General Counsel

About Rho Nutrition Rho Nutrition was founded to bring integrity and innovation to supplement manufacturing by prioritizing medically studied, high-quality formulations. Our products feature clinically proven ingredients using next-generation bio-delivery technologies to enhance cellular-level absorption and drive measurable health benefits. Founded with the vision to deliver unparalleled cellular absorption, we focus on transparency, effectiveness, and empowering individuals to understand and optimize their supplementation. Rho is committed to advancing the science behind wellness and helping customers invest in their health with efficacy-driven solutions. Operating across Shopify DTC, Amazon, and national retail, Rho serves hundreds of thousands of customers and is scaling rapidly while maintaining our strict standards. Role Overview Rho Nutrition is seeking an entrepreneurial, business-minded General Counsel to build and lead the company's legal function during an exciting period of rapid growth. As our first dedicated legal leader, you will have the unique opportunity to establish the legal foundation, processes, and governance that will support Rho's next stage of scale. Reporting directly to the executive leadership team, you will serve as the company's trusted legal advisor while designing and implementing a modern, business-focused legal function. Rather than inheriting an established department, you will build it—developing legal strategies, creating scalable processes, standardizing contracts, implementing governance frameworks, and determining when and how to leverage outside counsel. This role requires someone who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, enjoys building from the ground up, and can balance legal risk with practical business solutions that enable growth rather than slow it down. What You'll Own Building and leading Rho's legal function and long-term legal strategy Company-wide legal risk management and governance Commercial contracting and contract lifecycle processes Employment law partnership with Human Resources Regulatory compliance across the nutrition and dietary supplement industry Privacy, cybersecurity, and data governance Corporate governance and executive advisory Intellectual property strategy and protection Vendor management and outside counsel relationships Legal support for domestic and international business expansion Key Responsibilities Build & Scale the Legal Function Design, build, and continuously improve Rho's legal function, including policies, workflows, governance, and operational processes. Establish scalable legal review and contract management processes that support a high-growth business. Develop contract templates, playbooks, approval workflows, and self-service tools that improve efficiency while managing risk. Determine when to leverage outside counsel versus building internal capabilities over time. Build trusted relationships across the organization so Legal is viewed as a strategic business partner from day one. Corporate & Commercial Law Serve as the primary legal advisor to the executive leadership team on strategic business initiatives. Draft, negotiate, and manage a broad range of commercial agreements, including vendor, supplier, manufacturing, logistics, technology, SaaS, consulting, licensing, partnership, distribution, and customer agreements. Support corporate transactions, strategic partnerships, new business initiatives, and international expansion. Develop practical contracting standards that enable the business to move quickly while appropriately managing legal risk. Employment Law & Human Resources Partner closely with Human Resources on all employment-related legal matters. Advise on employee relations, investigations, performance management, accommodations, leave administration, wage and hour compliance, restrictive covenants, executive employment agreements, reductions in force, and separations. Support the development of compliant employment policies and HR programs as the company continues to scale globally. Regulatory & Compliance Develop and oversee the company's legal compliance framework across applicable federal, state, and international laws. Partner closely with Quality, Regulatory Affairs, R&D, Marketing, and Commercial teams to evaluate product formulations, labeling, structure-function claims, substantiation, comparative claims, testimonials, endorsements, and other product communications. Advise on dietary supplement manufacturing and distribution requirements, quality agreements, supplier qualification, adverse-event reporting, product complaints, recalls, product holds, regulatory inquiries, and corrective actions. Assess the strength of scientific and clinical substantiation supporting product claims and establish practical standards for legal review of new products and marketing materials. Develop response plans for product safety incidents, quality failures, customer claims, regulatory inquiries, and threatened consumer litigation. Monitor evolving FDA, FTC, employment, consumer protection, and privacy regulations and proactively advise leadership on business impacts. Sales, Marketing & Operations Provide legal support across Sales, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and Technology. Review and negotiate agreements supporting commercial growth initiatives, including influencer partnerships, affiliate programs, advertising campaigns, retail partnerships, procurement, manufacturing, fulfillment, and logistics. Partner with business leaders to identify practical solutions that balance commercial objectives with legal and regulatory requirements. Privacy, Data Security & Technology Build and oversee the company's privacy and data governance framework. Partner with Information Security and IT to support compliance with applicable privacy regulations, including GDPR, CCPA, and emerging global privacy requirements. Review cybersecurity incidents, advise on legal obligations, and negotiate technology, software, SaaS, AI, and data-processing agreements. Intellectual Property Develop and oversee the company's intellectual property strategy, including trademarks, copyrights, licensing, and brand protection. Manage outside counsel supporting trademark filings and intellectual property enforcement. Litigation & Risk Management Oversee disputes, litigation, and claims while managing outside counsel relationships. Develop proactive risk management strategies that reduce legal exposure while supporting continued business growth. Manage legal budgets and optimize external legal spend. Qualifications and Experience Required Qualifications and Experience Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school. Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar. 10+ years of legal experience, including significant in-house experience or a combination of law firm and corporate legal leadership. Experience building or significantly expanding legal processes, governance, or legal operations within a growing organization. Strong expertise in commercial contracts, employment law, regulatory compliance, privacy, and corporate governance. Demonstrated ability to partner with executive leadership and influence business decisions. Excellent business judgment with a pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach. Additional Preferred Qualifications Experience in a high-growth consumer products, dietary supplement, wellness, healthcare, pharmaceutical, food & beverage, or e-commerce company. Experience supporting founder-led or private equity-backed organizations. Knowledge of FDA and FTC regulations applicable to dietary supplements. Experience supporting international expansion and global workforce compliance. Experience with mergers and acquisitions, fundraising, or other strategic corporate transactions. Familiarity with legal operations, contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems, and AI-enabled legal technologies. What Does Success Look Like in This Role A scalable, business-oriented legal function has been successfully established with efficient processes, governance, and contracting standards. Legal is viewed as a trusted strategic partner that enables growth through practical, timely guidance. Contract turnaround times improve through standardized templates, workflows, and self-service resources. Employment, regulatory, privacy, and commercial risks are proactively identified and managed before they become business issues. #J-18808-Ljbffr