Senior Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions

What you’ll do:

Eaton’s legal organization is seeking a dynamic and passionate individual to serve as Senior Counsel - Mergers & Acquisitions within the Mergers & Acquisitions team. Reporting to the Vice President & Chief Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions, this role is a critical position within the legal organization focused on all mergers and acquisition legal activities. They will be advising and providing strategic counsel on all acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, restructuring transactions, investments and other strategic initiatives. This critical role works broadly across the organization with key functional and operational partners advising and providing strategic counsel which will include on all aspects of transactions, including preliminary reviews and planning, preliminary documents, due diligence, contract drafting and negotiations, transaction closings and integration activities.    

Job Responsibilities
•    Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including Eaton deal teams, legal, financial advisors, investment bankers, and regulatory authorities, to ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.
•    Draft, review, and negotiate complex transaction agreements, including preliminary agreements, purchase agreements, merger agreements, subscription and shareholder agreements, and other related documents.
•    Conduct thorough legal due diligence to identify and mitigate potential risks and liabilities.
•    Provide legal advice, counsel and service to Strategy and Corporate Development, business and legal teams in connection with M&A and corporate development matters.
•    Oversee the integration of acquired businesses and joint ventures from a legal perspective, ensuring seamless transitions and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
•     Provide guidance and training within Eaton on M&A topics and on managing joint ventures and equity investments.
•    Serve as project manager on transactions from the legal perspective, including coordination of advice from other legal team members and outside counsel.
•    Manage and supervise outside counsel on transactions as necessary, including monitoring and forecasting external spend.
•    Develop and institute standardized processes for transactions and post-transaction requirements and for joint venture and equity investment management.
•    Stay current with developments in M&A law and regulations.
•    Manage and mentor legal professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.

Qualifications:

Education level required     
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.

Years and area of experience required   
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive post-law degree experience in mergers & acquisitions or related areas.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and closing complex M&A transactions.
• Must be able to travel up to 10%, some globally.

Technical knowledge   
• Substantive knowledge and experience with cross-border M&A transactions and other corporate transactions and acquisition integration, cash management, tax strategy, transfer pricing and joint venture management.
• Previous law firm experience strongly preferred.
• Expertise in strategic planning and ability to connect objectives and strategy, and to coordinate projects across functions and with team members world-wide.
• Talent development of team members across Eaton’s legal organization and M&A community.
• Demonstrated experience working with legal and non-legal executives, including developing and presenting strategy, advocating and influencing, coaching and advising, and providing direct feedback.

Skills:

Soft skills   
• Solid influencing and organization skills.
• Strong executive presence, including demonstrated experience presenting, reporting out, and influencing at the executive level.
• Competitive and business-minded with a practical approach that balances risk management with commercial realities.
• Highly responsive and service-oriented; thrives in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment; able to earn trust with experienced corporate development and M&A professionals.
• Highly developed sense of judgment and risk management skills, with proven ability to think globally.
• Ability to think and act strategically. Good problem solver; able to analyze, evaluate and distill complex qualitative and quantitative data and issues into workable parts and report on same.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication and platform skills; ability to communicate and relate at all levels of the company to enforce standards where necessary in a persuasive manner.