Assistant Manager Legal

Listing expiry: 24 October 2026

About the role

Role Overview

A hands-on in-house legal role supporting the Legal Counsel and partnering with Expansion, Operations, Finance and Supply Chain teams. The role covers real estate, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, legal processes and stakeholder management, with responsibility for driving matters from drafting and review through closure.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate leases and leave and license agreements for cloud kitchens, dark stores and other operating sites, protecting the company’s interests in rent, lock-in periods, escalations, deposits and exit terms.
• Conduct property title due diligence, manage external property counsel, and prepare risk assessments with recommended mitigations.
• Negotiate with landlords and manage documentation, stamping, registration, renewals and site exits.
• Maintain lease trackers for key dates, lock-ins, renewals, escalations and deposits, with timely alerts to the business.
• Draft, review and negotiate vendor, supplier, technology, service, NDA and other commercial agreements through execution.
• Review counterparty drafts against company playbooks and advise on risks and fallback positions.
• Coordinate contract execution with authorised signatories and maintain a repository tracking milestones and renewals.
• Support obtaining, renewing and maintaining licences, registrations and approvals for kitchens, warehouses and offices, including food safety, local authority, fire and pollution control requirements.
• Track regulatory developments relevant to food and quick commerce, assess business impact, maintain compliance and licence trackers, and support responses to regulatory notices and inspections.
• Develop and improve legal playbooks, templates, checklists, SOPs, trackers, workflows and reporting processes with the Legal Counsel.
• Act as the first point of contact for business legal queries, provide timely guidance, escalate matters requiring decisions, and coordinate with external law firms on turnaround and quality.

Qualifications & Experience

• LL.B. from a recognised university.
• 4–6 years of relevant experience across real estate, contracts and compliance.
• In-house experience in quick commerce, food tech, F&B or a comparable consumer business, with significant exposure to rapid store, kitchen or warehouse expansion.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating leases and leave and license agreements and conducting property due diligence.
• Working knowledge of laws, licences and approvals applicable to food businesses and commercial premises across India, including state-specific requirements.
• Strong English drafting skills and the ability to produce precise, clear and enforceable documents.
• Preferred: In-house experience in a high-growth, multi-city business with end-to-end ownership of real estate, contracts or compliance workstreams.
• Preferred: Experience developing legal playbooks, templates or contract management processes, with proficiency in trackers and structured reporting.

Additional Details

• The role requires understanding business priorities and recommending practical legal solutions aligned with the company’s risk appetite.
• The candidate should take ownership, meet timelines and drive matters to closure with minimal supervision.
• The role involves working with business teams, landlords, vendors, authorities and external advisers while managing competing priorities.
• The candidate should communicate legal risks and advice precisely in practical business language.
• Flexibility in availability may be required in a fast-paced environment where launches and closures have competing demands.
• Willingness to travel to sites and meet landlords and authorities as required.