Senior lawyers and in-house counsels who are keen on working as a general counsel at large state-owned enterprises (SOEs) should keep a close eye on the website of the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). The representative owner of the country's most important SOEs has recently initiated its 2010 public recruitment program to help appoint general counsel for enterprises under its supervision.

This year, SASAC is looking to hire general counsels for three SOEs - China Metallurgical Group, China Railway Signal & Communication Corporation and China National Aviation Fuel Group.

Although selection criteria vary from one company to another, it's interesting to note that for all three GC positions SASAC prefers candidates who are both fluent in English and familiar with international legal environment and overseas investment and projects. Candidates must be under the age of 50 and must have work experience as a mid- to senior-level legal manger in a large domestic or multinational company or five years as a partner in a law firm. Foreign lawyers and multinational companies' legal counsels are also eligible to apply, as there is no specific requirement on nationality.  

The GC positions could offer exciting and diverse legal work and projects, but the salaries are expected to be no more than RMB 600,000 per year - a drawback which has made the recruitment process more difficult.

The annual recruitment program, part of SASAC's continuing campaign to improve corporate governance and legal and compliance in SOEs, was first launched in 2006. So far, 16 central-level SOEs have successfully appointed general counsel through the previous three programs. The winner of the "Chinese Company In-house Legal Team of the Year" award at the 2010 ALB China Law Awards, China Eastern Airlines Group, appointed its general counsel Guo Junxiu through the 2006 recruitment program. ALB

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