Company Secretary

Job Description for the Position of “Company Secretary & Legal Affairs.”

Provide expertise on company secretarial and legal matters involving Wolters Kluwer’s operations in India and the Global Growth Markets business. The Company Secretary & Legal Affairs will be responsible for all company compliances as per the Companies Act in India, along with the POSH and CSR compliances. The Company Secretary & Legal Affairs will also support the legal team, under a moderate level of guidance, on legal matters, contracts, document preparation, employment law matters, litigation and collection matters. This role will act as a resource to others in the Global Law & Compliance Department, as well as developing and maintaining cross-departmental relationships with Sales, Accounting, Customer Support, Business Development, Accounting, and other internal stakeholders.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

- _ Responsible for all company secretarial compliances of the group/units and parallel companies of Wolters Kluwer (India) Private Limited._
- Play a key role in consolidation and amalgamation of group companies in the Asia-Pacific Region and Global Growth Markets and work closely with Tax, M&A, HR, business teams.
- Maintain an updated monthly litigation list, liaison with external counsels under guidance from Legal and support litigation before the various courts in India.
- Draft and manage contracts and amendments, including author agreements, NDAs, statements of work, power of attorney, authorization letters, vendor agreements, legal notices, task orders, order forms, based on provisions specified by the business and Legal team and seek guidance in matters of high complexity. Manage the contract process, including (i) identifying commercial and legal issues to be negotiated in contracts and seeking input across business functions to address and respond to such issues, (ii) managing the redlining process for contracts, including reviewing redlined agreements, creating redlined drafts for both internal and external/third party review, and preparing final versions of contracts for execution (iii) ensuring that all necessary authorizations and approvals are obtained prior to contract execution and (iv) managing the distribution of fully executed contracts to external customers and internal departments for servicing.
- Accountable for the contract repository and Contract Management Policy to ensure timely renegotiation, fee increases and renewals, as applicable. Build a repository with comments / notes for contracts signed by Wolters Kluwer’s Indian-based affiliates, which shall also include intercompany agreements.
- Support in minimizing group compliance and legal risk and exposure across Wolters Kluwer’s Asia-Pacific Region and Global Growth Markets business.
- Build a process chain / flow for various internal activities, internal processes, performing due diligences for crucial partners, etc. while working closely with our internal risk teams and support collection process for recovery of amounts owed to Wolters Kluwer.
- Support in employment law matters, including POSH compliances.

Required Skills and Experience:

- Qualification as Company Secretary from the Institute of Company Secretaries in India.
- Qualification of Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B) or equivalent experience.
- At least six years of company secretary, paralegal and contract management experience and experience in the field of employment law.
- Exceptional organizational skills.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with ability to communicate effectively across business units.
- Team player with excellent interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and efficiently, prioritize workflow, meet deadlines and manage multiple projects.
- Must be able to read and interpret the underlying purpose of company laws and regulations, as well as contractual agreements.
- High proficiency in Microsoft Office product suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), and contract management software.
- Works independently, with guidance in only the most complex situations.
- Ability to organize information, generate reports and maintain data regarding litigation, contracts and contract process requests in a database.
- Capable of handling sensitive materials and maintaining confidentiality.
- Must have the ability to pass a pre-employment background check and drug screening.

Preferred Qualifications Skills / Knowledge:

- Paralegal or Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) certification.
- Software or technology industry or financial services industry experience.
- Previous experience in a law firm or an in-house legal department.