Legal Counsel

Fall Creek is creating a world with better blueberries through its friendly, collaborative team spread across the globe. To help us accomplish this, we are seeking a qualified Legal Counsel, Morocco & Compliance.

This position will be located in LARACHE.

Position Summary:

The Legal Counsel, Morocco & Compliance is responsible for providing day-to-day legal support to the Company's operations in Morocco, with a focus on commercial, corporate, regulatory and operational matters. The position also supports the development and implementation of the Company's compliance framework across the organization.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Senior Legal Counsel EMEA and local and regional teams, providing pragmatic, business-oriented legal advice, identifying risks and supporting the business in finding practical and compliant solutions.

ORGANIZATIONAL FIT:

This position reports to the Senior Legal Counsel EMEA and is a key member of the Legal Department. The position works closely with the Moroccan management team and provides legal and compliance support to local and regional business functions, including Finance, HR, Procurement, Operations and Management

KEY FUNCTIONS (other duties may be assigned)

• Act as the primary legal adviser for the Company's operations in Morocco.
• Provide advice on commercial, corporate, regulatory and operational matters.
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements.
• Advise on licences, permits, land, leases, agricultural and infrastructure matters.
• Support interactions with Moroccan authorities, including ONSSA.
• Identify and mitigate legal, contractual and regulatory risks.
• Support claims, disputes and litigation, coordinating external counsel when required.
• Support HR, Finance, Procurement and Operations on legal matters.
• Contribute to the Company's compliance framework, including anti-bribery, business ethics, third-party due diligence, data protection and internal policies.
• Support compliance risk assessments, investigations, training and awareness initiatives.
• Partner with local and regional teams to provide pragmatic, business-oriented legal solutions.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TRAINING

• Law degree and qualification to practice law in Morocco.
• 5–10 years of relevant legal experience, in-house and/or law firm.
• Strong knowledge of Moroccan commercial and regulatory law.
• Strong experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Previous experience in compliance, particularly anti-bribery, third-party due diligence and business ethics.
• Experience in a multinational or international business environment preferred.
• Strong legal judgment, commercial awareness and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• English and French: full professional proficiency required.
• Arabic: professional proficiency highly desirable.
• Spanish: an advantage.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in agriculture, food production, manufacturing, construction or infrastructure.
• Experience working with Moroccan authorities and regulators, particularly ONSSA.

Who is Fall Creek? 

We’re a US-based company with a keen focus on blueberry genetics, plants, and grower support delivered to the world’s premier blueberry growers. From our humble beginnings in Lowell, Oregon more than 40 years ago, we now also have wholly-owned nurseries in Mexico, Peru, Spain, South Africa, Netherlands, China, and Chile. Additionally, we have built a global team of the finest breeders, researchers, propagators and nursery professionals, grower support technicians, sales and customer service experts and more. We’re a deeply-planted link in a global chain, ready to serve our customers and our industry throughout North, Central, and South America, Greater Europe, Asia, and Africa. Our mission is to serve the growers and to support the blueberry industry, helping to ensure growers maximize success through our delivery of the best genetics and plants, technical know-how and global market intelligence. To fulfill our mission, we focus on cultivating exceptional plants, building strong relationships and providing responsive customer service. This is all part of how we’re helping to build A World with Better Blueberries™.