Head of Legal

Overview

The Vietnam Legal Lead/ Head of Legal serves as the primary legal advisor for PepsiCo Foods Vietnam, ensuring compliance with local and global regulations while enabling business growth. This role provides strategic legal guidance, manages enterprise risk, and drives governance across all operations. Acting as a trusted partner to senior leadership, the position oversees contract governance, regulatory affairs, dispute resolution, and compliance programs. It also plays a critical role in capability building, fostering a culture of integrity, and supporting strategic initiatives to safeguard PepsiCo’s reputation and operational continuity.

Responsibilities

Strategic Legal Advisory

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to VN Foods ExCom, providing proactive, business-aligned legal guidance on strategic and operational matters.
• Anticipate legal risks and regulatory shifts, shaping risk mitigation strategies that enable growth and operational continuity.

Contract Governance & Commercial Enablement

• Oversee contract lifecycle management to ensure alignment with corporate policies, legal frameworks, and commercial strategy.
• Lead legal structuring of complex partnerships, projects, and supply chain arrangements, ensuring legal soundness and business agility.

Enterprise Risk & Compliance Leadership

• Drive the legal compliance agenda across functions by embedding PepsiCo’s global policies and local regulatory requirements into business practices.
• Partner with Regional Compliance to lead training, investigations, and Speak Up case resolutions, strengthening PepsiCo’s ethical culture.
• Lead self-audits and cross-functional risk assessments to proactively manage legal and reputational risks.

Corporate Governance & Regulatory Affairs

• Ensure compliance with corporate governance frameworks and statutory requirements, including entity management and board governance.
• Lead strategic engagement with regulatory bodies to support business expansion, licensing, and issue resolution.

Brand & Marketing Risk Oversight

• Partner with Marketing and Category teams to safeguard brand integrity by reviewing and approving all advertising, labeling, and promotional materials for compliance.

Dispute Resolution & Legal Advisory

• Lead litigation strategy, manage external counsel, and oversee legal cost efficiency.
• Provide expert legal opinions to support business-critical decisions and dispute resolution.

Capability Building & Culture of Integrity

• Build legal acumen across the organization by delivering strategic training on key regulatory topics (e.g., anti-bribery, competition law, governance).
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and compliance at all levels of the business.

Strategic Leadership Support

• Advise and support the GM on special legal projects and strategic initiatives.
• Serve as a member of the Crisis Management Team, ensuring legal readiness in business continuity planning.

Qualifications

Law degree from a top accredited law school

Licensed to practice law in Vietnam, holding a valid legal practitioner’s certificate.

12+ years of legal experience within a manufacturing environment, preferably in FMCG/consumer goods

Experience in contract, labor/employment, IP, and commercial law.

Legal advisory experience with multinational companies, local suppliers, and distributors.