Chief Shared Prosperity & Legal Officer

Talence Group LLC • Portland, OR

30d

About The Position

The Port of Portland is seeking an exceptional executive to serve in the newly created role of Chief Shared Prosperity & Legal Officer - a senior leadership position at the center of law, enterprise strategy, governance, people, and public stewardship. This is not a traditional legal role. Serving as a trusted thought partner to the Executive Director and a key member of the Executive Team, this leader will help ensure the Port operates as a unified, accountable, and mission-driven institution while shaping a resilient organization for the future.
As Chief Shared Prosperity & Legal Officer, you will lead and integrate four critical enterprise functions: Contracts & Procurement, Culture & Strategy, Human Resources, Legal & Records Management ensuring the Port functions as a unified, values-driven, and high-performing public agency. This role calls for both deep legal judgment and broad executive leadership—a leader who can anticipate and manage complex legal, organizational, and governance issues with enterprise impact, build trust, and advance the Port’s mission of building shared prosperity for the region.

Requirements

• 15 or more years of experience in the practice of law with progressively increasing responsibility, including service as a Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, Managing Attorney, Senior Corporate Counsel, or equivalent role.
• Extensive senior leadership experience in a complex public, quasi-public, or highly regulated organization, with responsibility spanning multiple enterprise functions.
• Significant experience providing legal counsel to a public body or agency on complex legal, policy, workforce, and governance matters.
• Demonstrated skill in balancing risk mitigation with enabling organizational strategy, innovation, and long-term value creation.
• Deep and broad knowledge of human capital, organizational strategy, and compliance, along with strong expertise in change management and organizational development.
• A track record of building strong leadership teams, developing talent, and fostering values-based, inclusive organizational cultures.
• Deep knowledge of inclusive culture principles and integrated shared prosperity practices, with the ability to embed these principles into strategy, policy, and daily organizational operations.
• Proven ability to translate strategic priorities into measurable outcomes, using data, performance metrics, and feedback mechanisms to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated credibility engaging with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including elected or appointed officials, regulators, labor partners, and community leaders.
• Demonstrated commitment to ethical leadership, public stewardship, and mission-driven service, with a track record of fostering trust, engagement, and collaboration across diverse functions and perspectives.
• Exceptional communication and influence skills, with the ability to engage executives, governing bodies, employees, and external stakeholders with clarity and credibility.
• Juris Doctor (J.D.)
• Active admission to the Oregon State Bar

Responsibilities

• Lead and collaborate with the executive team to develop and implement business, legal, and enterprise strategies that advance the Port’s shared prosperity goals and strategic plan, manage organizational risk, and reduce potential legal exposure while an representing the Port’s goals internally and to the community.
• Translate strategic priorities into operational approaches, guiding cross-portfolio planning as an enterprise integrator.
• Strengthen organizational health, leadership effectiveness, workforce strategy, governance integrity, and legal and regulatory positioning.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary leadership team that effectively oversees critical administrative functions, while strengthening leadership capacity.
• Provide executive leadership for legal services and records management to ensure sound governance, strategic legal positioning, and effective risk management.
• Advise the executive leadership team and Commission on legal, regulatory, and governance implications of organizational decisions, and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing public agencies and special districts.
• Oversee litigation coordination, policy development, and enterprise records and public records compliance to support transparency, accountability, and timely public disclosure.
• Provide executive leadership for Human Resources and enterprise people strategy including workforce planning, talent acquisition, classification and compensation, total rewards, labor and employee relations, learning and development, and performance management for a capable, engaged, and future-ready workforce.
• Lead enterprise change, culture, and organizational effectiveness initiatives that support sustained performance.
• Provide executive leadership and governance over the Contracts and Procurement function to ensure integrity, transparency, legal compliance, and strong fiscal stewardship aligned with Port and Commission policy.
• Lead contracting strategy to promote fair access, compliance, and measurable outcomes, supported by accurate reporting and data transparency.
• Provide transformational, values-driven leadership that strengthens organizational trust, accountability, and inspires measurable performance in support of the Port’s mission.
• Lead enterprise approaches to organizational culture and shared prosperity by integrating priorities into agency systems, leadership expectations, planning processes, and decision-making frameworks.
• Advise and support leaders across the organization to ensure shared understanding of how roles and business functions contribute to regional prosperity and mission delivery.
• Oversee the enterprise implementation of business line and division work plans, ensuring clear performance measures with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Foster a values-based organizational culture that supports employee engagement, psychological safety, and effective collaboration, while championing performance indicators.

Benefits

• competitive compensation package
• company bonus program of 0-15%
• attractive employee benefits program - Medical, dental, vision, basic life and AD&D, FSA/HRA, STD, LTD, PTO
• participation in the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree