Legal Counsel - Contract & IPR

About Zydus Wellness

Zydus Wellness, an FMCG leader, develops, manufactures, and markets health and wellness products, integrating healthcare, skincare, and nutrition. Founded in 1988 with Sugar Free, India’s first zero-calorie sugar replacement, it now manages seven global brands, including Complan, Glucon-D, Everyuth, and Nutralite. The company serves over 50 million families and supports more than 90,000 dairy farmers and 2,000 MSMEs.

With a focus on research, quality, and innovation, Zydus Wellness operates on core pillars of manufacturing integrity and supply chain efficiency. Headquartered in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, it runs four manufacturing facilities across India and eight co-packing facilities in India, Oman, and New Zealand. Listed on the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges, Zydus Wellness is led by Chairman Dr. Sharvil Patel and CEO Tarun Arora, serving customers in over 25 countries across three continents.

S. No Get to know our organization – Click on the below links

1 Company Website 

2 Zydus Corporate Park

Legal Counsel

Functional Reporting: Head Legal

Administrative Reporting: Head Legal

Location: Ahmedabad

Role Purpose

The position is responsible to provide assistance on following matters of Legal Function to uphold the interests of the organization.

Key Accountabilities/ Responsibilities

Financial

• Contribute for Legal Spend Management and devise effective measures for controlling legal cost and managing legal budget.
• Responsible for preparing and maintaining records of legal budgets and spends. This includes reviewing and processing invoices from advocates and law firms in accordance with agreed tariffs and engagement terms. Ensures timely processing of all bills by following the established approval and documentation procedures.

Customer

• Compliance & Litigation Support: Assist business functions in managing compliance and litigation matters effectively.
• Legal Risk and Impact Assessment: Monitor changes in laws and legal precedents, assess their impact on business, and advise on risk mitigation strategies.
• Legal Research & Advisory: Conduct legal research and provide actionable legal advice to support business decision-making.
• Business-Aligned Legal Services: Understand internal requirements and deliver timely, efficient legal support to help teams meet their deliverables.
• Collaborative Legal Handling: Work closely with the Head of Department and legal team to address legal matters—including contracts, notices, litigation, and advisory—across all Zydus Wellness units, including factories, branches, and corporate offices.

Process

• SOP Compliance & Risk Mitigation: Prepare and regularly update SOPs, ensuring strict adherence to policies, processes, and turnaround times (TAT) to minimize legal and operational risks to business.
• Dispute Resolution Support: Provide proactive legal support to business teams in resolving disputes and litigations. Document meetings with clear action points and timelines for effective communication.
• Reporting & Escalation: Update General Counsel about daily progress and provide a weekly overview. Attend urgent matters as per instructions.
• Daily & Monthly Tracking: Maintain a daily planner and MIS trackers on real time basis. Submit monthly MIS report to the General Counsel.

People

• Stakeholder & Lawyer Coordination: Liaise with internal stakeholders and external legal counsel, prepare and present evidence, gather relevant documents, and attend hearings on behalf of the company.
• Legal Innovation & System Development: Drive innovation by improving and developing smart legal systems that support business objectives and enhance legal efficiency.
• Legal Communication & Training: Regularly communicate, update, and train business and legal teams on changes in laws, judicial precedents, bills, and new legislation to ensure legal awareness and compliance.

Key Deliverables

A] Compliance Management: 

This involves proactively mitigating business risks arising from changes in laws and regulations through robust risk assessment and compliance management practices. This includes preparing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and policies to ensure statutory compliance, attending inspections, and responding to regulatory objections. It also encompasses delivering compliance training to business users and conducting legal research across various applicable laws such as the Factory Act, FSSAI Act, Drugs & Cosmetics Act, Labour Laws including the Contract Labour Act, Companies Act, Shops & Establishment Act, Environment Protection Act, and all other relevant statutes. Further responsibilities include preparing remediation action plans for non-compliances, reviewing and recommending updates to company policies and procedures, maintaining and updating compliance checklists in the system in line with legal changes, coordinating with departments to ensure adherence, and compiling periodic compliance reports (monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and annual) for submission to the General Counsel and Management.

B] Dispute Resolution and Litigation Management:

This involves end-to-end handling of Litigation matters – includes proactive mitigation and resolution of disputes in mediation phase; guiding business about the risk and consequences;  preparing synopsis, case notes, and collation of evidence for various legal proceedings such as FSSAI, Legal Metrology, Consumer cases, Trademark & Copyright Cases; Criminal Complaints, Civil Recovery Suits and Sec 138 cases; Labour disputes; Property matters. It includes interacting with the internal business team for collection of evidence, briefing attorneys and representing the company before courts and judicial authorities, and prosecuting or defending cases as per instructions of General Counsel. The role entails issuing legal notices, drafting replies and rejoinders, attending scrutiny hearings, and responding to regulatory notices. The responsibilities also cover reviewing the progress of ongoing litigation and providing regular updates to General Counsel. Update Litigation records and litigation tracker on real-time basis to ensure accuracy and transparency in reporting to Management.

Key Interactions

Internal

Marketing, Sales, R&D, GDSO, Finance, HR functions, Plant site

External

• Lawfirms Legal Consultants, Compliance firms

Juridictional tribunals, police, administrative authority or Courts

Key Dimensions

Team

Individual Contributor reporting to General Counsel

Role Requirements

Educational Qualifications

• 5 years LLB from a reputed Institute / University

Experience (Type & Nature)

• >8 years of Corporate Legal experience, preferably FMCG or Pharma Sector

Skills & Technical Competencies

• Planning & Execution: Demonstrates excellent organizational skills with the ability to deliver tasks within defined turnaround times (TAT) without follow-ups.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills for effective coordination with stakeholders and legal teams.
• Problem Solving: Skilled in identifying legal and operational issues and providing practical, risk-mitigated solutions.
• Self-Motivation & Resilience: Works independently under pressure while maintaining high standards of integrity and performance.
• Legal Analysis & Advisory: Capable of analysing legal implications across various matters and advising internal stakeholders and management accordingly.

Behavioral Competencies

• Zydus Neev Behavioural Competency Framework