Lead Counsel - Specialty Businesses (Elkton)
About the Role We seek an experienced Lead Counsel to join our Specialty group, supporting four distinct and innovative businesses with global reach. This role offers a rare opportunity to provide end-to-end legal leadership across a diverse portfolio spanning Clean Energy, bioprocessing and medical devices (PharmBIO), musical instrument accessories (Elixir® Strings), and composting solutions. As Lead Counsel, you will serve as a trusted strategic partner to senior business leaders, delivering proactive, practical, and integrated legal guidance across commercial transactions, intellectual property, and regulatory matters. You will help shape business strategy, navigate complex risk landscapes, and enable growth in highly technical and regulated markets. The role also involves close collaboration with a highly capable Legal team to ensure consistent, high-quality legal advice across the Specialty businesses and the broader Gore enterprise. This is an ideal opportunity for a lawyer who enjoys operating at the intersection of strategy, innovation, and execution—and who is motivated by influence, variety, and meaningful business impact. This role is based at our Elk Mills 2 facility in Elkton Maryland, and is eligible to work Hybrid with four days/week in office and up to one day/week remote. Pay and Benefits $180,000 - $236,000 per year Roles above $150k are eligible for the variable pay program each fiscal year, based on defined business performance metrics. Factors considered in extending an offer within this pay range include (but not limited to) education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. Medical, Dental and Vision benefits effective on Day 1 of employment! We offer a comprehensive total rewards package, including competitive benefits. More details are available at www.gore.com/careers/benefits Responsibilities Advise to leaders on legal topics across a portfolio of high-growth Specialty businesses, actively shaping growth, innovation, and market‑expansion strategies through direct engagement with business leadership Translate complex business and innovation priorities into legal strategies that enable new products, new markets, and new business models—prioritizing business outcomes Exercise strong judgment in identifying which legal issues truly matter, focusing effort on matters that materially impact growth, value creation, and risk exposure Own and elevate commercial contracting as a primary growth lever, designing deal structures, contracting frameworks, and negotiation strategies that accelerate revenue, support scalable partnerships, and improve speed to market. Champion Lean and continuous improvement methods (e.g., problem solving, kaizen, Gore Business System) in daily work and strategic initiatives Partner with commercial and technical leaders to ensure contracts reflect strategic intent, appropriate risk allocation, and long‑term competitive positioning. Calibrate contract customization to appropriate business need Guide leadership teams through complex, high‑stakes decisions by integrating commercial, intellectual property, and regulatory considerations into clear, actionable legal advice Synthesize input across multiple legal disciplines into a single, pragmatic legal point of view that enables confident and timely decision‑making Lead patent and trademark strategy to protect differentiated innovation and align intellectual property investments with business growth priorities Provide forward‑looking legal counsel across trade, EH&S, sustainability, data privacy, and regulated environments, including bioprocessing and medical devices, enabling responsible global expansion Build a best‑in‑class legal support model for Specialty businesses by collaborating closely with Gore Enterprise and Gore Performance Solutions (GPS) legal colleagues and external counsel to deliver high‑impact, business‑enabling legal support Required Qualifications Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree with active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction and ability to practice as in‑house counsel Minimum of 10 years of legal experience with increasing scope and complexity, including demonstrated leadership of high‑impact commercial, IP, and/or regulatory matters Proven experience supporting global, multi‑business or multi‑product organizations, with the ability to prioritize legal work and allocate resources in alignment with business strategy Strong commercial and business acumen, with a demonstrated ability to apply legal judgment to enable growth, innovation, and sound risk‑taking Track record of acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders by influencing outcomes through credibility, collaboration, and pragmatic problem‑solving Demonstrated ability to distinguish between strategic, value‑creating legal issues and lower‑value transactional work, and to focus effort accordingly Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance for business leaders Experience integrating legal advice across multiple disciplines and coordinating effectively with internal colleagues and external counsel to deliver timely, business‑relevant outcomes Comfort operating in dynamic, ambiguous environments and guiding stakeholders through complex or novel legal challenges Willingness and ability to travel approximately 10%, including internationally Desired Qualifications Meaningful in‑house or advisory experience in at least one Specialty‑relevant sector (e.g., clean energy, life science/bioprocessing, medical devices, industrial technologies, or branded consumer products), with demonstrated ability to operate in technically complex and innovation‑driven environments Depth in commercial contracting and deal support, with complementary experience in intellectual property and/or regulatory matters, enabling integrated legal guidance that supports growth, partnerships, and competitive differentiation Demonstrated continuous‑improvement mindset, including simplifying legal processes, prioritizing high‑impact work over low‑value activity, and leveraging technology and new ways of working to improve speed, scalability, and business outcomes JD/MBA or equivalent business experience demonstrating strong commercial acumen and sound business judgment. What We Offer Our success is based on the capability and creativity of our Associates, and we are proud to offer a comprehensive and competitive total rewards program that supports your everyday and helps you build your tomorrow. We provide benefits that offer choice and flexibility and promote overall well‑being. And in keeping with our belief that every Associate should share in the collective success of the enterprise; we provide a distinctive Associate Stock Ownership Plan in each country as well as potential opportunities for profit‑sharing. Learn more at gore.com/careers/benefits Gore is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, status as a qualified individual with a disability, genetic information, pregnancy status, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, status as a protected veteran, gender identity and expression, and any other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations. Gore is committed to a drug‑free workplace. All employment is contingent upon successful completion of drug and background screening. Gore will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, e.g., arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws. Gore requires all applicants to be eligible to work within the United States. Gore generally will not sponsor visas unless otherwise noted on the position description. J-18808-Ljbffr
