Associate General Counsel, Food & Beverage (Naperville)

Job Summary

Ecolab is seeking a highly experienced, commercially focused Associate General Counsel to serve as a strategic legal leader for the Global Water Food & Beverage Sector. This role will be based in Naperville, Illinois or St. Paul, Minnesota and will lead a team supporting Ecolab's Global Food & Beverage, Animal Health, and Paper businesses. The Associate General Counsel will provide legal expertise on complex matters of strategic importance to the Company.

The successful candidate will be an exceptional legal practitioner with excellent judgment and personal integrity. This role provides practical legal and business counsel across a broad range of sophisticated matters and partners closely with senior leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders to enable commercial growth while appropriately managing risk.

The Associate General Counsel sets direction for the legal team, ensures the right resources and processes are in place to execute the business strategy, and is accountable for talent development, performance management, and delivery of timely, high-quality legal support across the Sector.

What You Will Do

• Partner with leadership to understand the objectives of the business and develop commercial contracting strategies aligned to those goals.
• Advise senior executives on complex legal issues with material business risk; assess exposure and drive practical risk‑mitigation solutions.
• Lead, develop, and mentor a legal team that delivers practical, solutions‑oriented counsel on commercial matters, including:
• Drafting and negotiating a broad range of commercial agreements (e.g., master sales and service agreements, equipment lease and purchase agreements, distribution agreements, term sheets, and letters of intent).
• Designing and implementing efficient procedures for contract review, negotiation, and approval.
• Delivering training for business stakeholders on key contract provisions, negotiation approaches, and related legal/commercial topics.
• Providing legal and strategic business advice to leaders on a wide variety of commercial matters.
• Evaluating business practices for legal risk and proactively advising operating leaders to support growth and profitability.
• Co‑ordinating with subject‑matter experts (e.g., compliance, litigation, IP, and risk management) to ensure appropriate alignment and support.
• Managing outside counsel on specialised matters as needed.
• Collaborating with functional leaders in support of sales growth including finance, supply chain, insurance and research & development.

Qualifications & Skills

This position requires an accomplished commercial attorney with a strong business orientation and a record of delivering practical, risk‑balanced counsel. Cultural fit is important; the successful candidate will be ambitious, collaborative, and motivated to understand the business and contribute meaningfully to its long‑term strategy.

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school, with strong academic credentials.
• 12+ years of legal experience (in‑house and/or law firm) focused on complex commercial contracting supporting the sale of goods and services and custom equipment/solutions, including negotiating and closing significant transactions in a fast‑paced, global business environment.
• Deep expertise in UCC‑governed sales contracting (and related common‑law concepts). Experience with data usage, cybersecurity, and insurance‑related issues.
• Ability to learn how Ecolab's products and services are performed at customer sites in an industrial environment and apply that knowledge to document Ecolab and customer responsibilities.
• Demonstrated success leading and mentoring legal professionals (e.g., setting strategy, allocating work, coaching, and performance management).
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, sound judgment, and the ability to manage and prioritise multiple projects in a fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively with senior leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Unquestioned integrity, credibility, passion, humility and professionalism.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in food and beverage, commercial chemistry, or industrial manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a pragmatic, business‑minded advisor in a matrixed, global organization.
• Experience applying artificial intelligence and technical solutions in delivering legal services.
• Educational background including business administration, finance and/or accounting.

Annual or Hourly Compensation Range

The base salary range for this position is $202,100.00 - $303,100.00. This position is eligible for annual bonus and long‑term incentives based on performance, per plan terms. Many factors are taken into consideration when determining compensation, such as experience, education, training, geography, etc. We comply with all minimum wage and overtime laws.

Benefits

Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market‑competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families. Click here to see our benefits.

If you are viewing this posting on a site other than our Ecolab Career website, view our benefits at jobs.ecolab.com/working-here.

Potential Customer Requirements Notice

To meet customer requirements and comply with local or state regulations, applicants for certain customer‑facing roles may need to:

• Undergo additional background screens and/or drug/alcohol testing for customer credentialing.
• Be fully vaccinated for COVID‑19, including a booster if eligible, unless a religious or medical accommodation is requested by the applicant and approved by Ecolab.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Ecolab will provide reasonable accommodation (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with our application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require accommodation assistance in this application process, please visit the Recruiting Support link in the footer of each page of our career website.

Our Commitment to a Culture of Inclusion & Belonging

At Ecolab, we believe the best teams are inclusive. We are on a journey to create a workplace where every associate can grow and achieve their best. We are committed to fair and equal treatment of associates and applicants and recruit, hire, promote, transfer and provide opportunities for advancement based on individual qualifications and job performance. In all matters affecting employment, compensation, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement, we will not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, genetic information, marital status, age, disability, or status as a covered veteran.

In addition, we are committed to furthering the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) through affirmative action.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.