Head of Legal

PURPOSE OF JOB:

The Head of Legal is a member of the HEINEKEN Taiwan Management Team and a strategic business partner to the Managing Director and functional leaders.

The role leads the Legal, Ethics and Compliance agenda for HEINEKEN Taiwan, providing practical and commercially focused legal advice while protecting the company's reputation, assets and license to operate. The Head of Legal is also responsible for identifying, escalating and managing material legal, regulatory, compliance, reputational and business risks in alignment with Global and Regional Legal priorities.

MAJOR ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership and Business Partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Managing Director, Management Team, Board, and functional leaders.
• Provide legal input into business strategy, investments, commercial plans, and major organizational decisions.
• Develop and implement the local Legal strategy in alignment with business priorities and Global and Regional Legal direction.
• Balance strategic leadership responsibilities with hands-on involvement in operational legal matters.
• Build legal awareness and capability across the organization through practical guidance, training, and effective legal processes.

Legal Risk, Crisis, and Dispute Management

• Identify, assess, escalate, and manage significant legal, regulatory, reputational, and business risks.
• Provide legal leadership during crisis situations, including investigations, dawn raids, regulatory inquiries, product issues, and other material incidents.
• Manage claims, disputes, mediation, arbitration, litigation, and enforcement matters.
• Develop practical risk mitigation and dispute resolution strategies that balance legal protection, business impact, cost, and reputation.

Ethics, Compliance, and Corporate Governance

• Lead the Ethics and Compliance program and promote a strong culture of integrity and accountability.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, HEINEKEN policies, and the HEINEKEN Code of Business Conduct.
• Advise on anti-bribery and corruption, competition law, sanctions, conflicts of interest, gifts and entertainment, data privacy, responsible marketing, fraud, and employment-related matters.
• Support or lead Speak Up assessments and investigations in line with Global and Regional requirements.
• Monitor regulatory developments and advise the business on potential impacts and required actions.
• Advise the Management Team and Board on corporate governance and license-to-operate matters.

Commercial Legal Support, Contract Review, and Strategic Transactions

• Lead the review, drafting, revision, and negotiation of a broad range of commercial contracts and legal documents.
• Provide hands-on legal support for day-to-day contract review and ensure agreements are commercially practical, legally enforceable, and appropriately protect the company's interests.
• Review and advise on sales, distribution, supply, procurement, sponsorship, marketing, service, licensing, confidentiality, intellectual property, and other commercial agreements.
• Establish and maintain contract templates, approval processes, review standards, and risk guidelines to improve consistency, efficiency, and governance.
• Advise business teams on contract interpretation, performance obligations, liability, indemnities, termination rights, disputes, and other contractual risks.
• Provide practical legal advice on advertising, promotions, digital activities, consumer engagement, and responsible marketing.
• Protect the company's brands, innovation, confidential information, and intellectual property.
• Support strategic transactions and major projects, including acquisitions, divestments, restructuring, joint ventures, route-to-market changes, distributor arrangements, and major investments.
• Advise on transaction structure, due diligence, negotiation, documentation, approvals, and implementation.

Regulatory, Corporate Secretarial, and External Counsel Management

• Manage corporate secretarial requirements, including Board and shareholder meetings, statutory records, corporate filings, licenses, and official company documents.
• Build and maintain relationships with regulatory authorities, government agencies, and industry associations.
• Support regulatory and public policy matters relating to alcohol, excise, advertising, marketing, product labeling, competition, and consumer protection.
• Partner with Corporate Affairs and other functions on government engagement and industry advocacy.
• Select, instruct, and manage external counsel, including legal spending, quality of advice, and overall performance.
• Determine when legal matters should be handled internally or referred to external counsel based on complexity, risk, capability, and cost.

EXPERIENCE:

• Admitted to practice law in Taiwan.
• At least 5 years of post-qualification legal experience in a reputable law firm and/or multinational company.
• Relevant in-house legal experience within a complex commercial organization is strongly preferred.
• Strong hands-on experience in commercial contract review, drafting, and negotiation.
• Strong experience in commercial law, compliance, corporate governance, risk management, and dispute resolution.
• Experience advising senior leaders and supporting major business decisions.
• Experience managing investigations, regulatory matters, strategic transactions, or restructuring is an advantage.
• Experience in alcoholic beverages, FMCG, tobacco, or another highly regulated industry is preferred.

JOB RELATED KNOWLEDGE:

• Strong knowledge of Taiwan corporate, commercial, regulatory, and compliance laws.
• Excellent commercial judgment and the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear and practical advice.
• Strong contract review, drafting, negotiation, and risk assessment skills.
• Ability to operate effectively at both strategic and operational levels.
• Willingness and ability to remain hands-on in day-to-day legal matters while leading the broader Legal agenda.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both English and Mandarin Chinese.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including the confidence to challenge constructively.
• Ability to manage sensitive matters, competing priorities, and crisis situations with sound judgment.
• Demonstrates Agile Mindset, Digital Fluency, Legal Expertise, Professional Judgment, and Problem Solving.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• High integrity, discretion, and independence of judgment.
• Strategic, commercially minded, and solution-oriented.
• Hands-on, responsive, and comfortable managing both high-level and detailed legal work.
• Proactive, resilient, and calm under pressure.
• Collaborative and effective across functions and cultures.
• Detail-oriented while maintaining a clear view of broader business priorities.