Legal Counsel (m/f) for Aircraft Procurement for Engines and Nacelles, Toulouse

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2015, it generated revenues of €64.5 billion and employed a workforce of around 136,600. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe’s number one space enterprise and the world’s second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civiland military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

Tasks

Negotiation and contract management support to key projects:

• Support the drafting and negotiation of contracts, transaction documents and related legal issues in liaison with other departments in Airbus
• Anticipate legal issues and associated risks, provide legal advice to Procurement management during negotiations of contracts or transactions

Risk assessment and reporting:

• Identify and evaluate liability issues deriving from contracts or transactions under negotiations or in force and ensure proper and regular information and reporting to management;
• Propose and manage mitigation or corrective actions in cooperation with the relevant departments (Procurement, Finance, Programme, Engineering);
• Build Airbus defense strategy in connection with pre-litigation and litigations files (contract analysis, preparation of counterclaims) in coordination with the Litigation Department;
• Support in a pro-active manner and in conjunction with the relevant departments, insolvency / bankruptcy situations.
• Supervise external legal counsel whenever outside expert assistance is required.

Standard Documents and Policies:

• Create new ways of working, develop best practices within Legal department for risk management and other structuring projects;
• Create and update Procurement standards contracts, tools and processes in coordination with the Contract Team and the legal colleagues based in Germany, England and Spain;
• Adapt Procurement standards contracts when required to take into account new legislations, evolution in technological environment and the relevant Airbus policies.

Legal Trainings:

• Provide legal trainings in particular on common law to develop Legal Awareness within Procurement and other departments in liaison with Legal Academy.

Required skills

• Lawyer qualified preferably under English or New York law eventually completed with French law, combining solid academic background and practical experience in various areas of law in an international context, in particular contract law, business law, antitrust law, intellectual property law, insolvency proceedings, pre-litigation and litigation.
• Strong professional experience acquired in law firms and/or in the industry, preferably in the aircraft business. A solid experience in drafting, negotiation and contract law is a “must”.
• Very good proficiency in English and French (mastering German is an advantage).
• Excellent negotiation and drafting skills in English.
• Autonomous but at the same time team player, flexible and able to report clearly and timely on complex issues.
• Available and versatile, able to work under high pressure on several files in parallel.
• Solid understanding of the business environment and constraints with a good ability to think strategically.
• Multicultural, enjoys and is at ease interacting with people at all levels. Good interpersonal skills.
• Proactive and creative, able to anticipate problems and propose and implement pragmatic solutions to prevent or remedy such problems.
• Available to travel (in Europe or in the US).