Executive General Counsel

Who We Want:

We are seeking a highly accomplished Executive General Counsel to serve as the senior legal leader and strategic partner to executive leadership within a complex OEM/Tier-1 automotive manufacturing environment. This role will own the company’s legal strategy, governance framework, litigation portfolio, and risk management approach across all operations, ensuring strong protection of the company’s commercial, regulatory, and reputational interests.

The Executive General Counsel will provide enterprise-wide legal leadership spanning litigation, commercial contracting, regulatory compliance, employment matters, and strategic initiatives across the automotive supply chain. The ideal candidate brings deep experience supporting OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, with a strong background in commercial and employment litigation, contract negotiations, and proactive risk mitigation in high-volume manufacturing environments.

• Serve as the company’s senior legal executive, leading all legal functions and acting as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team on legal risk, governance, and strategic business decisions.
• Own and oversee the full litigation portfolio, including commercial disputes, employment litigation, workers’ compensation, regulatory matters, and customer/supplier claims within the OEM/Tier-1 supply chain. Develop enterprise litigation strategy, manage external counsel, drive cost‑effective resolution, and where appropriate handle select matters in‑house.
• Provide strategic legal counsel across all business functions, including manufacturing, engineering, automation, supply chain, sales, HR, and corporate leadership.
• Lead the development and execution of company‑wide risk management and compliance programs aligned with automotive regulatory requirements, customer expectations, and industry standards.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and oversee all major commercial agreements including OEM customer contracts, supplier agreements, tooling agreements, confidentiality agreements, and service contracts.
• Monitor evolving legal and regulatory developments impacting automotive manufacturing, supply chain operations, labor and employment, and commercial relationships, ensuring proactive compliance and governance.
• Establish departmental strategy, operating plans, budgets, and performance metrics aligned with enterprise objectives.
• Build, lead, and develop a high‑performing legal team, including talent acquisition, professional development, performance management, and succession planning.
• Partner with executive leadership to support long‑term corporate strategy through legal governance, enterprise risk management, and organizational capability development.
• Collaborate with Learning & Development teams to enhance company‑wide awareness of legal compliance, litigation readiness, and risk mitigation best practices.

This will be a X Shift / AM-PM M-F position located at our Plant/Corporate Office in City, State
. Occasionally, this may require you to arrive early, stay late, or work on weekends, outside of our regular hours, to ensure we successfully meet customer needs, deadlines, or urgent requests.

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an ABA‑accredited law school with a strong academic record demonstrating excellence in legal research, writing, and analysis (required).
• Licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan (or ability to obtain Michigan licensure promptly) with a strong professional standing and clean disciplinary record (required).
• 15+ years of progressive legal experience, including executive‑level responsibility for litigation management, commercial contracting, labor and employment matters, and regulatory compliance within complex business environments (required).
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience managing commercial and employment litigation, including workers’ compensation matters and labor disputes (required).
• Proven experience supporting unionized work forces, including interpretation and administration of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), grievance processes, arbitrations, and labor relations strategy (UAW or similar unions)…