Paralegal

Position Overview

Reporting directly to the CFO, the Wanzl North America (WNA) Paralegal represents the inaugural in-house legal function, with primary responsibility for comprehensive claims handling and settlement management. This unique opportunity is designed for an ambitious paralegal with aspirations to advance their legal career and establish a comprehensive legal function as WNA’s business grows and legal needs scale accordingly.

Expected key outcomes include:

• Lead comprehensive claims administration and settlement processes to eliminate leakage, ensure timely resolution, and maintain cost-effective outcomes aligned with WNA’s strategic position.
  • Establish foundational legal processes and infrastructure that can evolve into a comprehensive in-house legal department.
  • Build scalable legal administrative frameworks that support operational readiness to scale while reducing reliance on external legal fees.
  • Provide targeted support for M&A activities and commercial contract matters as secondary responsibilities that will expand over time

Company and Opportunity Overview

Wanzl North America’s vision is to be the leading entrepreneurial player in terms of market share, agility, and game-changing solutions. WNA is a solution provider, creating value along the supply chain of our customers, from the online purchase to the delivery to their customers.

WNA, which includes the Technibilt and Cari-All brands, is headquartered in the
Charlotte Metro area of North Carolina. With nearly 500 employees and 175 MUSD of sales, WNA focuses on the retail and distribution market segments with marquee customers such as Walmart, Amazon, and the majority of large grocers and retailers.

In addition to being the largest manufacturer of shopping carts in North America, WNA has three (3) additional main product segments as well as a Service business, providing turnkey solutions for customer guidance (Access Systems) and Shelving & Fixtures, as well as Material Handling/Rolling Stock products. WNA is active in building a “digital” business line with products for shopping cart containment, smart exit gate technology, and solutions for autonomous and/or semi-autonomous retail stores.

WNA is part of the Wanzl group, headquartered in Germany and has 12 plants in 8 countries, providing comprehensive, solutions-drive service and expert knowledge of local markets for customers across the globe through their 360° service.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Primary Responsibility - Claims Administration & Settlement Management:

• Serve as primary administrator for all liability claims, ensuring timely response, comprehensive case management, and optimal settlement outcomes aligned with WNA’s strategic position
• Coordinate with external counsel and insurance carriers to prevent settlement leakage, secure market-rate representation, and maintain consistent case positioning
• Develop and maintain robust claims tracking systems and reporting to provide Finance leadership with real-time visibility into exposure, trends, resolution status, and financial impact
• Manage settlement negotiations and approval processes to ensure cost-effective resolutions while protecting WNA’s interests
• Monitor and analyze claims patterns to identify risk mitigation opportunities and support insurance program optimization

Emerging Legal Function Development:

• Establish foundational policies, procedures, and infrastructure for WNA’s inaugural in-house legal function
• Identify opportunities to expand legal support capabilities as business needs evolve and grow
• Build relationships with external counsel and service providers while developing frameworks for bringing additional legal work in-house
• Support the development of legal budgets, metrics, and reporting structures that will scale with business growth
• Provide legal support for new product lines and business expansion initiatives, including risk assessment and regulatory compliance coordination

Commercial Support:

• Draft, review, and maintain various business contracts, agreements, and commercial legal documents
• Support contract negotiations and commercial dispute resolution activities
• Provide legal support on large vendor agreements, including review, analysis, and coordination with stakeholders
• Assist with regulatory compliance coordination and documentation for expanding business lines
• Support intellectual property protection initiatives and standardization of contract terms across product categories
• Coordinate corporate governance activities including board resolutions, entity maintenance, and regulatory filings

Employment Law and Legal HR Support:

• Assist with legal matters related to employment including documentation review, policy development, and compliance.
• Support HR initiatives that require legal input such as employee handbook updates, workplace investigations, and disciplinary processes.
• Coordinate with external employment counsel on complex HR matters and regulatory compliance issues.

M&A and Corporate Development Support:

• Assist with M&A due diligence coordination, document review, and transaction support for potential acquisitions
• Support deal sourcing activities and pipeline development initiatives with opportunity for increased responsibility as experience grows
• Maintain confidentiality protocols and coordinate data room activities
• Provide contract analysis and deal structuring support under CFO and external counsel guidance

Additional Legal Support:

• Provide administrative support for specialized legal matters requiring external counsel (such as trade policy and regulatory matters)
• Coordinate with outside counsel on various specialized legal issues as they arise
• Support general legal research and documentation needs across the business

Skills and Experience:

• Paralegal certificate or Associate’s degree in Legal Studies; Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 3-5 years of paralegal experience with primary focus on claims administration, settlement management, and insurance coordination
• Demonstrated experience managing liability claims from initial response through settlement, including coordination with external counsel and insurance carriers
• Manufacturing or product liability claims experience strongly preferred
• Manufacturing or industrial company experience preferred, particularly with product liability or commercial claims
• Strong interest in pursuing law school and legal career advancement - this role offers significant growth potential as WNA’s legal function evolves
• Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to build processes and infrastructure in a growing organization
• Experience with M&A support and commercial contracts highly desirable as growth areas
• Self-motivated and comfortable working independently in the company’s first dedicated legal role
• Proficiency with claims management systems, legal research tools, and document management platforms
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to interact professionally with external counsel, insurance representatives, and other business partners
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple competing priorities while maintaining focus on core responsibilities
• Demonstrated ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive business and financial information
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment with significant opportunity for professional development