Managing Counsel - Jamaica

Campari Group today is a major player in the global branded spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, marketed and distributed in over 190 markets around the world, with leading positions in Europe and the Americas.

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 25 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 26 countries, and employs approximately 4,700 people.

Shares of the parent company Davide Campari - Milano N.V. are listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. Campari Group is today the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry.

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)

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

At Campari Group we believe in building more value together, thus we see diversity in all forms as a source of enrichment. Our employment policies and practices ensure that we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment without regard to any individual’s race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or characteristics or expression, political affiliation or activity, age, veteran status, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Campari Group believes that fair compensation and equal opportunities are crucial for employees’ well-being, empowerment, and engagement.  Our efforts to ensure fair pay have earned us the Fair Pay Certification by Fair Pay Workplace, an independent organization dedicated to dismantling pay disparities based on gender, race and their intersection.

Note to applicants:

Your application will be assessed based on your abilities, expertise, general knowledge and experience, not because of any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information you may possess. You must not disclose to Campari Group any such information. In the event that you are asked a question that cannot be answered without disclosure of any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information (including from a current or prior employer or their vendors or customers), you must decline to answer the question.

Notice to third party agencies:

Please refrain from cold-calling or emailing our executive leadership team or the HR community directly. The Talent Acquisition department manages centralized recruiting operations globally, including the selection and management of external suppliers. Currently, our preferred supplier list is at full capacity. To ensure we have your information on file for future consideration, we kindly request that you complete the online form provided here.