Director, Legal Affairs

Fòs Feminista is a global intersectional feminist organization advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Led and governed by the Global South, Fòs Feminista works through a constellation of affiliated organizations, legal entities, strategic partnerships, and movement relationships with around 200 civil society partners across 40 countries.

About the role

The Director of Legal Affairs serves as Fòs Feminista's principal legal advisor, providing strategic counsel across governance, institutional strategy, advocacy, operations, compliance, grantmaking, and organizational development. The role supports Fòs Feminista to create and maintain an architecture that enables and protects its mission across multiple jurisdictions, affiliated organizations, legal entities, hiring locations, and evolving political environments. Working at the intersection of law, governance, philanthropy, and institutional mission, the incumbent translates complex legal questions into practical strategic guidance while helping the organization navigate geopolitical change, reputational risk, and cross-border operations.

Success in this role requires strategic judgment in navigating complex legal, governance, and organizational issues for a multi-entity structure, including for both 501c3 and 501c4 organizations in the United States; global philanthropy; and the political and regulatory environments in the countries and jurisdictions in which Fòs Feminista operates. The Director also cultivates and coordinates a global network of law firms and pro bono legal advisors, expanding Fòs Feminista's access to specialized expertise across jurisdictions and areas of practice.

The Director of Legal Affairs reports to the Lead, Strategy & Impact and partners closely with the Office of the CEO, providing legal counsel to the CEO across governance, operations, advocacy, philanthropy, and institutional development. The Director participates regularly in discussions of the Strategic Management Team (SMT), contributing legal and strategic expertise to executive decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Legal Counsel (25%)
  • Serve as the principal legal advisor to the CEO, providing strategic counsel on legal, governance, organizational, operational, advocacy, and institutional development matters.
  • Translate complex legal issues into practical, strategic guidance for non-legal colleagues.
  • Advise on legal, operational, political, and reputational risks affecting organizational decision-making.
  • Coordinate and oversee outside legal counsel across the multiple jurisdictions where Fòs Feminista operates.
  • Develop and maintain strategic relationships with outside legal counsel, including pro bono law firms and specialized legal experts across multiple jurisdictions.
• Institutional Strategy (15%)
  • Support the CEO and leadership to ensure legal considerations support long-term organizational strategy and institutional resilience.
  • Advise on organizational initiatives and implementation.
  • Provide legal guidance on matters relating to organizational sustainability, financial resilience, and long-term institutional development.
  • Monitor geopolitical and regulatory developments affecting Fòs Feminista's global work.
  • Maintain and regularly update an organizational risk register to document risks.
  • Support executive decision-making by integrating legal analysis with organizational, political, and operational considerations.
• Compliance & Regulatory Affairs (30%)
  • Ensure compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements across the United States, hiring locations, and other jurisdictions.
  • Oversee contracts, grant agreements, procurement, intellectual property, employment matters, privacy, and corporate compliance.
  • Advise on nonprofit regulations, charitable solicitation, lobbying restrictions, advocacy activities, and tax-exempt requirements.
  • Provide legal oversight and advice for maintaining compliance obligations and appropriate separations for operating both the 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities.
  • Design and strengthen institutional policies, employment practices, and compliance systems, reviewing to ensure compliance in alignment with risk management that promote accountability while enabling innovation.
• Governance (15%)
  • Support governance processes across Fòs Feminista's constellation of affiliated organizations and legal entities, including oversight to ensure all annual filings/requirements are met.
  • Support the maintenance and development of bylaws, governance policies, corporate records, and governance frameworks.
  • Ensure governance practices remain aligned with organizational values, legal obligations, and best practices.
• Ecosystem Stewardship (15%)
  • Provide legal guidance across Fòs Feminista's constellation of affiliated organizations, subsidiaries, partnerships, and collaborative initiatives.
  • Support an institutional architecture that enables collaboration across jurisdictions while preserving appropriate governance and accountability.
  • Advise leadership on institutional relationships with donors, partners, movement organizations, strategic allies, and philanthropic collaborators.
  • Cultivate and coordinate an ecosystem of pro bono legal partners, outside counsel, and specialized advisors to strengthen the organization's legal capacity across jurisdictions and practice areas.

Qualifications

• Required
  • Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent law degree.
  • Minimum of ten years of progressive legal experience in corporate governance, nonprofit law, and supporting multi-entity structures across multiple countries and legal jurisdictions.
  • Experience advising international nonprofit organizations, philanthropic institutions, or mission-driven organizations.
  • Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership and governing boards.
  • Demonstrated ability to build and manage trusted networks of external advisors and partners in support of organizational mission.
  • Exceptional ability to analyze and translate complex legal issues into practical guidance for senior leaders and non-lawyers.
  • Willingness to learn about and build expertise in specialized areas of international corporate and financial law.
  • Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, coordinating across diverse teams with exceptional interpersonal skills.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English, with intermediate knowledge of Spanish.
• Preferred
  • Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership and governing boards.
  • Experience supporting organizations operating both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities.
  • Experience with international grantmaking, philanthropic law, and cross-border funding mechanisms.
  • Experience supporting organizations with multiple affiliated legal entities, subsidiaries, or federated structures.
  • Demonstrated understanding of the geopolitical, regulatory, and operational complexities affecting international feminist, human rights, or social justice organizations.
  • Professional proficiency in Portuguese and French.

Leadership Competencies

• Exceptional legal judgment.
• Strong institutional and strategic thinking.
• Ability to balance legal, political, operational, financial, and reputational considerations.
• Sophisticated understanding of international nonprofit governance and philanthropy.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and make sound decisions in rapidly changing environments.
• Strong professional presence and excellent communication skills.
• Ability to build trust and influence across cultures, disciplines, and organizational functions.
• Commitment to feminist leadership, anti-racism, equity, and organizational learning.
• Capacity to support legal frameworks that enable collaboration across a complex international ecosystem while advancing organizational mission and values.

Benefits

• Private health coverage
• Life insurance
• Retirement benefits
• Paid sick leave, vacation leave, and parental leave
• Paid holidays
• Flexible working arrangements

Pay

The annual salary is USD $150,000.

Schedule

This position is fully remote.