Head of Legal CGO Germ Protection (Fixed Term Contract)

We are Reckitt

Home to the world's best loved and trusted hygiene, health, and nutrition brands. Our purpose defines why we exist: to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We are a global team united by this purpose. Join us in our fight to make access to the highest quality hygiene, wellness, and nourishment a right and not a privilege.

​Legal​

Step into the world of our Legal and Compliance Function and prepare to be challenged and stretched with a combination of impact, innovation, and excellence. Our Legal team is at the forefront of shaping the corporate landscape and redefining the boundaries of what is possible. We go beyond the traditional realms of a legal and compliance function. Transforming ourselves into strategic partners who help drive business growth, mitigating risks, and championing ethical and sustainable practices. Every day, our team deliver on groundbreaking transactions and navigate complex regulatory landscapes that help our organisation make a positive societal impact. Join us, and you'll be collaborating towards shared goals, solving complex challenges, and leaving an enduring legacy.

About the role

As Head of Legal, you will play a strategic leadership role in providing legal guidance and support to the business on its global product innovation and marketing initiatives. Reporting directly to the Legal Director CGO, you will collaborate closely with Global cross-functional teams — including Research & Development, Marketing, Medical, Regulatory, Safety — to proactively manage legal risks while enabling business growth. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape legal strategies, influence key decisions, and work on cutting-edge product innovations in a dynamic FMCG environment.

Your responsibilities

Strategic Legal Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to senior stakeholders for all brands in germ protection category, delivering complex legal messages with clarity, confidence, and professionalism.
• Actively participate in innovation leadership team meetings for all brands in germ protection category to help the business make informed decisions.
• Navigate challenging discussions with a solution-oriented approach, ensuring that legal guidance supports business objectives while safeguarding compliance.
• Foster strong relationships across the entire germ protection category organization, emphasizing collaboration and proactive legal support.
• Ensure the completion of documents from the Legal side for innovation leadership team meetings.
   

Product Innovation & Marketing Support:

• Work closely with Global Marketing, Research & Development, Regulatory, Safety, Medical and other cross-functional teams to substantiate product claims for germ protection projects, ensuring they align with the legal framework in multiple jurisdictions. 
• Offer expert legal advice on advertising, marketing campaigns, and consumer protection regulations.
• Identify and provide practical and business-oriented solutions to mitigate potential legal risks at an early stage to ensure smooth business operations.
• Partner with Legal colleagues around the globe, Global Brand Protection, and Patents teams to align legal strategies with business goals and ensure consistent legal approach via training and optimization of legal processes.
• Attend project calls on germ protection innovations and provide input in a timely and efficient manner.
• Ensure consistent legal approaches (on claim substantiation, contract negotiations, and other areas of legal advice) are implemented across all brands in the germ protection category and throughout the entire germ protection category organization. This includes close collaboration with Global Marketing, Research & Development, Regulatory, and Legal colleagues in various countries, as well as other cross-functional team members. Additionally, work closely with Legal Counsel, Germ Protection, to ensure they are involved and updated to do the same for their area of responsibility.
• Oversee and ensure the completion of all necessary legal documentation related to product innovation, maintaining accuracy and timeliness. Ensure the quality check of the completion of the product innovation documents by Legal Counsel, Germ Protection (incl. assessments to ensure compliance with European Dual Quality Laws).
• Prepare and deliver trainings to Global Marketing, Research & Development, local Legal colleagues around the globe, and other cross-functional teams. 
• Help Legal Counsel, Germ Protection, to complete the same for the germ protection projects assigned to them.

 

Contract Negotiation:

• Lead and oversee the negotiation of commercial agreements to facilitate product innovation, including NDAs, development, service agreements, and partnerships with commercial and academic and research institutions. Support Legal Counsel, Germ Protection, on the same.
• Lead the negotiation of complex agreements for all brands in germ protection category. Keep senior stakeholders updated on the status, business opportunities and risks of such agreements. 
• Ensure that contracts are structured to protect the company’s interests while enabling commercial success.

 

The experience we're looking for

• 10+ years PQE experience in a senior legal role within the FMCG sector, Food and Beverage, Retail, Healthcare, or similar industries.
• Strong background in marketing and advertising law, commercial contract negotiation, and intellectual property.
• Expertise in managing legal aspects of product innovation across diverse categories, including medicines, medical devices, cosmetics, and general consumer products.
• Ability to navigate complex legal frameworks while supporting business growth and innovation.

 

This role is an exciting opportunity for a proactive and strategic legal leader who thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment. If you are passionate about shaping legal strategies and working closely with business leaders to drive success, we encourage you to apply.

The skills for success

Integrity, Corporate Governance, Compliance Management, Solutions Focused, Excellent Communication Skills, Risk management, Intellectual property, Patents, Commercial contracts, Marketing, Teamwork, Fact-based Decision Making, Ability to manage and prioritize workload, Continuous Improvement Mindset, Legal Services, Process Optimisation, Qualified Lawyer. 

What we offer

With inclusion at the heart of everything we do, working alongside our four global Employee Resource Groups, we support our people at every step of their career journey, helping them to succeed in their own individual way. We invest in the wellbeing of our people through parental benefits, an Employee Assistance Program to promote mental health, and life insurance for all employees globally. We have a range of other benefits in line with the local market. Through our global share plans we offer the opportunity to save and share in Reckitt's potential future successes. For eligible roles, we also offer short-term incentives to recognise, appreciate and reward your work for delivering outstanding results. You will be rewarded in line with Reckitt's pay for performance philosophy.

Equality

We recognise that in real life, great people don't always 'tick all the boxes'. That's why we hire for potential as well as experience. Even if you don't meet every point on the job description, if this role and our company feels like a good fit for you, we still want to hear from you. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability or medical condition; colour, ethnicity, race, citizenship, and national origin; religion, faith; pregnancy, family status and caring responsibilities; sexual orientation; sex, gender identity, gender expression, and transgender identity; protected veteran status; size or any other basis protected by appropriate law.