Assistant General Counsel - Bilingual English Spanish

Job Summary:

The Assistant General Counsel will provide strategic legal support across the International Americas region, including Canada, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Panama, and to Sysco’s export company. The Assistant General Counsel is responsible for providing legal counsel and risk assessment across a broad range of matters including commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, international trade, employment law, and real estate. Serves as the primary legal support for a variety of business professionals, primarily senior management, company executives and/or leadership of key functions within the region. Manages and selects outside counsel and develops strategies for commercial contracts/negotiations and dispute resolution. Directs pre-litigation employment matters and responses to complaints received by opposing counsel and government agencies. Partners with leadership of key region functions, including Sales, Operations, Finance, Merchandising, Human Resources, Safety and Compliance, to support key initiatives for the overall organization.

Responsibilities:

• Provide daily legal advice and counsel to business leaders across the International Americas region.
• Direct, manage, and develop strategy for respective legal matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements including customer, vendor, supplier, and distribution contracts. Support standardization of agreements across the region.
• Support strategic initiatives including expansion into new markets, integration of subsidiaries, and development of new business models.
• Conduct training and prepare materials for internal stakeholders on legal and compliance matters.
• Manage outside counsel relationships and legal spend to ensure cost-effective support.
• Monitor and advise on regulatory developments in international trade, employment law, and compliance.
• Participate in cross-functional teams to support enterprise-wide initiatives and policy development and implementation.
• Support subject matter experts with real estate transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures within the region.

Education/Experience:

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited U.S. law school, or a law degree from a foreign jurisdiction plus an LLM from an accredited U.S. law school.
• Texas law license or eligibility to become licensed in Texas.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of legal experience, which may include a combination of law firm and in-house counsel roles.
• Experience in international legal matters, including trade, compliance, and cross-border transactions, is strongly preferred.

Skills:

• Strong legal acumen with the ability to provide clear, actionable advice in a fast-paced, global environment.
• Consistently fosters a positive, solution-oriented atmosphere, even when faced with adversity
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects across jurisdictions.
• Collaborative mindset with strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment.
• Experience managing external counsel and legal budgets.
• Bilingual capabilities (English/Spanish) are required. Ability to read and write in Spanish is preferred.

Language Skills:

Must be fluent in spoken Spanish. Ability to read and write in Spanish is preferred. Above-average command of English, both oral and written, and excellent grammar, proofreading, punctuation and spelling skills.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

High energy level required. Ability, physically and mentally, to simultaneously handle several tasks. Candidate must be able to sit for long periods of time and undertake lengthy typing tasks. Candidate must be able to multitask without error and be able to handle stress in a positive manner.

Work Environment:

This position must be performed from the Global Support Center facility based in Houston, Texas.

Hybrid Role: In-office Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Work from home on Thursday and Friday.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job, including the ability to conduct confidential conference calls/meetings.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job. An individual should contact their supervisor or the human resources department if they believe that an accommodation is needed.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required for the role. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States.

BENEFITS INFORMATION:

For information on Sysco’s Benefits, please visit https://SyscoBenefits.com

OVERVIEW:

Sysco is the global leader in foodservice distribution. With over 71,000 colleagues and a fleet of over 13,000 vehicles, Sysco operates approximately 333 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 700,000 customer locations.

We offer our colleagues the opportunity to grow personally and professionally, to contribute to the success of a dynamic organization, and to serve others in a manner that exceeds their expectations. We’re looking for talented, hard-working individuals to join our team. Come grow with us and let us show you why Sysco is at the heart of food and service.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION STATEMENT:

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law.

This opportunity is available through Sysco Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates.