Strategic Legal Role | Business Impact | Trusted Advisor

Shape decisions. Enable growth. Protect what matters.

At Danone, we do not just create products, we deliver health through food to as many people as possible. With a strong purpose (One Planet. One Health), we operate in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment where legal expertise plays a critical role in enabling sustainable growth.

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Senior Legal Counsel to join our ANZ team in Melbourne.

This is a high-impact role where you will act as a trusted legal advisor to the business, influencing decisions across the full product lifecycle.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Legal & Compliance ANZ, the Senior Legal Counsel is a trusted business partner responsible for supporting Danone's dairy product portfolio and the MADE Group's full product portfolio (and associated operations) across Australia and New Zealand (Dairy & MADE).

The role provides strategic and day-to-day legal support across innovation, marketing claims, commercial contracts, procurement, manufacturing and supply point operations, intellectual property and company secretarial matters.

The successful candidate will partner with Marketing, Sales, Operations, Procurement, Quality, Regulatory, Sustainability, Corporate Affairs and global Legal teams across Dairy & MADE to create value while ensuring they maintain their licences to operate.

Key Responsibilities

Dairy & MADE Business Partnering

• Serve as lead legal counsel for the Dairy & MADE across Australia and New Zealand.
• Provide pragmatic legal advice on product innovations, renovations, packaging changes, brand activations and commercial initiatives.
• Advise cross-functional teams on legal and compliance risks associated with business strategies and growth opportunities.
• Support delivery of business objectives through commercially focused, solution-oriented legal advice.

Marketing, Claims and Consumer Law

• Review and advise on advertising, packaging, digital content, social media campaigns, influencer arrangements, sponsorships, competitions and promotional activities.
• Support cross-functional claims review and approval processes.
• Advise on consumer protection, advertising and intellectual property risks.
• Assist in managing consumer complaints and regulatory enquiries where required.

Commercial Contracts and Procurement

• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including supplier, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, services, technology and sustainability-related contracts.
• Provide legal support to Cycles & Procurement teams across indirect procurement and operational contracting activities.
• Develop practical contracting solutions that appropriately balance business objectives and risk management.

Supply Point and Manufacturing Support

• Act as primary legal partner to factory and operations stakeholders.
• Advise on manufacturing, production, quality, logistics, supply chain and operational risk matters.
• Support investigations, incidents, remediation activities and operational governance initiatives.
• Partner with Quality, Regulatory and Operations teams on product-related and manufacturing matters.

Sponsorships, Corporate and Strategic Projects

• Lead legal review and negotiation of sponsorship, partnership and strategic collaboration arrangements.
• Support corporate projects, business restructures, intercompany arrangements and selected disputes.
• Contribute to strategic initiatives across ANZ, Zone and Global functions.

Company Secretarial Support

• Provide support for board and committee governance activities.
• Assist with preparation and review of board papers, resolutions and meeting materials.
• Support maintenance of corporate records and governance documentation.
• Coordinate external company secretarial service providers and internal stakeholders as required.

Intellectual Property

• Support trademark and intellectual property portfolio management.
• Advise on brand protection, infringements, licences and intellectual property risks.
• Collaborate with global and external intellectual property specialists where required.

Sustainability and Regulatory Support

• Advise on sustainability initiatives, claims, reporting obligations and related legal risks.
• Support business teams in implementing emerging regulatory requirements and Danone and/or MADE standards.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to the FMCG industry.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Identify and proactively manage legal and compliance risks.
• Support implementation of Danone and/or MADE policies, training programmes and governance frameworks.
• Lead or support investigations and remediation activities where required.
• Champion ethical business practices.

Leadership Expectations

• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders across all levels of the organisation.
• Demonstrate strong business acumen and commercial judgement.
• Communicate complex legal issues clearly and influence decision-making.
• Operate effectively in ambiguity and drive pragmatic outcomes.
• Mentor colleagues and contribute positively to team development.
• Balance operational delivery with strategic impact and long-term value creation.