Legal Counsel (Shipping)

We are looking for a highly experienced Legal Counsel for an established international shipping group with regional and global operations. This is a key leadership role where you will oversee all legal, contractual, compliance and governance matter across the Groups diverse maritime and logistics businesses.

The ideal candidate will bring strong in-house commercial legal experience within the shipping or maritime sector, possess excellent stakeholder management skills, and be comfortable operating in a fast-moving, cross-border environment. Fluency in Chinese (Mandarin) is a mandatory requirement for this role due to regional stakeholder interface.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal advice on maritime, admiralty and commercial law matter across local and regional operations.
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts including NDAs, vendor/supplier agreements, service contracts and licensing agreements.
• Lead legal support for corporate transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, and strategic investments (SPAs, SHAs, JVAs, term sheets).
• Partner closely with business units on deal structuring, regulatory issues, risk management and compliance strategy.
• Conduct and oversee legal due diligence for projects, acquisitions and investments.
• Support and strengthen the Groups compliance framework, including policy development, training and internal investigations.
• Manage corporate governance matters, including board and shareholder resolutions, minutes, regulatory filings and corporate secretarial support.
• Maintain and oversee the contract management system and internal legal database.
• Manage relationships with external counsels, regulators and internal stakeholders across jurisdictions.
• Act as a cross-functional legal advisor aligning legal requirements with commercial and operational objectives.
• Undertake special projects and ad-hoc legal/compliance initiatives as directed by management.

Requirements

• Bachelors Degree in Law (LLB or equivalent).
• Minimum 8 years of relevant legal experience, preferably in an in-house commercial legal role.
• Prior experience in shipping, maritime, commodities or infrastructure sectors is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of shipping cargoes and maritime-related laws and regulations.
• Fluent in both English and Chinese (Mandarin) mandatory due to regional stakeholder interface.
• Excellent drafting, analytical and negotiation skills with strong attention to detail.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and organisational skills.
• Able to work independently and cross-functionally in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• High level of professional integrity, commercial judgment and risk awareness.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Thank you for your understanding.

Originally posted on Himalayas