Legal & Business Risk Specialist

We are seeking a Contracts & Business Risk Specialist to join our Risk Management function and serve as the internal legal resource across the organization. This role works in close partnership with our contract administrator and focuses on legal judgment, risk mitigation, and working cross functionally as a trusted business advisor including with our Innovation, Operations, and Distribution teams. 

Responsibilities 

Innovation 

• Serve as primary liaison between the Innovation team and outside counsel to support the patent application and prosecution process 
• Draft, negotiate, and manage Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with potential business partners 
• Collaborate with Marketing and outside legal counsel to identify, file, and maintain trademark registrations 

Operations 

• Provide legal and risk support to the Operations team across multiple areas: 
  • Procurement: Draft and review key supplier agreements; coordinate Irwin financial reviews in partnership with the operations team 
  • Installation: Review and maintain installer agreements; coordinate Irwin financial review processes in partnership with the CTS team 
  • Evolve (Service) : Support the Evolve team with service agreements and related legal documentation 

Distribution 

• Partner with the Distribution team to identify, assess, and manage legal and contractual risk: 
  • Coordinate and manage Customer NDA processes 
  • Develop and maintain Design Agreements 
  • Ensure Distributor and Business Partner agreements are current and properly executed 

Sales Contract Administration  

• Work in close collaboration with the contract administration team, with a clear division of ownership: contract administration leads operational contract execution, while this role leads legal risk assessment, IP matters, and agreement drafting requiring legal judgment 
• Provide legal review and guidance to support the contract administration team on complex or high-exposure contracts 
• Serve as the escalation point for legal questions arising from the contract administration process, collaborating with our external Attorneys. 

General Liability Claims Management  

• Manage GL claims to resolution working externally with TPA and insurance broker and internally with quality, installation, project management & engineering.
• Assist outside counsel with discovery including collecting and reviewing internal documents   

Warranty, Claims & Compliance 

• Track warranty obligations and ensure alignment between customer warranties and supplier warranties. 
• Support warranty claim investigations and documentation. 
• Maintain audit-ready contract and warranty files. 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Legal Studies, Business, or a related field 
• 3 years of experience in a corporate legal, paralegal, or contracts role with demonstrated legal drafting responsibilities 
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements (NDAs, supplier agreements, service agreements, distributor agreements) 
• Experience with construction law 
• Working knowledge of intellectual property concepts including patents and trademarks 
• Experience in contract governance and process improvement, including managing contract repositories, developing legal playbooks and risk checklists, and delivering internal compliance training. 
• Ability to exercise independent legal judgment and escalate appropriately 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable interfacing with outside counsel 
• Highly organized with the ability to manage concurrent workstreams across multiple business units 
• Paralegal Certificate or J.D. a plus 
• HR and Employment law experience a plus 

Why Irwin?

Founded in 1907, Irwin Seating is a fourth-generation, family-owned company with locations in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Altamont, Illinois. We bring people together to learn, create, and share meaningful experiences both within our teams and in the spaces we design. You’ll be part of a people-first team that believes in collaboration, growth, and doing the right thing. Here, you can build a career you love while growing alongside a company that feels like family.

FLSA Status: Exempt 

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