General Counsel

Omidyar Network (ON) is a philanthropic organization whose mission is to bend the arc of the digital revolution toward shared power, prosperity, and possibility. Digital technology is a powerful and ubiquitous force that, harnessed wisely, makes wondrous things happen. The Legal team at ON is a trusted partner across the organization — working closely with programmatic staff, finance, and operations to enable bold, high-impact work. The team brings deep expertise across foundation grant-making, for-profit investments, advocacy, and global operations, and is valued for its ability to identify key risks while also creating practical paths forward.

About the role

We are seeking a leading legal voice to help shape the future of technology and society. As General Counsel, you will be a member of the Senior Leadership Team, providing legal and strategic counsel on both programmatic and operational decisions. You will lead a talented internal legal team and manage a network of specialized outside counsel, serving as a trusted advisor to our executive team as well as our Board. This role reports to the Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Chief Operating Officer.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Legal Counsel
  • Serve as the organization's authority on nonprofit, tax, and philanthropic law, including IRS 501(c)(3) compliance, foundation governance, and the legal dimensions of grant-making and impact opportunities.
  • Advise on legally innovative structures to maximize mission impact — including cross-border grantmaking, fiscal sponsorships, and collaborative funding mechanisms.
  • Provide guidance on new for-profit investments and engage on the management of our legacy for-profit portfolio, stewarded by our Head of Finance.
  • Represent ON externally as a member of our Senior Leadership team — including philanthropic legal networks as well as mission-aligned convenings and fora.
• Governance
  • Act as Corporate Secretary to the Board of Directors, overseeing all governance matters and ensuring alignment with bylaws, policies, and applicable regulations.
  • Advise the Executive Team and Board on navigation of politically complex and rapidly evolving environments.
  • Manage the organization's multi-entity structure, including international entities, in close collaboration with finance and operations.
• Compliance and Risk Management
  • Ensure ongoing compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including IRS regulations governing tax-exempt organizations, LDA, FARA, UBIT, OFAC sanctions and screening requirements, as well as global data privacy laws such as GDPR.
  • Ensure compliance with conflict-of-interest policies.
  • Lead comprehensive risk assessments across grantmaking, investments, operations, and staff engagement — and translate findings into practical mitigation strategies.
  • Monitor and analyze the evolving legal, regulatory, and political landscapes to safeguard the organization’s mission and reputation and assist with organizational crisis response planning, contingency planning, and reputational risk management.
• Legal Operations
  • Partner closely with functional leaders across the organization to provide timely, accessible, and actionable legal guidance.
  • Support continuous improvement and innovation in our investment, grants, and contracts management processes, developing best-in-class templates and toolkits that reflect both legal compliance and operational excellence.
  • Develop and maintain templates, toolkits, and training programs that empower staff on topics ranging from grant-making and advocacy to investing and compliance.
  • Oversee outside counsel relationships and budgets for specialized legal needs, ensuring value, efficiency, and mission alignment.

Requirements

• J.D. degree and license to practice law in the applicable jurisdiction.
• 15+ years of legal practice, including significant in-house experience at a private foundation and/or large law firm.
• Deep expertise in U.S. nonprofit and foundation tax law, preferably including experience in a grant-making context.
• Experience advising on early- to growth-stage venture capital equity or fund investments (desirable).
• Experience working in global settings on cross-border deals and grants (desirable).
• Excellent people management and mentorship skills, with a demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams with an empowered, entrepreneurial culture.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex legal issues for non-legal audiences.
• A collaborative, team-first orientation — comfortable working across functions and with external partners.
• An autonomous self-starter who exercises sound independent judgment and drives effective resolution of legal issues.
• Ability to interpret and analyze complex data and information.
• Flexibility and adaptability suited to a dynamic, fast-moving organization.
• Experience building strategic alliances (desirable).
• Demonstrated ability to turn complex legal advice into practical processes and guidance materials.
• A genuine commitment to ON's mission and the ability to counsel staff on how to achieve organizational goals — accounting for legal risk while keeping impact at the center.

Location

ON is currently operating in a hybrid capacity, with employees working in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This position will be based out of our Washington DC or San Francisco office. Employees must reside within 100 miles of their assigned office location. Candidates must have current U.S. work authorization to be considered.

Pay

This is a full-time, salaried position. The salary range for this role is $375,400-$469,200 in San Francisco and $337,800-$422,300 in Washington, DC. ON manages pay equity seriously and new hires generally start at the midpoint of this range.

Benefits

• Competitive health care (medical/dental/vision).
• Paid time off.
• Generous employer 401(k) contribution.