The Role Ericsson is now recruiting for the role of Head of Legal Affairs for Japan Customer Unit (Japan CU) under Market Area North East Asia (MNEA).
This role will be responsible for ensuring that all Japan CU activities and related risks of the business are managed responsibly and supported with legal services, across all relevant legal disciplines including sales, procurement and other business related agreements, legal entity governance, sanctions and export control, competition and data privacy laws and regulations.
S/he will lead a small team of professionals in Yokohama, Japan. This person and the team are part of Group Function Legal Affairs and Compliance (GFLA), and will also be supported by legal centers of expertise from other units in GFLA.
The Legal function also works closely with the Compliance function to ensure that the objectives of the Ericsson Group, MNEA/CU and GFLA are fulfilled in the Japan CU in a sustainable manner. The Head of Legal Affairs Japan CU requires proven integrity and extensive and recognized experience, skills and competence, very good business understanding and awareness, and an ability to support and work with all levels of the organization.
This role reports to the Head of Legal Affairs MNEA. This person will be a member of the Legal Affairs MNEA leadership team as well as the Japan CU leadership team.
The location will preferably be in Yokohama, Japan.
What you will do
• Ensure that legal, compliance and reputational risks of the Ericsson Group are pro-actively and responsibly managed in a transparent way towards and in coordination with Head(s) of Japan CU, and other functional representatives at Japan CU, MA or Group level. • Ensure proper, efficient and timely legal support for the execution of the Japan CU business plan including in particular contracting (e.g. sales and procurement) and dispute management. Act as the point of escalation within Japan CU on legal matters. • In concert with the GFLA Global Litigation team, ensure and manage legal representation before court, arbitral or other dispute procedures or before enforcement or regulatory bodies. • Ensure proper, efficient and timely support for market area compliance processes (incl. Third Party Management ("TPM")), the Compliance Committee, Remediation Committee and Business Partner Review Board for Japan CU. • Establish and manage Legal Affairs Japan CU organization, and ensure that is right-sized, properly skilled and resourced to effect the above responsibilities in a risk appropriate manner. • Ensure that hiring, engagement and management of external legal support in support of the above is done in accordance with the GFLA outside counsel management processes incl. associated sourcing and TPM processes. • Ensure proper support in the Japan CU related corporate governance activities, including providing legal and risk reports to the Japan CU Leadership Team and preparation and establishment of internal policies, directives and instructions. • Ensure that the Japan CU maintains a proper record keeping process for original legal documentation including agreements and governance related documents. • Support the oversight, administration, and operation of Ericsson's legal entities within the Japan CU. • Continuously adopt and ensure implementation of improved processes and tools to deliver on GFLA ambition of zero waste processes and digital optimization to maximize impact and cost efficiency of legal function in the Japan CU. • Work proactively by providing working tools, training, etc., to improve the general legal awareness in the Japan CU. • As per Ericsson Group and MA/CU directives and instructions, approve major business transactions where a legal entity in the Japan CU is a party.• Report local legal matters to the Head of Japan CU and the head of Legal MNEA to enable line of sight and manage matters of group relevance (financially, operationally or reputationally). • Prepare, monitor and manage the Japan CU Legal Affairs' budget and forecasts in line with the above. • Contribute as a member of the MNEA legal leadership team and the Japan CU Leadership Team towards proper management of business affairs and associated risk management for the Japan CU.
What you will bring
• Strong generalist lawyer with at least fifteen (15) years post-qualification experience (PQE) with a strong commercial background. • Solid grounding in compliance matters including anti-bribery/corruption, data privacy, competition law and sanctions/export controls and basic understanding of IPR. • Sound understanding and awareness of a complex tech business (or a highly analogous regulated business akin to Ericsson). • International exposure and ideally experience working internationally, coupled with deep cultural awareness developed by working in both developed and developing markets around the region. • Impeccable integrity and proven leadership track record in a matrix setup. • Ability to handle complexity and stress, make the right judgement calls and prioritizations, and independently manage legal matters and/or resources • Proven business acumen and strategic thinking / the ability to advice the business on risks and provide guidance. • Good networking ability and great interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to handle internal contacts, external counsel and counterparties. • Strong negotiation and partnering skills, good networking ability, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. • Driven team player who initiates and drives change, with proven ability to gain respect from internal and external parties. • Proven ability to gain respect from internal clients, as well as external parties. • Proven ability not only to analyze and understand details in specific matters and transactions, but also to apply legal, business and financial aspects from a Group perspective. • Fluent in Japanese and English; other languages like Mandarin or Korean would be nice-to-have. • Law degree from an accredited law school (e.g., JD, LLB, or LLM).
Why join Ericsson?
At Ericsson, you'll have an outstanding opportunity. The chance to use your skills and imagination to push the boundaries of what's possible. To build solutions never seen before to some of the world's toughest problems. You'll be challenged, but you won't be alone. You'll be joining a team of diverse innovators, all driven to go beyond the status quo to craft what comes next.
What happens once you apply?
Click Here to find all you need to know about what our typical hiring process looks like.
Encouraging a diverse and inclusive organization is core to our values at Ericsson, that's why we champion it in everything we do. We truly believe that by collaborating with people with different experiences we drive innovation, which is essential for our future growth. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply and realize their full potential as part of our Ericsson team. Ericsson is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. learn more.
Primary country and city: Japan (JP) || Yokohama
Req ID: 771869
Ericsson Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes employer‑verified medical, dental, and vision plans, along with HSAs/FSAs and EAP/mental‑health support. Wellbeing initiatives are highlighted as part of Life at Ericsson.
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Retirement Support — Retirement programs include a 401(k) with company matching that is employer‑verified, with mentions of match levels varying by time and team and pension support in some regions. This is frequently cited as a solid pillar of the package.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is described as competitive in many U.S. postings, with examples up to 16 weeks maternity and 6 weeks parental/adoption at 100% pay. Family‑friendly policies and return‑to‑work support are also called out.
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