Estée Lauder Companies Legal Counsel

About Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies is a global leader in prestige beauty, founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder and built on an enduring belief in creativity, high-touch service, and entrepreneurial spirit. As an employer, the Group offers talent the scale of an international house with the energy of distinctive brands across skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care. Its culture values innovation, inclusion, learning, and responsible growth, inviting professionals to shape consumer experiences from laboratory to counter, digital platform to boardroom. Employees join a purpose-led organization where heritage, artistry, and scientific excellence meet to define the future of luxury beauty.

Role & Responsibilities

• Independently review and approve legal documents for APAC and TRWW, including NDAs, service and procurement contracts, SOWs, commercial and charity agreements, influencer and celebrity agreements, and brand and event collaboration agreements, whether prepared on ELC templates or otherwise.
• Respond to enquiries on contract terms, propose solutions to deviations from standard terms, and tailor standard terms to project contexts when necessary.
• Lead the development, organization, and ongoing maintenance of the APAC Legal Contracts Templates Library and Regional Center of Excellence Projects.
• Independently provide practical, commercially pragmatic legal advice on day-to-day business matters, including commercial transactions, procurement and vendor engagement, marketing and promotional campaigns, retail operations and e-commerce, consumer complaints, leasing, and routine employment-related queries, particularly in Hong Kong, Macau, and relevant APAC markets.
• Identify material legal and compliance risks, recommend commercially pragmatic solutions, articulate complex, sensitive, or high-risk matters, and escalate them to senior legal leadership where appropriate.
• Balance legal risk with business objectives and provide clear, solution-oriented guidance to stakeholders.
• Support the Privacy Officer and senior lawyers in reviewing Privacy Policies and relevant data privacy contracts, particularly where terms deviate from standard provisions.
• Monitor and organize key privacy regulations across APAC jurisdictions and contribute to regional privacy compliance programs.
• Build and maintain a centralized privacy knowledge library with relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct legal research on regional laws, regulations, and industry practices to support business and legal decisions, using AI tools to improve research efficiency with sound judgment.
• Build and manage legal databases covering key commercial terms, partner profiles, and jurisdictional insights.
• Support strategic legal initiatives with data-driven insights and documentation.
• Collaborate across business units, compliance, privacy, and external counsel to align legal work with operational goals.
• Train and guide internal teams on legal processes, templates, and compliance requirements.
• Support corporate legal work for APAC affiliates, particularly in Hong Kong, Macau, and Travel Retail Worldwide, including coordinating shareholder and board resolutions, corporate filings, and statutory document preparation.

Qualifications

• 6–10+ years of relevant post-qualification or equivalent legal experience at a reputable law firm or in-house legal department.
• Prior experience reviewing and drafting contracts in Hong Kong or APAC, as well as corporate work and privacy law.
• Admission as a lawyer in Hong Kong or another major common law jurisdiction in APAC is preferred; candidates without a practice license but with substantial relevant in-house legal experience may also be considered.
• Strong drafting, negotiation, legal research, and issue-spotting skills, with diligence.
• Strong organization and coordination skills; regional center of excellence experience is a plus.
• Sound legal judgment and the ability to provide practical, commercially pragmatic advice in a fast-paced business environment.
• Strong computer and word-processing skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and the ability to create, format, and manage legal documents.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and matters across jurisdictions with minimal supervision and meet deadlines.
• Fluent spoken English and strong written English and Chinese skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a matrixed regional organization.

Skills

Experience

6–10+ years of relevant post-qualification or equivalent legal experience, gained in a reputable law firm or in-house legal department.

Culture

The Estée Lauder Companies fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and a passion for prestige beauty are deeply valued. As a global house of distinctive brands, it offers employees an environment that encourages innovation, professional growth, and a shared commitment to excellence and consumer inspiration.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.