Legal Counsel

This position supports OGC ASEAN & APDM across two core areas: (1) continuation of core legal support covering customer services-related matters, litigation, corporate advisory, labor advisory, and regulatory compliance across ASEAN and Direct Markets in AP; and (2) Data Protection function for the ASEAN & APDM region. The role acts as the regional point of contact for Data Protection matters, working directly with and supporting the Global Data Privacy team, and monitoring and advising on emerging Data Protection laws and regulatory changes across the region. This expanded scope reflects the growing regulatory demands in the region and establishes a proactive compliance capability that did not previously exist within OGC ASEAN & APDM. The position is expected to handle both individually assigned work and work as part of the broader OGC team.

1. Core Legal Support – Customer Services, Litigation, Corporate, Labor Advisory & Regulatory Compliance:
• Provide legal advice/opinion on day-to-day legal matters relevant to all entities, departments and functions across ASEAN and Direct Markets in International Market Group.
• Manage ongoing and new litigation matters across ASEAN/APDM; represent the company's interests in supplier and labor litigation-related matters, including the ongoing class action lawsuit in Thailand, and handle all related paperwork to support litigation and claims.
• Provide Corporate legal advisory support, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating legal and commercial contracts, letters, and other marketing materials as assigned by Senior Counsels or Managing Counsel.
• Support labor-related advisory matters across the markets, including advising human resources teams and supporting union negotiations with manufacturing teams.
• Provide legal advice to finance and treasury teams; draft, review, and provide advice on loan agreements and other financial agreements; negotiate loan agreement terms with support from outside counsel.
• Serve as first point of contact in ASEAN OGC to support Compliance Officers of IMG markets on compliance matters in ASEAN markets; monitor and ensure ongoing regulatory compliance across the region.
• Responsible for license management for Ford and Joint Venture entities in Thailand, including advising on obtaining required licenses/permits, initiating or liaising on permit applications, and ensuring compliance reporting to government authorities as required.
• Liaise with Ford local representatives and Thai government authorities on Ford Thailand entities' behalf; liaise with global teams on outside counsel timekeeping and billing.
• Support Senior Counsel in validating legal advice for complex legal transactions and scenarios, and in preparing and conducting legal training; contribute to OGC Newsletters and other internal communications.
• Translate internal legal documents between Thai and English as needed.
2. Data Protection Expert – ASEAN & APDM:
• Act as the regional point of contact for Data Protection matters across ASEAN & APDM, including serving as the primary contact on Data Privacy Law matters in Thailand, Philippines and South Korea.
• Work directly with and support the Global Data Privacy team on regional initiatives and requirements.
• Monitor and advise on emerging Data Protection laws and regulatory changes across the region, given the major rise of Data Protection laws in ASEAN & APDM.
• Build and establish a proactive Data Protection compliance capability in ASEAN/APDM, including policies, training, and advisory support to internal stakeholders.
• Partner with business functions to assess Data Protection risk, support data protection impact assessments, and advise on data handling, cross-border data transfer, and incident response matters.
This position reports directly to Senior Counsel. As this role independently handles legal assignments across both core legal support and Data Protection function, the proposed level is GSR 7/8, reflecting the required level of decision-making, regional scope, and the need to provide innovative legal advice to support business operations. Quick turnaround decisions are essential when handling crisis or customer-related issues.

#LI-SS

Professional Exposure (Technical Skills): Experience practicing law in an international law firm or internal company legal department, with demonstrated experience in Data Protection/Privacy law and regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
Preferred Previous Experience: Regional legal management experience; prior experience advising on Data Protection/Privacy laws (e.g., PDPA and equivalent regional data privacy regulations) is strongly preferred. Certification in data privacy (e.g., CIPP/A or equivalent) is a plus.
Functional Skills: Negotiation, presentation, law firm management, and regulatory monitoring/analysis skills.
Behavioral Skills: Integrity, transparency, service mind with team player mindset, and the ability to build a new function independently.
Special Knowledge/Skills Required: Microsoft Office skills, proficient English skills, strong working knowledge of Data Protection/Privacy laws and frameworks across ASEAN & APDM, and working knowledge of AI governance frameworks and regulations, including practical use of AI tools/technologies.
Any Others:
1. Able to travel, with flexibility to handle work under pressure, set high personal standards, and prioritize work to meet stretch deadlines.
2. Able to develop specific legal expertise areas, including Data Protection and AI Governance function, in addition to legal support to distribution, marketing and sales teams, or support to HR, compliance, and global litigation management teams. This facilitates job rotation opportunities within OGC re-organization, if any, in the long-term career of the candidate.