Director of Legal

Who We Are   Formerra is a preeminent distributor of engineered materials, connecting the world’s leading polymer producers with thousands of OEMs and brand owners across healthcare, consumer, industrial, and mobility markets. Powered by technical and commercial expertise, it brings a distinctive combination of portfolio depth, supply chain strength, industry knowledge, service, leading ecommerce capabilities, and ingenuity. The experienced Formerra team helps customers across multiple industries to design, select, process, and develop products in new and better ways – driving improved performance, productivity, reliability, and sustainability. To learn more, visit  www.formerra.com .    Formerra leads in the market with the following key capabilities:   Problem-solving mindset, based on ingenuity and backed by a skilled and experienced commercial team that brings differentiated insights across markets including healthcare, consumer, industrial and mobility Expansive material portfolio, including engineering thermoplastics and traditional polymers across leading material brands   Integrated, long-standing relationships with leading, global suppliers   Unparalleled and highly specialized technical, processing, and design support   Regulatory-compliant material support and expertise   Position Overview:  The Director of Legal serves as the company's primary in-house legal advisor and is a senior individual contributor responsible for providing practical, business-oriented legal guidance across the organization. The role partners closely with executive leadership and functional and commercial leaders to identify and manage legal, regulatory, compliance, contractual, employment, and enterprise risks while enabling the company's strategic and operational objectives. The Director of Legal retains internal ownership and accountability for legal matters supported by external counsel, ensuring outside legal advice is appropriately translated into practical business recommendations and actions. This position does not have direct reports and requires a high degree of independence, judgment, prioritization, executive presence, and cross-functional influence. Location Requirement: This role is considered hybrid, and candidates must be within a commutable distance to our Romeoville office for 3 days a week. Key Responsibilities Legal Strategy & Executive Counsel Serve as the company's primary internal legal advisor and trusted legal partner to executive and functional leadership. Provide practical, commercially focused legal advice that balances business objectives, legal requirements, risk, and speed of execution. Proactively identify emerging legal and regulatory risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies. Translate complex legal requirements and external legal advice into clear, actionable guidance for business leaders. Support leadership in establishing appropriate legal risk tolerances and escalation protocols. Provide legal perspective on new business models, markets, products, services, partnerships, and geographic expansion. Commercial Contracts & Transactions Lead the review, drafting, negotiation, and interpretation of commercial agreements, including: Customer and supplier agreements Distribution agreements Master service agreements Vendor and procurement agreements Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements Consulting and professional services agreements Technology, software, SaaS, and licensing agreements Logistics and warehousing agreements Real estate and lease agreements Other strategic agreements Identify material contractual risks and provide practical recommendations regarding risk acceptance, negotiation, or mitigation. Develop and maintain standard contract templates, legal terms, negotiation playbooks, and approval guidelines. Manage contract review and escalation standards based on risk and complexity. Partner with business teams to improve contract lifecycle management and contracting efficiency. Support legal due diligence associated with acquisitions, divestitures, investments, strategic partnerships, and other corporate transactions as needed. Compliance & Ethics Provide legal oversight and guidance regarding the company's compliance and ethics framework, including review, update, and training on appropriate policies, procedures, controls, and training. Partner with appropriate business functions to identify legal and regulatory compliance requirements. Monitor relevant regulatory developments and assess potential impact on company operations. Support or oversee legally sensitive internal investigations and advise leadership regarding corrective actions and remediation where appropriate. Partner with business leaders to promote ethical decision-making and appropriate risk awareness. Engage specialized compliance or regulatory counsel when necessary. Regulatory Matters Identify and monitor regulatory developments that may affect the company's existing or new operations, products, services, customers, suppliers, or geographic markets. Partner with functional leaders to ensure relevant regulatory requirements are understood and incorporated into business processes, including providing legal guidance regarding licensing, registrations, reporting obligations, certifications, and other regulatory requirements. Coordinate legal responses to regulatory inquiries, audits, inspections, investigations, and requests for information. Engage and manage specialized regulatory counsel when subject-matter or jurisdiction-specific expertise (e.g., tariffs, environmental regulations, employment, etc.) is required. Escalate significant regulatory risks and developments to leadership. Employment & Labor Law Serve as the primary in-house legal partner to Human Resources on employment-related legal matters. Review significant employment policies, handbooks, agreement