Assistant General Counsel at World Resources Institute (WRI)

Job Highlight:

Reporting to the General Counsel, you will provide general legal guidance, provide proactive legal research and counsel to General Counsel on different legal issues, including contracts, compliance, employment law and employee relations. You will stay up-to-date on changes in laws and regulations that could impact the Institute’s operations and provide guidance on necessary adjustments. You will work with local counsel in the countries in which we work to understand foreign laws and advise General Counsel on compliance and risk mitigation strategy. You will build relationships with internal stakeholders to understand their legal needs and provide legal guidance.

What will you do:

Human Resources (50%):

• Provide legal advice and support to the Employee Relations (ER) team and the global network of HR staff on employee discipline, benefits, social security compliance and employment policies in collaboration with external counsel across all WRI locations
• Together with the ER team investigate sensitive employee relations issues and perform investigations related to employment matters
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support and maintain compliance with all relevant laws as it relates to company handbooks, policies and procedures
• Analyze ER casework trends to produce strategic recommendations to the General Counsel to develop proactive risk mitigation approaches
• Support WRI’s ethics and compliance program, promoting a culture of ethics and integrity throughout the organization
• Provide advice on visa and work authorization requests together with outside immigration counsel
• Provide advice on the WRI employer of record arrangement for contracting personnel.

Contracts, Grants, Intellectual Property and Privacy (30%):

• Review and advise on government and commercial contracts including events, consultants/vendor contracts, annexes, memoranda of understanding, non-disclosure agreements, and IP licensing agreements
• Draft and edit legal agreements such as subgrants, contracts, memoranda of agreement/understanding, and other legal agreements to ensure legal and WRI policy compliance
• Support WRI's Grants & Contracts team with agreement negotiations and development of an alternate clause library
• Advise and draft licensing agreements involving IP, including help obtain licenses to utilize 3rd party owned IP for WRI’s charitable purpose
• Advise on best practices and compliance with global privacy and data protection laws, and overseeing legal and regulatory aspects of data collection and use, privacy disclosures and transparency, and related issues with assistance from local counsel
• Provide legal oversight for various compliance areas for grants and contract review, including lobbying, relevant 501(c)(3) tax-exempt requirements, and compliance with related federal, state, and local laws and regulations

Human Resource Compliance and Risk Management (20%):

• Advise and engage with WRI’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program to identify and proactively mitigate risks
• Lead or support (as appropriate) investigations and responses to legal disputes, including litigation and alternative dispute resolution
• Manage WRI’s portfolio of insurance policies including policy review, claims management, trends analysis, and the development of other risk mitigation tactics
• Provide legal advice and support to the ER team and the global network of HR staff on employee discipline, benefits, social security compliance and relevant employment policies in collaboration with external counsel across all WRI locations
• In conjunction with the ER team investigate highly sensitive employee relations issues and perform investigations related to employment matters
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support and maintain compliance with all relevant laws as it relates to company handbooks, policies and procedures
• Analyse ER casework trends to produce strategic recommendations to the General Counsel to develop proactive risk mitigation approaches
• Support WRI’s ethics and compliance program, promoting a culture of ethics and integrity throughout the organization
• Provide advice on visa and work authorization requests in conjunction with outside immigration counsel
• Provide advice on the WRI employer of record arrangement for contracting personnel

What will you need:

• Education: Juris Doctor degree (JD) from an accredited law school with an active membership and in good standing with any U.S. state bar association
• Experience: Minimum of 12 years of legal experience with preference of 3 years in advising nonprofits
• Strong expertise in contract law, corporate governance and employment law
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to convey complex legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to make sound legal judgments and provide practical solutions to complex legal issues
• International legal experience and growth mindset
• Familiarity with legal technology and tools to enhance department efficiency is preferred
• Languages: Fluent in English, with additional languages a plus