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<p><b>The Group:</b><br> The Legal and Compliance team consists of lawyers, compliance specialists and other professionals across the globe who bring to the team various kinds of expertise. On the legal side, we have commercial, regulatory, M&A, SEC compliance, corporate governance, privacy and employment expertise in-house as well as broad-based international legal experience to support the company’s 12,000+ employees working in wholly owned subsidiaries in 32 countries. The Compliance team has expertise in overseeing the compliance processes and practices of regulated credit ratings, investment management, investment research and benchmark administration businesses. The Legal Department coordinates and oversees Morningstar’s use of external counsel around the world.<br> <br> <b>The Role:</b><br> The Global Head of Commercial, Legal will report directly to the Chief Legal Officer and become a member of the Legal and Compliance Leadership Team. This role will be responsible for managing a global team to provide commercial contracting coverage to the various businesses, including the licensing and subscription of data (including indexes, research, ESG and investment data) and support of contracting in the regulated businesses within the Wealth division which provides investment products and services. The coverage will extend to other commercial support required by the businesses, including partnerships and procurement. This role will work closely with the Sales organizations to streamline and standardize the contracting process for scale, and with the business heads to establish and implement commercial policy, usage rights and negotiation thresholds and positions. This role requires significant experience with contracting in commercial contracting, exceptional analytical and negotiation skills, and the ability to provide practical advice to mitigate risk and grow the businesses.</p>
<p><b><br> Job responsibilities</b>:</p>
<ul>
<li> Draft, review, and negotiate various commercial agreements, including purchase agreements, licensing agreements, distribution agreements, partnership agreements and service contracts.</li>
<li> Establish streamlined, standardized processes including use of templates, playbooks, standard negotiating positions and thresholds.</li>
<li> Use of technology to minimize use of legal time on lower value or less complex contracting.</li>
<li> Ability to work with Sales operations teams to fit the legal advisory and contracting process into the broader sales lifecycle.</li>
<li> Constant process improvement to allow for scale as the business grows.</li>
<li> Identify legal risks and provide practical recommendations to mitigate potential issues.</li>
<li> Advise on commercial legal aspects of business development initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic partnerships.</li>
<li> Collaborate with internal teams, including sales, finance, and operations, and obtain buy-in to streamline contracting processes and mitigate risk.</li>
<li> Serve as a proactive, solutions-oriented business partner to internal clients, building strong, productive two- way partnerships with colleagues and key stakeholders.</li>
<li> Lead a high performing team, ensuring they have the capabilities and skills needed to provide commercial, practical advice and drive results in support of overall business objectives.</li>
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<p><b> Qualifications:</b></p>
<ul>
<li> 10+ years of experience as a qualified lawyer in the US.</li>
<li> 6+ years of experience practicing as a Commercial Lawyer, preferably in a reputable law firm or in-house legal department.</li>
<li> Solid knowledge of contracting and licensing market conventions in data and software licensing.</li>
<li> Strong negotiation and drafting skills with the ability to review and negotiate complex commercial agreements.</li>
<li> Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with attention to detail.</li>
<li> Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to present complex legal concepts in a clear and concise manner.</li>
<li> Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.</li>
<li> Strong business acumen and the ability to provide practical and commercially viable legal advice.</li>
<li> Proven track record of managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.</li>
<li> Ability to develop far reaching strategic plans and lead these into actionable programs.</li>
<li> Prior experience managing a legal team and proven ability to attract and retain top-level talent and build excellent relations across the Group.</li>
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<p></p> 301_MstarEurLtd Morningstar Europe Ltd (UK) Legal Entity
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<p> Morningstar’s hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. We’ve found that we’re at our best when we’re purposely together on a regular basis, at least three days each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you’ll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.</p>
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