Vice President & General Counsel

At Brooks, new ideas, new technologies and new ways of thinking are driving our future. Our customer focused culture encourages employees to embrace innovation and challenge the status quo with novel thinking and collaborative work relationships.

All we accomplish is grounded in our core values of World Class, Empowered, Accountable, Respectful, Engaged.

Vice President & General Counsel

Job Description

The General Counsel serves as the chief legal officer of the company, providing strategic legal recommendations and guidance to the CEO, Executive team, Board of Directors, and other stakeholders. The GC is responsible for managing all legal affairs, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and safeguarding the company's interests.

Responsibilities:

Legal Strategy: Formulate and execute legal strategies that align with the company's overarching business goals and objectives. Provide proactive legal counsel to the CEO, Executive team, and Board of Directors, spanning diverse legal matters such as compliance, IPO readiness, regulatory adherence, intellectual property, litigation, and beyond.

Corporate Governance and Compliance: Recommend and implement the company's compliance strategy by identifying legal and regulatory requirements that impact the business.

Collaborate closely with other executives to develop policies and procedures that ensure the company's activities are conducted within legal boundaries.

Ensure compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and corporate governance standards. Provide recommendations to the CEO, Executive team, and board of directors on matters related to corporate governance, ethics, and fiduciary responsibilities.

Securities and Disclosure Excellence: Develop, implement, and manage a framework that drives securities and compliance excellence that contributes to the company's reputation, financial stability, and long-term success. This will involve a combination of legal expertise, risk management, strategic planning, and collaboration with various stakeholders to ensure the company operates within the bounds of relevant laws and regulations.

Ensures the company complies with securities laws during stock offerings, mergers, acquisitions, and other financial transactions involving securities and interacts with regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to address inquiries, respond to requests for information, and participate in regulatory examinations or investigations.

Develop, implement, and manage the process for disclosure requirements to provide accurate and timely information to investors including the filing of periodic reports (e.g., quarterly, and annual reports) and other material disclosures.

Establish and manage internal controls to ensure accurate financial reporting, proper handling of material non-public information, and prevention of insider trading.

IPO Readiness: Oversees the preparation for an IPO providing legal expertise, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, and helping facilitate a smooth and successful transition to becoming a publicly traded company. This is critical in presenting the company accurately and transparently to potential investors and regulatory authorities. Key areas of responsibility would include:

Ensures that the company's operations, financial statements, contracts, intellectual property, and other aspects of the business follow applicable laws and regulations.

Partnering closely with the company's finance, accounting, and management teams to draft accurate and comprehensive disclosure documents that meet regulatory standards.

Coordinate the due diligence process ensuring all the company's legal, financial, and operational material information is accurately presented when examined by underwriters, legal advisors, auditors, and potential investors.

Identify potential legal risks and liabilities that could impact the IPO process or the company's post-IPO operations and recommend a course of action.

Partner with the CEO and CFO/COO to enhance the company's corporate governance practices to meet the expectations of public investors. This may involve reviewing and revising board structures, committee charters, codes of conduct, and other governance-related documents.

Coordinate the preparation of all regulatory filings, including the registration statement and other required documents to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Ethics and Governance: Promote ethical behavior and good corporate governance practices. They help establish codes of conduct and ensure the company's operations align with these principles.

Regulatory Compliance: Monitors and analyze changes in laws and regulations that may impact the company's operations. Develops, implements, and oversees compliance programs to ensure the company adheres to all applicable laws and regulations.

Export Compliance: Establish robust processes and comprehensive checks to ensure the company's adherence to global export laws. Continuously monitor and interpret regulatory alterations and provide strategic recommendations to the CEO and senior executives regarding potential modifications that might influence business operations.

Contract Management: Review, draft, and negotiate complex contracts, agreements, and legal documents, including vendor contracts, partnerships, and customer agreements.

Risk Management: Identify and assess legal risks associated with business activities and propose strategies to mitigate those risks. Develop and implement risk management policies and procedures.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution: Manage litigation and disputes involving the company, including coordinating with external legal counsel when necessary. Develop strategies for resolving disputes efficiently and cost-effectively.

Intellectual Property: Develop and oversee processes that proactively identify potential patents, identifies potential licensing arrangements, and oversee intellectual property filings and enforcement actions. Oversees the protection of the company's intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Employment and Labor Law: Partner with HR and the business on employment-related legal matters, including employment contracts, policies and recommend courses of action to remain compliant with labor laws, and manage dispute resolution.

Stakeholder Relations: Interface with external stakeholders, such as regulatory agencies, legal counsel, investors, and shareholders.

M&A: Key member of M&A deal team, leading due diligence projects on all transactions.

Key technical skills, attributes, and experiences:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission to the bar in the jurisdiction(s) where the company operates.
• Extensive experience (typically 10+ years) practicing law, including significant experience in corporate and securities law, ideally within public companies.
• Broad, direct experience with a variety of legal matters including litigation, M&A, compliance, labor and employment matters, IP, domestic regulations, and cyber and information security.
• Strong leadership and management skills.
• Excellent communication and negotiation abilities.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment and is comfortable making time-sensitive executive decisions in the absence of certainty.
• Experience interfacing with board of directors and advising them on corporate and securities laws as well as public board fiduciary and business responsibilities.
• Adapts quickly to changing circumstances and achieves business objectives without sacrificing integrity.
• Able to quickly distill complex legal concepts for business leaders with clarity and without resorting to jargon.
• Humble disposition and a team-centric approach, influencing through data and fostering strong relationships.

Brooks Leadership Competencies

• Results Orientation Empower and motivate teams to achieve results.

• Strategic Growth Orientation - Set vision, direction, and a compelling course of action to achieve growth.
• Collaboration & Influence - Collaborate, persuade, and influence in all directions.
• Team Leadership - Develop people for competitive advantage through team development and empowerment.
• Developing Organizational Capabilities - Model Brooks values and intentionally shape a Value Creation culture.
• Change Leadership - Inspire others to adapt to changing conditions.
• Customer Focus & Market Understanding - Know their customers & markets and innovate to stay ahead.
• Inclusivity - Cultivate a work environment where team members feel safe, valued, supported, and positioned to thrive.

If any applicant is unable to complete an application or respond to a job opening because of a disability, please email at [email protected] for assistance.

Brooks Automation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This company considers candidates regardless of race, color, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.