Vice President & Chief Counsel, Americas

The Company

It takes great people to achieve greatness. People with a sense of purpose and integrity. People with a relentless pursuit of excellence. People who care about making things better For Those Who Make The World™.  Join our top-notch team of more than 43,500 high-performing professionals globally who are making their mark on some of the world’s most beloved brands, including DEWALT®, STANLEY, CRAFTSMAN, BLACK+DECKER, and other strong brands.

The Role

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is is seeking an accomplished legal executive to serve as Vice President & Chief Counsel, Americas, providing strategic legal leadership across the Americas region. Reporting to the SVP, Chief Legal Officer, this role serves as the senior legal partner to regional business leadership, balancing legal risk with commercial objectives while enabling business growth.

The Vice President & Chief Counsel, Americas leads the regional legal organization, oversees legal support across the Americas, and serves as a member of the Global Legal Leadership Team. This role is responsible for delivering practical, business-focused legal counsel while building organizational capability and driving consistency across the region.

This position will be based in Towson, Maryland, Charlotte, North Carolina, or New Britain, Connecticut, though remote locations will also be considered.  Accessibility to our East Coast hub locations is required.

Primary Accountabilities

Regional Legal Team Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and execute the legal strategy for the Americas aligned to enterprise priorities across both Tools & Outdoor and Stanley Engineered Fastening business units.
• Partner with executive leadership to proactively identify legal risks and business opportunities.
• Balance legal, commercial and operational considerations in strategic decision-making.
• Drive consistency in legal support across countries and business units.
• Lead, develop and coach a high-performing regional legal team, allocate resources to support evolving business priorities, and foster collaboration across legal, compliance and enterprise functions.
• Drive talent, succession planning and organizational capability for the region. 

Strategic Business Partnership

• Serve as the senior legal advisor to regional executive leadership.
• Support commercial growth, strategic initiatives, acquisitions and business transformations.
• Advise on complex legal, regulatory and corporate governance matters, including marketing claims, advertising and pricing.
• Provide practical, business-focused legal counsel that enables growth while appropriately managing risk.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Oversee significant litigation, investigations and material legal matters.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Compliance, Privacy, Trade Compliance and Corporate Affairs on enterprise initiatives.
• Escalate significant legal risks appropriately.

Drive Operational Excellence

• Promote efficient, scalable legal service delivery.
• Champion continuous improvement and process simplification.
• Partner with Legal Operations to improve technology adoption and operational effectiveness.
• Establish operating rhythms and performance expectations across the region.

Global Legal Leadership

• Serve as an active member of the Global Legal Leadership Team.
• Collaborate with Regional Counsel leaders to drive consistency across the global legal function.
• Support enterprise initiatives, organizational design and legal transformation.
• Lead cross-functional strategic initiatives as assigned by the General Counsel.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have demonstrated “world-class” skills and leadership in a commercial legal leadership role supporting diverse business units.  Stanley Black & Decker seeks a hands-on leader with excellent communications skills and executive presence, who thrives in a dynamic, global environment. 

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school; active license to practice law.
• Minimum 10 years of legal experience, with significant exposure to commercial business law in a consumer-oriented environment.  Consumer packaged goods or durables experience is preferred.
• Proven track record in a senior legal counsel or executive role within a multinational commercial organization with a manufacturing footprint is desired.
• Experience leading geographically dispersed legal teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, matrixed global environment.

The Details:

You will receive a competitive salary and a great benefits plan, including:

• Medical, dental, life, vision, wellness program, disability, 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement.
• Discounts on Stanley Black & Decker tools and other partner programs.

And More:

We want our company to be a place you’ll want to be – and stay. Being part of our team means you get to:

• Grow: Be part of our global company with 20+ brands to grow and develop your skills along multiple career paths.
• Learn: Have access to a wealth of learning resources, including our digital learning portal.
• Belong: Experience an awesome place to work, where we have mutual respect and a great appreciation for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Give Back: Help us continue to make positive changes locally and globally through volunteerism, giving back, and sustainable business practices.

You will get that pride that comes from empowering makers, doers, protectors, and everyday heroes all over the world. We are more than the #1 tools company. More than a driving force in outdoor power equipment. More than a global leader in industrial. We are visionaries and innovators. As successful as we’ve been in the past, we have so much further to go. That’s where you come in. Join us!

The Salary range for this position is $285,000.00 - $425,000.00

• This is the lowest to highest annual full-time salary range we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. The salary offered within the range may vary depending on multiple factors including job level, geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience and in compliance with local wage requirements. Please note that salary is only one component of total rewards at Stanley Black & Decker. ​

• The salary range listed in this job posting reflects the range for the primary location specified. The salary range may vary for other locations.​

• The successful candidate may be eligible for annual merit increases. ​

• Medical, dental, life, vision, disability,401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement in addition to programs & benefits in support of your well-being. ​

• Discounts on Stanley Black & Decker tool sand other partner programs.

We Don’t Just Build The World, We Build Innovative Technology Too.

Joining the Stanley Black & Decker team means working in an innovative, tech-driven and highly collaborative team environment supported by over 43,500 professionals in 60 countries across the globe. Here, you’ll get the unique chance to impact some of the world’s most iconic brands including STANLEY TOOLS, DEWALT, CRAFTSMAN, MAC TOOLS and Black + Decker. Your ideas and solutions have the potential to reach millions of customers as we work together to write the next chapter in our history. Come build with us and take your career to new heights.

Who We Are 

We’re the World’s largest tool company. We’re industry visionaries. We’re solving problems and advancing the manufacturing trade through innovative technology and our Industry 4.0 Initiative. We are committed to ensuring our state-of-the-art “smart factory” products and services provide greater quality to our customers & greater environmental and social value to our planet. We are unique in that we have a rich and storied history dating back to 1843, but that hasn't stopped us from evolving into a vibrant, diverse, global growth company. 

What You’ll Also Get

Career Opportunity: Career paths aren’t linear here. Being part of our global company with 60+ brands gives you the chance to grow and develop your skills along multiple career paths.

Benefits & Perks

You’ll get a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits plan that includes medical, dental, life, vision, wellness program, disability, retirement benefits, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Paid Time Off, including paid vacation, holidays & personal days, and tuition reimbursement. And, of course, discounts on Stanley Black & Decker tools and products and well as discount programs for many other vendors and partners.

Learning & Development: 
Our lifelong learning philosophy means you’ll have access to a wealth of state-of-the-art learning resources, including our Lean Academy and online university (where you can get certificates and specializations from renowned colleges and universities).

Diverse & Inclusive Culture:
We pride ourselves on being an awesome place to work. We respect and embrace differences because that’s how the best work gets done. You’ll find we like to have fun here, too.

Purpose-Driven Company:
You’ll help us continue to make positive changes in the local communities where we work and live as well as in the broader world through volunteerism, giving back and sustainable business practices.

EEO Statement:
All qualified applicants to Stanley Black & Decker are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran’s status or any other protected characteristic.

If you require reasonable accommodation to complete an application or access our website, please contact us at (860) 827-3923 or at [email protected].  Due to volume, we cannot respond to unrelated inquiries about the status of a completed application or resetting an account password.

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