General Counsel

Responsibilities

• Strategic Counsel: Advise the Executive Director, senior leadership, and Board on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters, corporate governance, fiduciary duties and policy matters.
• Nonprofit Compliance: Ensure continuous compliance with all relevant laws governing tax-exempt organizations, including city, state and federal lobbying regulations, privacy regulations including those related to student data, as well as donor information, fundraising disclosures, and maintenance of 501(c)(3) status.
• Coordination and Project Leadership: Own the coordination and execution of legal and compliance workstreams across the organization, including the engagement and management of external counsel and experts / stakeholders as needed.
• Operational and Commercial Savvy: Bring together concrete, practical guidance around legal requirements with a lens toward the operational needs, business requirements and tactical realities faced by the organization.
• Team Management and Leadership: Build up systems and functional integrations that will establish the work as a clear function within the organization (while retaining deep connections with outside counsel and third party / specialist supports).
• Data Privacy Compliance Framework: Support the development, implementation, and maintenance of a robust global data privacy and security compliance program, including developing guidance for use of AI tools by and within the organization.
• Regulatory Expertise: Ensure compliance as necessary with key state and federal privacy regulations, including but not limited to: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), New York State Education Law related to release of student, teacher, and administrative data, and relevant New York City / Chancellor’s regulations related to student privacy.
• Data Governance: Advise and support the development and ongoing implementation of the organization's data retention, use, and destruction policies.
• Incident Response: Lead and manage the legal aspects of incident response, coordinating with IT, communications, and external counsel as necessary.
• Contract Management: Draft, review, negotiate, and manage all organization-wide contracts, agreements, and legal documentation.
• Complex Negotiations: Lead negotiations for high-value strategic partnerships, major vendor agreements, grant agreements, and donor agreements.
• Template Library: Create and maintain a relevant library of standardized, legally sound contract and NDA templates (e.g., employment, consulting, vendor, grant-making, licensing, and human resources related agreements as appropriate).
• Governmental Agreements: Manage and provide legal oversight for agreements with government partners, ensuring supportive compliance mechanisms that can be operationalized within a small and busy nonprofit environment.
• Dispute Resolution: Manage and oversee any contractual disputes or litigation.
• Organizational Policy Leadership: Oversee the ongoing build and refinement of the organization’s policies, including policies related to financial management, information security, human resources, and programmatic implementation.
• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and manage risks across the organization, including the buildout, evaluation and updating of a clear risk inventory for the organization, development of risk management tools and systems, and management of the organization’s key liability insurance policies.
• Governance: Advise Executive Director, senior leadership and the Board regarding legal compliance, draft key governance documents, in coordination with other team members and executive leadership where appropriate.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Bar Membership: Active member in good standing of the New York State Bar Association.
• Experience: Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible legal experience, with a significant portion of that time spent as in-house counsel, preferably within an NY-based nonprofit or mission-driven organization.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with major data privacy laws (e.g., FERPA, related student privacy laws).
• Experience in drafting and negotiating complex contracts with governmental agencies, key vendors, and nonprofit funding partners.
• Understanding of organizational risk evaluation and management, including the procurement, renewal, evaluation and management of organizational liability insurance policies.
• Leadership of organizational policy initiatives, including the creation, iteration and synthesis of policies within a dynamic and growing organizational environment.
• Experience designing, implementing and explaining contractual requirements of different kinds of nonprofit funding agreements and mechanisms, including commercial co-ventures, grant agreements, round-up campaigns, etc.
• Experience with the legal and compliance requirements of implementing and managing a nonprofit endowment is a plus.
• Familiarity with NY / NYC regulations and State and City filings for charities.
• Experience developing clear, tailored guidance and/or trainings for staff around legal concepts and related risks, including donor solicitation and communications, vendor and subgrantee management, commercial co-venture partnerships, etc.

Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical advice for non-legal audiences.
• Proven ability to work in fast paced environments and to meet deadlines.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively across all departments (e.g., Program, Technology, Finance, HR, Compliance, Fundraising).
• High ethical standards and impeccable professional integrity.
• Passion for expanding economic opportunity and long-term financial security for NYC families and communities.
• Deep Interest In/Commitment to advancing equity and addressing the racial wealth gap through asset-building strategies.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $210,000 - $253,000.

Schedule

NYC Kids RISE provides a comprehensive benefits package including 30 days of paid time off (15 vacation days for new employees increasing with tenure; 5 personal days; and two weeks of sick leave).