SRI Executive Search has been contracted by the Forest Stewardship Council International (FSC) to assist with the search for an exceptional candidate to fill the position of General Counsel.
About Forest Stewardship Council International (FSC)
FSC® is trusted by NGOs, businesses, and consumers worldwide to protect healthy, resilient forests for all, forever.
The Forest Stewardship Council runs the world’s leading forest certification system and works to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises by advancing sustainable forest management worldwide.
Currently, over 160 million hectares and 70,000+ organizations are certified to our standards.
Our mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.
For more information, please visit: https://fsc.org/en/about-us.
Role Purpose
The General Counsel (GC) is FSC’s senior-most legal leader, responsible for transforming the Legal & Compliance unit into a globally integrated, business‑partner‑oriented capability that actively supports FSC and its mission. The role will require strengthening FSC’s legal presence across the FSC Group, building internal legal capacity and reducing reliance on outsourced legal advice.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Strategic Legal & Compliance Leadership
* Act as trusted advisor to the DG and C‑suite on legal, compliance, and risk matters.
* Provide practical, solution‑oriented legal guidance that enables business decisions rather than creating barriers.
* Identify emerging legal, regulatory, and reputational risks and propose proactive mitigation strategies.
* Represent FSC externally in matters requiring senior legal presence (regulatory bodies, litigation interface, strategic partnerships).
* Ensure legal function operates as a business partner, not simply a compliance checkpoint.
Global Oversight & Coordination
Provide strategic oversight of Legal & Compliance across FSC Group with presence across 90 countries and entities in:
* FSC Global Development (GD - Germany).
* FSC International Center (IC - Germany).
* Regional offices worldwide (China, Kenya, Ukraine).
* Support for remote locations and activities.
Transformation of Legal & Compliance Function
The General Counsel has authority to restructure team, implement new systems, and change processes and will be expected to lead initiatives to professionalize and modernize the legal function:
Process & Systems Improvement
* Introduce best‑practice systems: contract lifecycle management, matter tracking, internal knowledge repositories.
* Standardize legal strategies including data privacy and compliance, processes, templates, and service delivery across all FSC entities.
* Implement metrics and KPIs to measure legal function efficiency and effectiveness.
Team Development & Structure
* Manage, develop, and structure the global Legal & Compliance Unit to ensure clarity of roles, accountability, and capacity.
* Build capabilities within the team to support FSC's evolving needs.
* Create clear career pathways and development opportunities for legal professionals.
External Counsel Management
* Optimise use of external counsel for strategic, high‑risk, or specialist matters.
* Build and maintain strong network of external legal and tax advisors.
* Ensure external counsel services are high quality, cost‑effective, and delivered on time and be a business partner to the internal users of the external counsel.
* Establish protocols for external counsel engagement, management, and evaluation.
System Integrity Alignment
This is a collaborative/advisory role with System Integrity department. The objective is to ensure System Integrity operations are legally sound, minimize organizational risk, and withstand potential legal challenges. The incumbent will work closely with System Integrity leadership to provide legal oversight and support:
* Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) - review and advise on legal structure and enforceability.
* Due diligence and transparency frameworks - ensure legal robustness and compliance with applicable laws.
* Remediation and disassociation processes - provide legal guidance on anti‑trust, defensibility, and risk.
* Investigations and enforcement actions - ensure legal frameworks are robust, proportionate, and defensible.
* Legal interpretations of policies and procedures managed and implemented by System Integrity.
Governance, Compliance & Risk Management
* Responsible for ensuring the efficient and compliant operation of the Board of Directors. Support effective corporate governance, and provide advice to Board and executive management.
* Support operational and governance compliance across FSC International entities.
* Ensure legal, compliance, and integrity obligations are consistently understood and applied.
* Provide strategic input into risk mitigation for certification, member compliance, and reputation management.
* Oversee intellectual property protection (trademarks, logos) and international trademark licensing for FSC Certification Scheme.
