity and Compliance Legal team in Malaysia, reporting to the Legal Counsel. The job holder will be working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and will be expected to engage confidently and effectively with local and global stakeholders. The job holder will provide dedicated specialist legal and commercial advice and expertise to all relevant BAT entities and functions, as advised from time to time. They will act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders to ensure informed business decisions are made to support commercial opportunities whilst always ensuring legal compliance is adhered and business risks are effectively mitigated.

**Reports to**:Legal Counsel

**Geographic Scope**:Global

**WORKING RELATIONSHIP**
- ** Internal**: Business, Integrity and Compliance Legal, Senior stakeholders and functional leadership teams from IT Stakeholders and functional leadership teams of local and global entities, including but not limited to Tax, Finance, Procurement, HR.
- **External**:External counsels, Government Authorities and Regulators, Suppliers and third-party supplier representatives, including commercial and legal leads, Professional Bodies and Organisations

**WHAT YOU WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR**

i) Business
- Support and provide legal and commercial advice and service to the Global IT function, in a manner which supports and advances the Company’s its business objectives while effectively managing relevant risks.
- Negotiating, drafting and advising on execution of all commercial transactions related to the Company’s business operations.
- Support the overall contract management system and processes including drafting, negotiating and executing contracts pursuant to the Company's contract management policy.
- Highlighting and ensuring stakeholders have in place proper corporate governance for internal compliance.
- Support in setting and implementing various corporate governance procedures and ensuring strict compliance including but not limited to review and audit of all processes from time to time to ensure continued compliance with the Group's compliance guidelines, amongst others, Standard of Business Conduct, GDPR, Third Party Anti-Financial Crime Procedure (TPAFCP) policies.
- Proactively support to drive corporate strategies in LEX driven areas as a member of the Business, Integrity and Compliance Legal team.
- Create and maintain a database of relevant work product and general advice.
- Instructing and managing external legal counsel in relation to complex, high profile and/or strategically important transactions and other advice, reviewing output, and controlling and approving spend.
- Ensuring good information flows between business stakeholders, LEX and other business partners about business initiatives to optimise commercial opportunities and manage risks.

ii) People
- Demonstrating excellence in own work by improving technical and managerial skills as identified and agreed in personal development plan.
- Proactively seeking to identify opportunities to create legal awareness and working to improve the Company's position.
- Demonstrating personal and professional experience by:

- sharing best practices and knowledge efficiently.
- outstanding management of significant legal risks to the business; and
- concentrating at being lawyers at the heart of the business.
- Establishing strong links with the Global LEX community and contributing to the success of the LEX function.
- Proactively engaging and working cross-functionally and effectively with stakeholders globally to fully understand and support their business needs.
- Keeping abreast of developments in the relevant areas of law and to advise functions and stakeholders of the legal impact