Corporate Secretary Assistant (Counsel)

Job summary

Responsible for providing comprehensive strategic and solution-focused guidance on legal and risk-related matters and projects, to assist BP in minimising its legal and reputational risks.

Supporting the bp group strategy, the vision of the bp Company Secretary’s Office is to enhance stakeholder value through dynamic corporate governance. In this role, you will serve as corporate governance counsel in the US Company Secretary’s Office, supporting team members in providing corporate governance advice in relation to certain of bp’s US subsidiary boards and governance activities.

The position interacts directly with individuals at a variety of levels within the US businesses and enablers on a regular basis. It requires a high level of understanding of, and sensitivity to, all of the cultures represented within bp. It also requires the ability to be persuasive and effective across the spectrum of seniority within bp.

Key accountabilities

Assist with transactional activity involving bp’s US subsidiaries:

• Lead annual general meeting process for US subsidiaries
• Support ad hoc board meetings for US subsidiaries
• Research and provide guidance on internal governance documentation and corporate governance support of mergers and acquisitions activity

Support the Head of the US Secretariat with projects:

• Assist with day-to-day US Company Secretary Office involvement in entity (re-)structuring projects
• Assist with the implementation of the Group Subsidiary Governance policy, including developing, drafting, and framing US-specific guidelines and procedures
• Analysis of governance and entity data to provide data-driven solutions and improvements for the US Company Secretary Office
• Provide analysis and implementation for the registration of entities to do business in a state, as well as other data driven improvements in the administration of bp’s US entities
• Other assignments as directed

Essential education

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university
• Juris Doctorate or similar graduate legal degree from an accredited college or university with excellent grades and/or honors

Essential experience and job requirements

• Four years or more experience in a field relevant to corporate governance, such as US corporate law and international corporate tax planning
• Experience advising and persuading senior management, legal department personnel, and their staffs regarding complex matters
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the creativity to propose options and build consensus. This should be done while also understanding and appreciating the business processes within bp and the cultures in which bp works is a key part of the role.
• Excellent legal research skills and demonstrated transactional experience with analyzing complex agreements and drafting corporate governance documentation
• Ability to work autonomously with minimal direction

Desirable criteria

• Strong interpersonal skills – capable of adopting a variety of styles to interact with team senior management and stakeholders to achieve the desired result
• Effective, collaboration and team working – consider all key angles in coming to a decision and ensures involvement with relevant partners
• Demonstrate a high standard of communication in writing, emails, presentations, and informal conversations to gain trust and credibility within the business and relevant partners
• Ability to handle a complex set of ambiguous responsibilities
• Proven record of good judgment, commercial awareness, and high-quality contribution to business strategy and delivery
• Demonstrated high professional and ethical standards
• Digital skills

Why join us?

At bp, we believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly.

There are many aspects of our employees’ lives that are meaningful, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits can include flexible working options, a generous paid parental leave policy, and excellent retirement benefits, among others!