* Ensure legal compliance of the FSC Group across all jurisdictions of operation.
* Maintain legally sound filing systems for contracts, official correspondence, and certificates.
Contracts & Commercial Legal Support
* Oversee the drafting, negotiation and interpretation of various agreements, including vendor, consultancy, and grant contracts.
* Review and draft FSC contracts and contract templates in cooperation with external advisors as required.
* Provide commercial legal advice to support business development, partnerships, and organizational operations.
* Ensure contracts protect FSC interests while enabling operational efficiency.
Capacity Building & Knowledge Sharing
* Train senior management and staff on legal matters as required.
* Build legal literacy across FSC to enable informed decision‑making.
* Create accessible knowledge resources and guidance for non‑legal staff.
Profile
Essential Qualifications & Experience
Education
* Successfully completed university degree in law (LLM or equivalent) Common Law background.
Professional Experience
* 10+ years senior leadership experience in international, multi‑jurisdictional legal roles.
* Strong background in common law, regulatory compliance, and cross‑border governance.
* Proven ability to transform legal and compliance functions into business‑enabling units.
* Demonstrated skill as a strategic business partner in addition to being a legal advisor.
* Professional experience in supervising and developing legal teams.
* Experience working across diverse cultures, regions, and organizational models. Worked outside EU.
* Someone who has worked with multijurisdictional companies and therefore has a good understanding of the various laws and regulations and navigating through them.
Legal Expertise
* Deep understanding of antitrust, dispute resolution, and remediation regulatory and reputational risk management.
* Understanding of corporate law, governance, and compliance frameworks.
* Understanding of intellectual property, trademark, and commercial law.
* Experience with contract lifecycle management and commercial negotiations.
Leadership & Management
* Proven ability to lead organizational transformation and change management.
* Strong project management skills - ability to deliver within budgets and maintain priorities independently.
* Excellent relationship, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
* Solution‑oriented and service‑oriented approach to legal practice.
Sector Experience
* Experience working in/with NGO’s, certification systems, or quasi‑regulatory environments.
* Understanding of international environmental or sustainability frameworks.
* Experience in integrity/certification type issues, investigations, or remediation frameworks (to support System Integrity).
Technical & Process
* Experience implementing legal operations technology (contract management, matter tracking).
* Knowledge of legal process optimization and service delivery models.
* Familiarity with global legal service delivery structures.
Personal Attributes
* Demonstrated commitment to the values and mission of FSC.
* Professional, social and emotional intelligence.
* Strategic mindset and results orientated.
* Collaborative and empowering, working with colleagues from different locations and backgrounds.
* High level of integrity.
* Resilience.
Organizational Relationships
Internal Collaboration
* All units of FSC International (Director's Office, Policy and Standards, Quality Assurance, Business Development, Network, Central Services, Communications).
* System Integrity leadership and teams.
* ASI - Accreditation Services International.
* FSC Regional Offices.
* FSC Network Partners (National Offices, National Representatives, National Focal Points).
External Engagement
* External legal and tax advisors (global network).
* Regulatory bodies and government agencies (as required).
* Industry partners and stakeholders (where legal representation needed).
Terms of Appointment
Primary Reporting Line
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Current Team Structure
Leading a team of 20 staff based in Bonn and one staff in our parent organisation in Mexico, covering Legal Operations, Corporate Affairs & Compliance and Intellectual Property & Trademark.
Direct Reports
Head of Legal, Board Secretariat and Senior Counsel - System Integrity.
Role Location
Bonn, Germany (Hybrid)
How to Apply
To apply for this position, please ensure you click Apply and complete the Application Form by 28 April 2028 (23:59 hrs, GMT +2). It is essential that you submit your CV in English, specifically in Microsoft Word format (.doc/.docx), not exceeding 10MB.
Applications in other languages or formats will not be considered.
Rest assured, all information will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.
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