General Counsel and Company Secretary - Start Now

• Dual responsibilities for legal strategy and corporate governance
• Based in Christchurch 
• Work with a fast-paced, intellectually astute team

The Company:

Alliance Group New Zealand stands as a cornerstone of the country's agricultural sector, renowned for its commitment to excellence and sustainability.  With deep roots in New Zealand's rich farming history, Alliance Group is a 100% farmer-owned red meat cooperative that has been at the forefront of meat processing and exporting for decades. 

Through its extensive network of farmers, processors, and exporters, Alliance Group has developed a reputation for delivering premium quality meat products to markets around the globe. 

You would be forgiven for thinking beef and lamb is where the Alliance story begins and ends.  In fact, Alliance is ‘more than just a meat company’.  Alongside their award-winning meat products, Alliance has also developed a range of products to meet changing consumer demand, including a nutraceutical powder and a pet food range. 

It’s this dedication to innovation, coupled with a focus on animal welfare and environmental stewardship, that underscores Alliance’s role as a leader in the industry.

The Role:

Based in Christchurch and reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the General Counsel and Company Secretary role is responsible for leading the Alliance Group’s legal function as well as the development and management of the company’s risk and assurance framework.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Governance Advice - provide relevant, commercial, and practical governance advice across Alliance Group’s business units, group companies and joint ventures. 
• Legal Strategy - develop and lead Alliance’s corporate legal strategy, overseeing the delivery of all legal services and resources and provide legal input on all commercial transactions. 
• Shareholder and Investor Initiatives - support shareholder and investor initiatives including Annual Reports and Shareholder meetings, including managing the delivery of Alliance Group’s annual Corporate Governance Statement, and the ongoing enhancement of governance disclosures. 
• Governance Issues - Utilise your previous experience managing and advising on a wide range of governance issues to ensure strong governance, policies and plans are in place to manage risks and meet legislative requirements. 
• Risk Management - Providing specialist guidance, advice and assurance to the CEO, the Board, and Audit and Risk Committee on management of the company’s risks. 
• People Leadership - Provide strong people leadership to the legal and secretarial team to achieve key business objectives. 

Finally, as a trusted business partner, you will understand the vision and strategic priorities of Alliance Group’s business, helping to identify and implement opportunities to enhance and develop the governance capability and performance of Alliance Group. 

Skills & Experience:

Please note that this role is based in Christchurch. 

First and foremost, you will have dual experience as a Company Secretary and in-house General Counsel.  Another important feature of this role is that it combines strategic advice and operational delivery in equal measure so you will need to be able to switch between different contexts and modes of thinking to handle a variety of situations and tasks.     

In addition, you will have:

• A LLB degree or higher and admitted as a Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand or equivalent with 10+ years post admission experience. 
• A minimum of 10 years' experience in a company secretarial/governance support role.
• Well-developed commercial acumen with strong legal expertise across M&A, Corporate, Commercial and Health & Safety activities.
• Current knowledge of New Zealand company legislation and regulatory framework.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to communicate simply and confidently.
• The ability to manage high workloads and expectations effectively.
• A dedication to detail and be discrete and mature in your approach.
• The ability to focus on priority issues with strategic and commercial thinking and deliver to tight timeframes.
• A responsive and results focused approach with a positive attitude. 
• Previous in-house experience in Agribusiness, FMCG or manufacturing is highly desirable.

Benefits:

The role of General Counsel and Company Secretary at Alliance could be described as career-defining; an “MBA in a job”, if you will. 

You will be a key player in applying your commercial acumen using a pragmatic and future-focussed approach. As an adviser to the Board and Executive team, you will work at the apex of decision-making within the business and be encouraged to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.      

A competitive remuneration package is on offer, including health insurance subsidies for you and your family, flexible working options, discounts via the Boost App and five weeks leave each year.  

Culture: 

Alliance knows that its success is not just dependent on what they do but also how they do it and this is why they are firmly focussed on ensuring that every one of its team members lives and leads its values of Care, Team, Courage, Initiative, Communication and Accountability every day.

To maximise this opportunity, you will be naturally ambitious, hard-working and driven.  Working with a dedicated and astute team who are used to working at pace and pivoting whenever necessary, no two days are the same.  Challenges, setbacks and detours are all part of daily life at Alliance and the ability to navigate these events is key to your success and reward. 

To apply in strict confidence now, click ‘Apply for this job’ or email your cover letter and CV to [email protected] quoting 8766SIsk.  Applications close on 28 June 2024.  Emails will be electronically acknowledged and further correspondence may be by email.

To view the Candidate Briefing document, please click here.

For more information please phone Kate Kennedy on +64 3 353 4353.