1. Role Purpose
The Head – Legal will be responsible for protecting Stove
Kraft Limited’s legal and commercial interests across its manufacturing, sales,
procurement, real estate, employment, intellectual property and international
business activities.
The incumbent will lead the Legal function and act as a
business-oriented legal advisor to the Managing Director and senior management,
with particular emphasis on preventing litigation, strengthening contracts,
reducing legal exposure and ensuring timely resolution of disputes.
The role will work closely with the Company Secretary &
Compliance Officer while maintaining clear responsibility for operational and
commercial legal matters.
2. Key Responsibilities
A. Contracts & Commercial Legal
* Draft, review, negotiate and approve commercial agreements
including:
* Vendor and
supplier agreements
*
Distributor/dealer agreements
* Modern trade and
e-commerce agreements
* Manufacturing
and OEM agreements
* Import/export
agreements
* Technology and
software agreements
* Marketing,
advertising and agency agreements
* Logistics and
warehousing agreements
* Lease, leave
& licence and property agreements
* NDAs, MoUs and
term sheets
* Consultancy and
service agreements
* Develop standard agreement templates and contractual
clauses across the organisation.
* Establish a Contract Lifecycle Management system with
centralised storage, renewal alerts and approval workflows.
* Ensure commercial contracts adequately protect Stove Kraft
on liability, indemnity, warranty, IP, confidentiality, termination and
dispute-resolution matters.
B. Litigation & Dispute Management
Take end-to-end ownership of all litigation involving Stove
Kraft, including:
* Commercial disputes
* Vendor/customer disputes
* Consumer cases
* Product liability matters
* Employment and labour disputes
* Property and land matters
* Recovery proceedings
* Arbitration
* Intellectual property disputes
* Regulatory proceedings
Maintain a central litigation dashboard covering case
status, financial exposure, next hearing, external counsel, strategy and
expected outcome.
Actively drive settlement of commercially viable cases
rather than allowing litigation to remain pending indefinitely.
C. Manufacturing & Regulatory Legal
Provide legal support to Stove Kraft’s manufacturing
operations, including matters relating to:
* Factories and industrial regulations
* Pollution/environmental regulations
* Labour and employment laws
* Legal metrology
* BIS/product compliance
* Consumer protection
* Product liability
* E-waste and environmental obligations
* Fire and safety regulations
* Industrial land and factory approvals
* Licences and statutory permissions
Work with functional heads to identify legal risks before
they result in notices, penalties or litigation.
D. Intellectual Property
Develop and implement a comprehensive IP protection strategy
for:
* Pigeon
* Gilma
* BLACK+DECKER rights applicable to Stove Kraft
* Product designs
* Patents
* Trademarks
* Copyrights
* Packaging and trade dress
Monitor infringement and counterfeit products in India and
overseas and initiate appropriate enforcement action.
Maintain a complete IP register showing registrations,
applications, renewals and infringement actions.
E. Real Estate & Property
Lead legal due diligence for:
* Purchase of land
* Factory expansion
* Warehouses
* Offices
* Retail/EBO properties
* Long-term leases
* Industrial land allotments
Review title documents, encumbrances, conversion, zoning,
approvals and contractual risks before any property transaction is committed.
Coordinate with external lawyers for title verification and
property documentation.
F. M&A, JV and International Business
Provide legal support for:
* Acquisitions
* Joint ventures
* Strategic investments
* Overseas subsidiaries
* China operations/JVs
* UAE and other international operations
* Technology collaborations
* International sourcing arrangements
Lead or coordinate legal due diligence, transaction
documentation, shareholder agreements, JV agreements and closing documentation.
Work with local counsel in overseas jurisdictions where
required.
G. Employment & HR Legal
Advise HR and management on:
* Employment contracts
* Senior management appointments
* Termination and separation
* Confidentiality
* Non-solicitation
* Employee misconduct
* POSH-related legal aspects
* Labour disputes
* Contractor arrangements
* Employee claims
Ensure appropriate documentation and legal risk assessment
for sensitive employee matters.
H. Corporate Governance Support
Work closely with the Company Secretary & Compliance
Officer on matters requiring legal interpretation under:
* Companies Act
* SEBI Regulations
* Listing Regulations
* Insider Trading Regulations
* Related Party Transactions
* Corporate governance requirements
The Company Secretary will continue to own statutory
secretarial and stock-exchange compliance; the Head – Legal will provide legal
support and interpretation wherever required.
I. Legal Risk Management
Create a formal Legal Risk Register for Stove Kraft.
Conduct periodic legal audits covering:
* Major contracts
* Litigation
* Property
* IP
* Employment
* Regulatory exposure
* Product liability
* International transactions
Escalate material legal risks to the MD/CFO and management.
3. Key Deliverables / KPIs
Performance should be measured through clearly defined KPIs:
Litigation
* Reduction in number and value of outstanding cases
* Closure/settlement of legacy litigation
* No adverse orders arising from missed hearings or
procedural lapses
Contracts
* Standard contracts: 48-hour turnaround
* Complex contracts: 5 working days
* 100% central repository for material contracts
Legal Risk
* Quarterly Legal Risk Dashboard to MD
* Zero major regulatory/legal surprises
* 100% tracking of material legal notices
Intellectual Property
* 100% timely renewal of trademarks/designs/patents
* Active monitoring and enforcement against infringement
External Legal Cost
* Annual legal budget and counsel-wise cost monitoring
* Reduction in unnecessary dependence on external lawyers
* Defined panel and negotiated fee structure for external
counsel
4. Candidate Profile
Qualification
Essential:
* LL.B. from a recognised university
* Enrolled with a State Bar Council
Preferred:
* LL.M. / Company Secretary qualification would be an
advantage, but not mandatory.
Experience
15–20 years of relevant experience, preferably including
significant experience in a listed manufacturing/consumer products/FMCG/durable
company.
The candidate should have strong experience in:
* Commercial contracts
* Manufacturing-related laws
* Litigation
* Corporate law
* Employment law
* Intellectual property
* Property transactions
* M&A/JV documentation
Experience handling international contracts, imports/exports
and overseas subsidiaries/JVs will be strongly preferred.
5. Ideal Candidate
The preferred candidate should be a commercially minded
General Counsel rather than a purely litigation-oriented lawyer.
He/she should:
* Understand business and manufacturing operations
* Be comfortable taking decisions rather than merely
identifying risks
* Provide practical solutions to management
* Negotiate strongly with counterparties
* Have excellent drafting skills
* Be capable of personally handling complex contracts
* Manage senior external lawyers effectively
* Be comfortable interacting directly with the MD, Board
members and senior management
* Have high integrity and confidentiality
RequirementsCandidate Profile
- Qualification: LL.B. mandatory; LL.M./CS preferred.
- Experience: 15–20 years of relevant legal experience.
- Experience in commercial contracts, litigation, corporate law, employment law, IP, property transactions and M&A/JV documentation.
- Experience in a listed company, manufacturing, consumer products, FMCG or durable industry preferred.
- International contracts, imports/exports and overseas JV/subsidiary exposure preferred.
- Strong drafting, negotiation, stakeholder management and business advisory skills.
- Should be commercially oriented and capable of working directly with the MD, Board and senior management.
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