JUNIOR LEGAL COUNSEL (MANAGER)

The Company

Asia Football Group (AFG) is the exclusive commercial agency for the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) competitions. AFG's partnership with the AFC covers the commercial rights for all major AFC National Team and Club competitions, including the AFC Asian Cup™, AFC Asian Qualifiers™, AFC Women's Asian Cup™, AFC Women's Olympic Qualifiers, AFC Champions League Elite™, AFC Women's Champions League™, and AFC Champions League Two™ as well as AFC youth and futsal competitions.

Driven by a shared passion and dedication to Asian football, our industry experts have a wealth of experience in global, regional, and local football marketing and are devoted to delivering exciting and engaging Asian football content to fans on the ground, on screen, and online. Working closely with the AFC and its stakeholders, Asia Football Group strives for the success and growth of Asian football, as well as redefining Asian football’s commercial standing within global football by addressing the shared business objectives of the AFC, its sponsors and media partners with solutions derived from optimising brand activations, fan engagement and digitally driven innovations.

The Role

We are seeking a Junior Legal Counsel (Manager) to provide support for the company’s delivery of legal and business affairs services. The role will report to the VP Legal and work closely with other members of the legal team.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide legal and business affairs support across the full spectrum of the company’s business including:
• Media rights: support the marketing and sale of AFC competition media rights packages, including providing input on sales strategies, sales documents and bidding processes, drafting and negotiating media agreements.
• Services: support on a range of services agreements across broadcast, digital, operations and commercial delivery, including drafting and negotiating service provider / supplier agreements, assisting with preparation of detailed statements of work and SLA’s, and advising on the same.
• Other: support other AFG teams on a range of day to day legal matters across marketing, digital, operations, event delivery, corporate and employment.

• Implement systems and processes to handle complex contract negotiations, and advise on rights and obligations, manage risk and confidentiality.

• Understand and keep abreast of relevant legal, business and regulatory developments (especially in major Asian markets) to ensure risk is managed, and provide expert legal advice on salient topics.

• Identify proactive and pragmatic solutions that will eliminate or mitigate risks.

• Base your decision-making process on ethics and integrity.

• Create associations of trust and respect with key stakeholders, including the AFC’s commercial and legal teams.

• Deal with external parties (external counsel, clients).

• Meet legal team objectives.

Skills & Experience

• University degree and a professional qualification entitling you to practice law in a major territory.

• Good experience and training at a well-stablished international law firm.

• Experience: approximately two (2) years of direct legal work experience in the football / sports media industry is preferential for this role but those with general media related legal experience will also be considered.

• A robust understanding of IP law issues.

• Work experience in different geographical regions of the world, ideally including Asia, will be an advantage.

• Sound commercial acumen.

• Comfortable working to tight deadlines with constant changes and ability to cope under pressure.

• Attention to detail and ability to understand and communicate complex matrixes e.g. in respect of rights packages, etc.
• Excellent presentation and negotiations skills.
• Outstanding inter personal skills and communication skills both written and verbal.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Problem solving ability and decision-making ability.
• Stress management and conflict resolution skills.
• Account development and business strategy skill.
• Assertive and intuitive.
• High on integrity.
• Innovative.
• Willing to travel internationally.