ALDI USA

ALDI is one of the fastest-growing retailers in the nation, and we are charting an ambitious growth course with plans to expand its footprint to nearly 3,200 locations nationwide by 2028. Join ALDI as an Associate General Counsel on our National Legal & Compliance team, where you'll spearhead high-visibility commercial transactions, lead a team of attorneys and professionals, and provide expert counsel on commercial initiatives. This position offers the unique opportunity to partner with key stakeholders across the business, influence strategic decisions and ensure compliance in a fast-paced, growth-driven environment. If you're eager to leverage your legal expertise to make a significant impact and contribute to shaping the future of a respected retail leader, we invite you to apply today!

Position Type: Full-Time

Starting Salary: $258,750

Salary Increases: Year 2 - $274,250 | Year 3 - $289,750

Work Location: Aurora, IL

This role is eligible to participate in ALDI’s Hybrid Work Program, which allows remote work up to 3 days per week (i.e., work remotely up to 3 days per week; work in-office at least 2 days per week).

Duties and Responsibilities

Must be able to perform duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Leads a team of commercial attorneys and professionals
• Ensures the training, development, and performance of their team’s staff to retain a motivated, professional workforce that achieves their career objectives.
• Recruits and recommends qualified employees for their team’s staff positions.
• Establishes, communicates and evaluates job responsibilities and performance expectations to their team to ensure mutual understanding of desired results.
• Understands the overarching company strategy, while communicating and modeling the core values of the organization to create a sense of teamwork and membership among employees.
• Serves as a legal advisor to executives and management related to commercial transactions
• Oversees and drives high-value commercial transactions, including cross-border deals, joint ventures, technology partnerships, and strategic initiatives.
• Represents the company in negotiations with counterparties on complex, high-profile agreements, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy.
• Drafts and negotiates enterprise agreements, including customer and supplier contracts, and manages the contract lifecycle from initiation through execution.
• Serves as a legal advisor to Marketing, Digital, and E-Commerce teams, providing strategic counsel on advertising, promotions, consumer protection, privacy, brand, and related regulatory matters
• Serves as a legal advisor on M&A transactions, partnering on all stages including strategy development, due diligence, negotiation of acquisition and ancillary agreements, and post-transaction litigation.
• Partners and liaises with outside counsel and consultants on legal matters, ensuring the efficient use of resources and alignment with company standards.
• Approves junior counsel work as it relates to substantive legal topics.
• Provides expertise and insight on any legal changes which impact the ALDI business (including participation in various committee and strategy meetings).
• Consults with leadership on the development of their team's strategy.
• Advises leadership on sourcing external vendors for applicable services when appropriate.
• Liaises with applicable areas of the business to ensure timely and efficient communication flow.
• Consults with the business to effectively design and streamline applicable processes within the organization.
• Keeps up to date on external best practices and relevant changes to their field/area; communicates updates to leadership.
• Evaluates and analyzes legal cases, reporting findings to their direct leader; research unique legal issues impacting the organization by identifying applicable statutes, judicial decisions, and codes.
• Designs, implements, and drives process improvements and technology and infrastructure solutions to the business; ensures successful implementation and communication of Legal programs in order to enhance the effectiveness of the team while providing visibility to key milestones and progress.
• Performs pre-litigation work to minimize risks and maximize legal rights, at the instruction of their direct leader.
• Manages their team by driving projects and tasks to completion through effective prioritization, work planning, resource allocation, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Identifies cost-saving opportunities and potential process improvements.
• Serves as the primary link between their team’s staff and leadership to ensure understanding of company goals, objectives, and opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborates across legal department teams to enable efficiencies, effective communications and working relationships with the goal of providing positive business outcomes.
• Complies with ALDI privacy and security requirements and policies if job responsibilities include possible access to confidential and/or sensitive information.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job-specific Competencies

• Consistently demonstrates the ALDI Acts Competencies as outlined for the role.
• Ability to recommend, interpret, and/or apply company policies and procedures.
• Has command and demonstrates attention to detail as well as strategic thought leadership.
• Ability to develop rapport, trust, and open communication that enhances the growth and job performance of direct reports.
• Experience with and ability to lead and develop a team of attorneys and professionals.
• Understands the history, strategy, organizational authority, interdependence of job duties, products, systems, and services of the company.
• Conflict management skills.
• Advanced knowledge of United States contract law, commercial law, corporate law, and marketing law.
• Knowledge of the process for recording, classifying, and summarizing financial transactions in accordance with company, statutory, tax, cost and reporting requirements.
• Demonstrates strong business acumen, superior judgment, and excellent communication skills, with a proven ability to identify and implement practical solutions that support business objectives while effectively managing risk.
• Knowledge of how legal issues affect organizations and the ability to develop strategies to coordinate legal considerations to business objectives.
• Understands cost/benefit analyses.
• Ability to anticipate legal risks, as well as utilize excellent judgement and analytical skills.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience with contracts and/or commercial transactions in a legal environment required.
• Experience in a law firm, corporate legal department and/or in-house legal counsel required.
• J.D. from an ABA accredited law school; licensed to practice in Illinois (or immediate ability to become licensed) required.
• Experience leading and developing a team.
• Knowledge of contract law, commercial law, corporate law, M&A, and marketing law required.
• Or, a combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge.

Physical Requirements

• Work may be performed in an office, remote office or a combination of both where a computer and office equipment may be used as needed to perform duties.
• Regularly required to sit, reach, grasp, stand and move from one area to another.
• Constantly and repeatedly use keyboard/mouse.
• Occasionally required to push, pull, bend, lift and move up to 25 lbs.

Travel

• International & Domestic travel required.
• Up to 10%.

Benefits

ALDI offers competitive wages and benefits, to all employees including:

• 401(k) Plan
• Company 401(k) Matching Contributions
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• PerkSpot National Discount Program

In addition, full-time employees are offered:

• Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Generous Vacation Time & 7 Paid Holidays
• Up to 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave at 100% of pay
• Up to 2 Weeks Paid Caregiver Leave at 100% of pay
• Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life, Dependent Life and AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Term Life Insurance

ALDI is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. As a proud Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE), we do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic. Employment may be contingent upon ALDI's receipt of an acceptable and job-related drug test, motor vehicle report, and/or reference check, as applicable and permissible by law.