Director and Lead Counsel, GM China

Work Arrangement

This role is categorized as on-site. This means the successful candidate is expected to be physically located at HQ building, collaborate with the JV ​in Shanghai, China full time.

The Role -

You will be a collaborative partner with the Regional General Counsel and his supervisor, the Deputy General Counsel. As a leader and liaison between other members of the legal function, the Lead Counsel, China will manage a team of four lawyers and be responsible for a variety of legal matters and cases across many legal practice areas. The Lead Counsel, China will also be expected to engage with and manage the SGM General Counsel appointed by GM who will work in partnership with the SGM Deputy General Counsel appointed by the JV partner, to manage over a dozen lawyers and staff. The Lead Counsel, China will handle matters in an efficient and effective manner and will ensure the practice area is managed to budget, and using initiative and innovation to reduce costs, improve efficiency and add value including through the use of enterprise Ai tools. The Lead Counsel, China will ensure that the legal function’s policies and procedures are met and maintain and support a culture of legal compliance and excellence. The Lead Counsel will regularly work closely with key leaders and members of the GM Legal and Public Policy staff across GM International, particularly in Asia, and with subject matter experts in North America.

What You’ll Do -

• Provide legal counsel, advice, review, and direction to various departments and members of management at all levels regarding legal, regulatory affairs and safety issues.
• Ensure company compliance with all applicable national, provincial and local laws and regulations and ensure that all legal obligations of the company are properly recognized and carried out.
• Stay abreast of existing and new regulations in China, Asia, the United States and globally.
• Interface with applicable governmental agencies and handle all regulatory charges, claims, investigations, settlements and other legal proceedings.
• Engage, manage, direct and evaluate the work of members of the legal function as well as outside counsel and consultants as necessary to ensure proper and efficient handling of legal matters.
• Provide legal counsel and advice in areas of responsibility with respect to strategic programs and initiatives.
• Assist in designing and delivering education to employees relating to legal and compliance issues.
• As leader of the legal function, the Lead Counsel, China will be a role model for the Company by delivering high performance legal services with high integrity. The legal function’s objectives are to deliver timely, best-in-class business advisory and legal services in close collaboration with business partners to accomplish their objectives while simultaneously protecting GM’s high standards of legal, ethical, and financial integrity. Each member of the legal function, including the Lead Counsel, China, is expected to adhere to these standards:
• Workplace and Product Safety
• Compliance & Ethics, including GM’s Code of Conduct Winning with Integrity
• Strategic Partnering
• Responsive & Accountable
• Real-time Transparency and Communication
• Superior Work Product Quality
• Strong Work Ethic
• Controlling Costs, including through the appropriate use of Ai enterprise tools and innovation
• Company and Industry Knowledge
• Teamwork
• Community Involvement and Professional Development

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications) 

• A minimum of 15 years of legal experience gained from working at both law firms and multinational companies, with knowledge of working and living in China preferred.
• Excellent analytical, counselling, negotiation and interpersonal skills with sound legal and ethical judgment.
• Ability to work with a multi-disciplinary team of business personnel, legal and other internal experts and external consultants, both within China, and with GM’s personnel and team throughout GMI and in North America.
• Demonstrable team-leading experience and can educate, coach and challenge others to build and develop capabilities as well as generate actions and leverage resources that result in retention of talented employees.
• Ability to identify legal and compliance risks and opportunities and to define mitigating actions.
• Ability to initiate constructive actions to improve process effectiveness.
• Anticipates and responds to emerging issues, identifying external changes ahead of others.
• Managerial courage demonstrated through effective, direct, and respectful communication.
• Commitment to integrity and quality.
• Proven ability to drive enterprise performance ensuring holistic or systemic perspective.
• Financial acumen, including budgeting.
• Aptitude for critical thinking and succinctly presenting the best course of action.
• Highly developed integrity and inclusion awareness.
• Law degree from an accredited college or university
• Admitted to practice in at least one jurisdiction within the Asia Pacific region and/or in the United States.

WHY IS THIS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY

• Be part of an organization that sees things not as they are but as they could be; one that makes decisions now with the long-term view in mind and anticipates what lies ahead.
• Become a valued member of one of the world’s most recognizable companies committed to working “in China, for China  and in China, for Global” and to introducing global technology tailored for China, providing its people with safer, better and more sustainable future mobility solutions.
• Join a global corporation that aspires to be the most inclusive company in the world. GM believes that diversity of thought and experience creates a stronger workforce and promotes fresh, innovative thinking.
• Develop your career with a company that encourages its people to collaborate cross-functionally to achieve enterprise-wide results but also empowers them to respectfully speak up, exchange feedback and boldly share ideas without fear.

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us 

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.