Associate, Legal, Compliance & Government Affairs

Spencer Stuart•Washington, DC

1d•$100,000 - $130,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Spencer Stuart is seeking an experienced Associate for its Legal, Compliance & Government Affairs Practice, focused on Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, and other senior-level searches. The Associate is an essential member of the search team, helping identify high-quality and diverse candidate slates through research, project management, assessment, and relationship-driven advisory discussions. The role involves exposure to a broad range of clients, leadership challenges, senior executives, and board members. The Associate supports searches from kickoff through completion: developing search strategies and target lists, researching industries and companies, identifying and assessing candidates, conducting reference and source calls, preparing candidate and client materials, and keeping colleagues informed of market developments. Associates also contribute to business development, candidate-pool growth, and local, practice, and firm-wide initiatives. The role is ideally based in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Washington, DC. Employees are expected to be in the office at least two days a week, with more in-office time beneficial during the initial period to build relationships and participate in the local office community. Total compensation includes a discretionary performance-based bonus, healthcare benefits, and a starting base salary of $100,000–$130,000.

Requirements

At least 3 years of progressive, client-facing experience in a law firm (as an associate or paralegal), executive search firm, or related professional services environment.
Undergraduate degree required.
Demonstrated project-management ability in a high-performance environment with multiple projects and competing demands.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including clear, structured, and concise presentation.
Evidence of advancement in skills and knowledge through promotion or tenure.
Ability to manage a high volume of work and competing priorities without sacrificing quality or momentum.
Intellectual curiosity, resourcefulness, initiative, resilience, a strong work ethic, and a results-oriented and flexible approach.
Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and effectively engage senior-level executives, board members, candidates, and clients.
Openness to feedback and commitment to ongoing learning and self-development.

Nice To Haves

Experience and interest in legal, compliance, and government affairs.
Postgraduate degree or Juris Doctor (JD).
Ideally, familiarity with relevant candidate and market-information sources such as CapIQ, ZoomInfo, PitchBook, and LinkedIn.

Responsibilities

Participate in client kickoff meetings and help develop position specifications, search strategies, and target-company lists.
Research relevant industries and target companies; identify potential prospects and sources; and discuss opportunities with relevant executives while representing the client effectively.
Validate potential candidates through reference and source calls.
Partner with the Consultant to develop and present qualified candidate slates to clients, supplying additional market, industry, opportunity-reaction, and compensation information as needed.
Prepare position specifications, candidate presentations, and reference reports in accordance with the Firm’s assessment methodology.
Communicate effectively with the Consultant and Executive Assistant and stay current on search developments to provide accurate information about assignments.
Prepare organized information for client updates and meetings with the Consultant and Executive Assistant, providing an informed perspective on candidates and their fit with selection criteria.
Monitor relevant functional activity and management changes, and keep team members informed of marketplace developments.
Continually identify and introduce new talent to the firm, and maintain current assignment, company, and candidate information using the firm’s proprietary database and technology.
Contribute to responses to new-business inquiries and business-development initiatives.
Contribute proactively to local, practice, and firm-wide initiatives, and coordinate and share practice information with colleagues.
Manage multiple searches and competing deadlines while maintaining quality, momentum, and attention to detail.
Gather and synthesize information from internal and external sources, assess candidate capabilities and fit, prioritize prospects, and maintain meaningful candidate records in Quest.
Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, adapting written and verbal communication to the audience.
Seek and apply feedback, support colleagues’ development, collaborate with others, and participate actively in office and practice activities.