Head – Legal, Litigation, Compliance & Licensing Location: Mumbai Function: Legal & Compliance Industry: F&B / QSR / Retail Experience: 10–15+ years Reporting to: Leadership Team About the Role We are looking for a Head – Legal, Litigation, Compliance & Licensing to own the organisation’s legal, litigation, regulatory compliance and licensing framework across its growing multi-location business. The role will work closely with Business, Operations, Real Estate, Projects, Finance, HR and senior leadership, while managing external legal counsel and government/regulatory stakeholders. Key Responsibilities 1. Litigation & Legal Matters • • Own and oversee all civil, criminal, commercial, labour and regulatory litigation involving the organisation. • Manage external advocates, law firms and legal consultants. • Review legal notices, claims, disputes and court/regulatory matters and drive timely resolution. • Develop litigation strategy in consultation with senior leadership and external counsel. • Maintain a central litigation tracker with status, risks, timelines and financial exposure. • Identify potential legal risks and provide practical business-oriented legal advice. 2. Legal Compliance • • Build and oversee the organisation-wide legal and statutory compliance framework. • Ensure compliance across corporate, labour, commercial, F&B, retail and other applicable regulations. • Monitor changes in laws and regulations and assess their impact on business operations. • Conduct periodic compliance reviews and identify gaps, risks and corrective actions. • Partner with internal teams to ensure timely closure of compliance issues. • Establish compliance trackers, SOPs and governance mechanisms across locations. 3. Licensing & Regulatory Affairs • • Own the end-to-end licensing and regulatory framework across all business locations. • Oversee new licences, renewals, amendments, statutory approvals and regulatory submissions. • Ensure timely renewal and validity of all location-specific licences and approvals. • Maintain a central database of licences, approvals, validity dates and renewal timelines. • Lead government liaison with departments including Shop & Establishment, FDA, Fire, Health/Trade, State Excise, Electrical, Registration, Police, Traffic and Labour, as applicable. • Represent the organisation before regulatory authorities and manage inspections, notices and regulatory matters. 4. Contracts & Business Advisory • • Review and negotiate commercial agreements, vendor agreements, leases, licences, NDAs and other business contracts. • Partner with Real Estate, Projects, Procurement, Finance and Operations on legal aspects of business expansion. • Identify contractual risks and recommend appropriate mitigation. • Support leadership on legal implications of new business initiatives and expansion plans. 5. Legal Governance & Risk Management • • Build a proactive legal risk-management framework for the organisation. • Create dashboards covering litigation, licences, compliance gaps, notices and regulatory risks. • Escalate critical legal and compliance risks to senior management. • Develop SOPs and governance processes to minimise recurring legal and regulatory exposure. • Ensure proper maintenance of legal records, licences, notices, agreements and regulatory correspondence.