At Yonex, curiosity drives us and excellence fuels everything we do. Founded in 1946, our legacy is built on innovation and a mission to bring joy through sport. Our engineers, designers, and artisans create world-class equipment that elevates performance while strengthening the connection between people and the game.
We’re seeking a Legal Operations & Compliance Managerto join our Business Operations team. This role sits at the intersection of legal, compliance, and operations, requiring someone who can translate requirements into practical business decisions. The ideal candidate will engage confidently across departments, understand impacts across both direct-to-consumer and B2B wholesale channels, and proactively surface risks before they become issues.
Responsibilities
Legal & Compliance Operations
Manage day-to-day legal and compliance activities across the business, including privacy regulations, contract obligations, insurance, and general risk management
Maintain and update internal policies, external-facing documents, and regulatory filings to reflect current requirements
Serve as primary operational liaison to outside legal counsel, managing matters efficiently, preparing materials, and controlling costs
Support HR on employment-related compliance, policy updates, and employee training
Contract & Vendor Management
Review, negotiate, and manage contracts with vendors, contractors, and business partners across both DTC and wholesale channels
Build and maintain a centralized contract repository, ensuring proactive tracking of renewals, amendments, and key obligations
Evaluate and implement tools to improve contract lifecycle management over time
Risk Assessment & Proactive Compliance
Proactively identify areas of legal and compliance risk across the business, not just responding to issues, but getting ahead of them
Develop practical guidance to reduce exposure and help teams operate more confidently within appropriate boundaries
Manage consumer complaints that escalate to legal involvement, partnering with Customer Service to ensure timely and consistent resolution
Oversee insurance coverage and claims management, ensuring adequate protection as the business scales
Business Acumen & Cross-Functional Advisory
Engage each department as a trusted legal and risk counterpart, understand their goals and translate compliance requirements into practical, business-aware guidance
Proactively identify legal and compliance considerations that teams may not think to raise, from asset rights and territory scope to channel-specific obligations
Build credibility across the organization as a partner who helps the business move forward responsibly, not just a gatekeeper
Qualifications
5+ years of experience in compliance, legal operations, contract management, risk/audit, or a related business function
Strong business acumen with the ability to engage meaningfully across departments and balance legal requirements with operational realities
Experience managing contracts end-to-end and working with outside counsel
Familiarity with privacy regulations including CCPA; experience with compliance tools is a plus
Demonstrated ability to drive cross-functional projects and hold stakeholders accountable without direct authority
Experience in e-commerce, consumer goods, DTC, or wholesale/retail environments strongly preferred
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex topics clear and actionable
Highly organized, self-directed, and comfortable operating in a growing, evolving organization
Physical Demands and Work Environment
Prolonged periods of sitting at a computer workstation.
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally.
Equal Employment Opportunities Statement:
Yonex USA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
