Senior Legal Counsel, Event Legal

Department: Legal & Compliance

Location: Miami

Description

We govern the beautiful game and ensure it's run with transparency and integrity.

Join our team in Miami and support us on our mission.

The Event Legal team at FIFA is responsible for providing legal advice and support on the organization and hosting of FIFA's tournaments and events around the world including the FIFA World Cup™, FIFA Women's World Cup™, FIFA Club World Cup™ and all other FIFA tournaments and events including youth, futsal and beach soccer tournaments. The Event Legal team supports divisions across FIFA, with a focus on supporting the World Cup, Women's Football and Tournaments and Competitions divisions.

THE POSITION

These are your key tasks:

• Developing and implementing the legal framework for the hosting and staging of FIFA tournaments and events, including:
• drafting and advising on the implementation of hosting agreements, host city agreements, stadium agreements, training site agreements, airport agreements, accommodation agreements and related contractual documentation; and
• supervising the implementation of guarantees from Governments of host countries across topics such as taxation, immigration, employment and customs, including implementing legislative changes as necessary.
• Supporting the bidding process for the hosting and staging of FIFA tournaments and events, including undertaking the legal evaluation of bids received from potential host countries.
• Planning and implementing, in collaboration with FIFA Finance, the tax and corporate structures of FIFA subsidiaries in host countries of FIFA tournaments and events.
• Providing legal support to establish initial operational functionality of FIFA subsidiaries in host countries of FIFA tournaments and events, including developing the legal strategy for the ongoing provision of legal support to such FIFA subsidiaries.
• Providing legal services and support to the Ticketing division, including advising on contracts for the procurement of ticketing systems and services, ticketing terms and conditions and assessment of local laws and their impact on FIFA's ticketing strategies.
• Providing legal services and support to the Hospitality division, including advising on contracts for the procurement of hospitality sales and production services, hospitality terms and conditions and assessment of local laws and their impact on FIFA's hospitality programs.
• Providing legal services and support to the Accommodation division, including advising on contracts for the procurement of hotels for use across stakeholder groups in connection with FIFA tournaments and events.
• Providing legal services and support in respect of FIFA's tournament and event regulations, including Competition Regulations, Media & Marketing Regulations and Equipment Regulations.
• Advising on local laws in host countries and their impact on the delivery of FIFA's tournaments and events.
• Coordinating and working closely with other legal divisions within FIFA in relation to the hosting and staging of FIFA tournament and events, including in relation to media rights, TV production, content, music, technology, intellectual property, brand protection, sponsorship, marketing, corporate and institutional matters.
• Engaging and managing external legal counsel.
• Supporting the Head of Event Legal to develop and structure the Event Legal department, including training and managing the performance of department staff and supervising and directing project management policies within the department.
  
  

The Senior Legal Counsel role is a senior and critical role within the Event Legal team. The successful candidate will assist the Head of Event Legal with the management of the team and the interactions with FIFA's Senior Management. The successful candidate will build relationships with internal stakeholders and provide excellence in the delivery of legal services by following a solutions-based approach. This role will have a significant international focus as FIFA's tournaments and events are hosted and staged and around the world and the successful candidate will work with and manage stakeholders in countries around the world.

YOUR PROFILE

We work hard at FIFA.

We are dedicated, ambitious and innovative.

And we respect our values. Always.

For all roles, we seek talented people with an entrepreneurial spirit and a global mindset.

The specific competencies we require for this position are:

• A minimum of 6 years' experience of legal practice in a leading law firm or in-house with a major corporate.
• Previous experience of legal experience in the sports industry is desirable, particularly experience with the bidding, hosting and staging of major sports events, including in relation to the hosting contracts, ticketing, hospitality and accommodation.
• Candidates with a demonstrable interest in the sports industry and a strong commercial legal background will also be considered.
• First class written and spoken English language skills, consistent with drafting and negotiating complex, high value and nuanced English language agreements.
• Ability to provide and communicate effectively practical and solutions-based legal advice.
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, problem solving and analytical skills.
• Structured, reliable, well-organized with a strong eye for detail.
• Ability to work as part of a high-performing team, fostering collaboration, driving results, and ensuring the successful achievement of organizational goals.
• Proactive, with a strong sense of personal responsibility with an ability to work autonomously on a wide variety of projects.
• Resilient with an ability to competently handle a large workload amid rapidly shifting priorities.
• Open-minded team player with an affinity for working within a variety of cultures and excellent communication skills.
• High degree of professionalism and confident demeanor.
• Ability to be a good ambassador for FIFA in all manner of external facing situations, including during contractual negotiations, external workshops and during FIFA competition-related assignments.
• Ability to create, develop and maintain strong and reliable relationships with FIFA Senior Management as well as external legal and commercial counterparts.
• Willingness to operate outside of comfort zone.
• Takes initiative to reflect on how to improve and develop working styles and methods to assist the organization and internal clients.
• Fully qualified to practice law (registered on the roll / admitted to the bar of the relevant jurisdiction) having completed academic and practical training.
• Substantial professional experience of working with and drafting legal documents in English, including legal agreements for the provision of services.
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, problem solving and analytical skills.
• Native level English (or equivalent), consistent with requirement to draft and negotiate complex and nuanced English language agreements and advice.
• Proficiency in any other FIFA language (French/Spanish/German) is an asset but not necessary.
• Proficient in Word / PowerPoint / Excel.
• Willingness to travel.
• Willingness to work in host country settings when required.
  
  

Perks & Benefits

The biggest benefit of a career at FIFA is the privilege to work for the beautiful game and create something that matters.

Alongside that privilege, we also offer some extra perks and benefits:

Health insurance: We offer generous medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage.

Continuous learning: We care about your development and encourage internal mobility, offering a variety of training and education to help achieve it.

Retirement: We offer generous 401(k) employer contributions.

Vacation: Maintain a healthy work/life balance with a generous vacation allowance.