Compliance & Legal Operations Manager at Yonexusa

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 Manager to 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.