Vice President & General Counsel - NANA North

The Vice President & General Counsel serves as a senior legal advisor to NANA North and its family of companies. This role provides strategic legal guidance and enterprise-wide support with a strong emphasis on contract management, compliance, litigation oversight, and employment law. The position ensures legal alignment and operational consistency across all subsidiaries and promotes best practices that mitigate risk and enable business success.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Contracts and Transactions

• Draft, negotiate, and review a wide range of contracts, including commercial agreements, joint ventures, subcontracts, and teaming agreements.
• Advise on legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures in collaboration with internal and external counsel.
• Strategize and implement appropriate business structures and risk mitigation strategies.
• Lead risk assessments and contract compliance reviews across subsidiaries.

Employment Law

• Provide expert legal counsel on employment-related matters including hiring, discipline, terminations, wage and hour compliance, workplace investigations, harassment, discrimination, and reasonable accommodations, as well as performance management processes.
• Monitor and interpret changes in employment law at the federal, state, and local levels, ensuring timely updates to policies and practices.
• Represent the company before federal and state agencies (e.g., EEOC, NLRB, DOL) in employment-related claims and audits.

Litigation and Risk Management

• Manage and oversee employment and commercial litigation, including coordination with outside counsel.
• Provide guidance on dispute resolution, pre-litigation strategy, and settlement negotiation.
• Support internal investigations and ensure appropriate documentation and legal handling of employee grievances or complaints.
• Ensure appropriate enterprise-wide insurance coverage.

Governance and Compliance

• Collaborate with leadership on corporate governance matters including drafting resolutions, managing records, and ensuring legal documentation aligns with internal policies and regulatory requirements.
• Support preparation and delivery of legal reports for board meetings as needed.
• Oversee records and information management in compliance with the organization’s retention policies.

Legal Best Practices & Education

• Develop and deliver legal training, briefings, and workshops to company leaders and HR staff on employment law and compliance topics.
• Promote consistent legal standards and risk management practices across the NANA North enterprise.
• Mentor junior attorneys, legal and contracts staff, and student interns.

Education & Licensure

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active member of the Alaska Bar or eligible for reciprocity within six months of hire.

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of legal experience, with a strong focus on contract management and employment law.
• Demonstrated experience advising employers on HR compliance and representing clients in employment-related litigation and agency proceedings.
• Experience with contracts, commercial transactions, and corporate governance strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting diverse, geographically dispersed, and operationally complex organizations is highly desirable.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

Weather: Office-based in Anchorage, with regular travel to Kotzebue, rural Alaska villages, and other subsidiary sites.

Noise level: The noise level in the work environment is usually that of a standard office atmosphere.

Description of environment: Office building with standard office environment.

Physical requirements: Employee is required to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 lbs. Frequently required to sit, stand, walk, use hands/fingers to handle or feel, climb, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, talk/hear, see, taste/smell, and carry weight/lift.

Travel: Yes, 15%. Must be able to travel and work in both urban and non-urban areas using many different means of transportation. Incumbent must be able to work in less-than-ideal offices, facilities, or situations. 

Competencies

• Expertise in contract drafting and negotiation.
• Advanced knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into practical, actionable guidance for business and HR leaders.
• Strong litigation oversight and dispute resolution skills.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to manage sensitive issues with professionalism.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
• Experience with Alaska Native Corporations and rural business operations preferred.
• Familiarity with Alaska business community, including oil & gas and/or mining sectors, preferred.