Company: J. Wray & Nephew

Job Title: Managing Counsel  – Jamaica, Caribbean, and Central America

Job Location: Kingston, Jamaica 

Reports to: General Counsel, Americas

General Description of the Role

Reporting to the Regional General Counsel for the Americas region, the Managing Counsel of J. Wray & Nephew serves as the chief legal advisor to the company, providing strategic and practical legal guidance across all aspects of the business. This role is critical to ensuring compliance with Jamaican laws and regulations governing rum production, export, intellectual property, environmental standards, and corporate governance, while supporting the company’s commercial objectives locally and internationally.

Mission/Objectives

The mission of this role is to align local legal and compliance practices with Campari Group’s global and regional policies, risk framework, and ethical standards. In strict partnership with the regional and Group legal function, the Managing Counsel will work to create agile solutions for the local business and partnership markets.

Key Responsibilities and Activities

Serving on the local lead team and closely cooperating with all functions - Supply Chain, marketing, sales, finance, HR, and IT this position will be responsible for leading the local legal organization, currently comprised of two attorneys and two paralegals.  Responsibilities include:

• Act as a trusted legal and strategic advisor to the Managing Director and local leadership team.
• Provide commercially focused legal advice that supports business objectives while managing risk.
• Contribute to strategic initiatives, investments, and operational changes affecting the Jamaican subsidiary.
• Implement and ensure adherence at the subsidiary level to Campari Group’s legal, compliance, and ethics policies, controls, guidelines, and best practices, as well as compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Support global reporting obligations, audits, and internal investigations as required.
• Draft, review, and negotiate various contracts, including:
  • Distribution and export agreements
  • Supply and manufacturing arrangements
  • Logistics, shipping, and warehousing contracts
  • Intercompany and related-party agreements
• Coordinate with regional and global legal teams on cross-border transactions and standardized templates.
• Manage litigation and disputes within Jamaica, Carribbean, and Central America.
• Support and coordinate with Group trademark team on registrations, renewals, and enforcement.
• Develop and manage legal budget for the Company.
• Provide corporate secretarial functions for J. Wray & Nephew and related entites, including statutory filings and internal processes, as well as drafting minutes and resolutions as needed.
• Develop and deliver legal and compliance trainings to employees and agencies.
• Promote a strong culture of compliance, ethics, integrity, and risk awareness aligned with Campari Group standards.

Key Relationships

Internal:  Local Lead Team and their reports across all departments, Regional legal team, Group legal team

External: Outside counsel, counterparties in negotiations, certain trade associations and/or pension funds

Qualifications & Experience

• Admission to practice law in Jamaica required
• Minimum 10 years in an in-house legal position, preferably with a multi-national corporation managing cross-border legal issues
• Experience in FMCG, manufacturing, or export-driven businesses preferred
• Experience in local Jamaican labor and employment law is a strong plus
• Proactive, pragmatic approach to commercial and strategic risk solutions
• Ability to operate effectively in a multi-national, matrixed environment
• Excellent communications skills across cultures, functions, and seniority levels
• Demonstrated experience managing a team or function (at least two or more reports)