Legal Director, Operations and Transactions

Role Title

Legal Director, Operations & Transactions

Grade Level

F 14

Reporting To

Deputy General Counsel

Program/Tool/ Department/Unit Name

Office of the General Counsel

Team Name

Operations & Transactions

Role Purpose

The Legal Director, Operations & Transactions leads the Operations & Transactions division within the Office of General Counsel. The Legal Director, Operations & Transactions coordinates, directs and manages delivery of legal services that support OSF’s operations functions and serves as part of the overall leadership of the Office of General Counsel.   The Legal Director, Operations & Transactions supervises lawyers with specialist expertise in real estate, employment, commercial law and related matters; leads the delivery of legal services for complex or confidential matters involving multiple aspects of operations and acts as an advisory partner for corresponding business units.

Key Responsibilities

As Legal Director, you will:

• Lead on the development and implementation of strategy for legal support to operations across Open Society’s global network, as well as implementation of the strategy, including leading, developing and managing a team of experienced and technically skilled legal professionals

• Create a structure to generate clear goals to enable the team to fulfil its remit and for each member to accomplish their objectives and help them assess their effectiveness for further development

• Contribute to development of legal department strategy, annual planning, budget and resource management

• Provide legal advice on a full spectrum of cross-cutting operational and transactional issues for philanthropic and non-profit organizations, including employment matters for a global workforce, real estate transactions, global security and IT transactions and services

• Oversee the drafting, review and negotiation of a wide range of complex commercial agreements and general commercial matters in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements imposed by tax status / funding, international sanctions, data protection, conflicts of interests, and other legal matters

• Advise on the development and implementation of organisational policies and large-scale projects that require co-ordinated inputs from multiple specialist attorneys and stakeholders; represent OGC in interdepartmental efforts

• Engage and instruct external counsel when needed and co-ordinating advice as appropriate to ensure it is fit for the organization

Open Society’s legal needs mean that legal work is often cross-cutting so all attorneys in the OGC must be generalists to some extent, and should expect workload sharing within and between divisions to respond to fluctuating demands.

People Responsibilities (Total Team/DRs)

Yes (4 direct reports)

Key internal relationships

OGC leadership; Chief People and Culture Officer; Chief Information Officer; Senior Director of Global Security and Risk; Director, Real Estate and Portfolio Renewal;

Key external relationships

External counsel and certain vendors

Qualifications

Essential:

• Law degree or equivalent from an accredited university (law school) and

• Admission to practice law in the Open Society global office location in which you would be based.

Experience

Essential:

• A minimum post-qualification experience of 10 years at a law firm and/or in-house, with an emphasis on one of the areas of particular focus for this division

• Extensive experience and record of accomplishments with drafting and negotiating, in matters requiring keen attention to detail with excellent follow-through

• Experience with providing legal advice on more than one of the following areas to one or more complex organizations: employment matters for a global workforce, real estate transactions, global security, IT

• Demonstrated ability to communicate (verbal and written) legal and strategic advice with stakeholders who are not lawyers including in a virtual environment

• Experience of leading, developing and managing lawyers and other legal professionals to achieve specific results within a medium-term timeframe including experience in managing complex projects

• Experience engaging and instructing external counsel when needed and co-ordinating advice as appropriate to ensure it is fit for the organization

Desirable:

• In-house experience advising operations functions a plus

• Experience working for an international organization and/or the non-profit field a plus

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to communicate (verbal and written) legal and strategic advice effectively with stakeholders who are not lawyers including in a virtual environment

• A practical, business-oriented approach to problem-solving, tempered by an appreciation for legal complexity and risk

• Demonstrated ability to apply creative thinking, strong judgment and analytical skills, combined with a record of integrity, professional discretion and ability to work under pressure, prioritize and handle sensitive/confidential legal matters

• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and partnerships, with experience managing inter and intra organizational relationships in complex organizational environments

Personal Competencies:

• Commitment to continuous learning and growth in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism and social justice

• Commitment to listening and working with humility; ways of working that are respectful to all people; and that support space and voice for all diverse perspectives in our workplace

• Ability to work under pressure, manage workload, prioritize, manage simultaneous tasks, meet deadlines and maintain a sense of humor within a changing fast-paced environment  

Languages:

An excellent knowledge of English. Knowledge of other languages would be an asset

 The salary range for this role in the U.S. is $174, 100 - $330, 800 (USD). The final offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set and level of experience.