General Counsel

NYC KIDS RISE • New York, NY

52d • $210,000 - $253,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

NYC Kids RISE is a nonprofit organization working with the City of New York and NYC Public Schools to manage the Save for College Program (the Program) - a universal wealth building platform for New York City neighborhoods. The Program that expands access to mainstream financial products; builds individual, family, and collective financial assets; provides financial education for families and students; and brings schools and communities together to support all their children’s futures. The Save for College Program’s model is intended to drive neighborhood-level changes in economic opportunity and mobility by promoting asset building, reinforcing college- and career-going expectations, and strengthening social capital, networks, and infrastructure in neighborhoods across New York City.
Through the Program, eligible students enrolled in an NYC public school (including participating charter schools), starting in kindergarten, automatically receive a free NYC Scholarship Account with an initial allocation of $100 by NYC Kids RISE on their behalf, invested in a NY 529 Direct Plan, and opportunities to receive additional rewards over time. Their families can open and connect their own college savings account on their child’s behalf, and communities can contribute to groups of these NYC Scholarship Accounts as both a targeted and universal platform for community-driven asset-building in every neighborhood. This approach draws from a variety of best practices and disciplines across the fields of asset building, child savings accounts, financial empowerment, education, community wealth building, urban poverty, neighborhood effects and social capital research, collective impact, and more. Read more about NYC Kids RISE and the Save for College Program and listen to stories from partners who helped build the platform during its pilot phase from 2017 to 2022. You can also view recent articles in Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, and the NYCHA Journal; and read more about NYC Kids RISE theory of change in a report by the Urban Institute.
With a national, state, and local bipartisan recognition of the power of early wealth building and the Program's infrastructure in place, there is a window of tremendous opportunity to realize a bold vision for NYC kids. Currently, more than 380,000 students, including nearly every K-4th grade student in NYC Public Schools, has an asset for college and career training with ~$85 million designated for their educational futures. Each year moving forward ~75,000 children will be added until nearly every student in NYC public school across the five boroughs has an NYC Scholarship Account.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active member in good standing of the New York State Bar Association.
• Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible legal experience, with a significant portion of that time spent as in-house counsel, preferably within an NY-based nonprofit or mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated experience with major data privacy laws (e.g., FERPA, related student privacy laws).
• Experience in drafting and negotiating complex contracts with governmental agencies, key vendors, and nonprofit funding partners.
• Understanding of organizational risk evaluation and management, including the procurement, renewal, evaluation and management of organizational liability insurance policies.
• Leadership of organizational policy initiatives, including the creation, iteration and synthesis of policies within a dynamic and growing organizational environment.
• Experience designing, implementing and explaining contractual requirements of different kinds of nonprofit funding agreements and mechanisms, including commercial co-ventures, grant agreements, round-up campaigns, etc.
• Experience developing clear, tailored guidance and/or trainings for staff around legal concepts and related risks, including donor solicitation and communications, vendor and subgrantee management, commercial co-venture partnerships, etc.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical advice for non-legal audiences.
• Proven ability to work in fast paced environments and to meet deadlines.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively across all departments (e.g., Program, Technology, Finance, HR, Compliance, Fundraising).
• High ethical standards and impeccable professional integrity.
• Passion for expanding economic opportunity and long-term financial security for NYC families and communities.
• Deep Interest In/Commitment to advancing equity and addressing the racial wealth gap through asset-building strategies.

Nice To Haves

• Supportive supplemental certifications (not required) could include: (Advanced) Certified Nonprofit Professional ((A)CNP); Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy; or Compliance and Ethics Professional.
• Experience with the legal and compliance requirements of implementing and managing a nonprofit endowment is a plus.
• Familiarity with NY / NYC regulations and State and City filings for charities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the chief legal resource and strategic legal advisor to the Executive Director, Management, and the Board of Directors.
• Oversee and manage all legal matters and risks for the organization, ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and upholding the nonprofit's mission and tax-exempt status.
• Serve as a key advisor on strategy, growth, and operations for the organization.
• Advise the Executive Director, senior leadership, and Board on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters, corporate governance, fiduciary duties and policy matters.
• Ensure continuous compliance with all relevant laws governing tax-exempt organizations, including city, state and federal lobbying regulations, privacy regulations including those related to student data, as well as donor information, fundraising disclosures, and maintenance of 501(c)(3) status.
• Own the coordination and execution of legal and compliance workstreams across the organization, including the engagement and management of external counsel and experts / stakeholders as needed.
• Provide concrete, practical guidance around legal requirements with a lens toward the operational needs, business requirements and tactical realities faced by the organization.
• Build up systems and functional integrations that will establish their work as a clear function within the organization (while retaining deep connections with outside counsel and third party / specialist supports).
• Develop and cultivate a high-performing team, including supervising direct reports, coordinating efforts across internal and external resources, and thoughtfully managing capacity and efforts to meet organizational priorities and objectives.
• Support the development, implementation, and maintenance of a robust global data privacy and security compliance program, including developing guidance for use of AI tools by and within the organization.
• Ensure compliance as necessary with key state and federal privacy regulations, including but not limited to: FERPA, COPPA, New York State Education Law related to release of student, teacher, and administrative data, and Relevant New York City / Chancellor’s regulations related to student privacy.
• Advise and support the development and ongoing implementation of the organization's data retention, use, and destruction policies.
• Lead and manage the legal aspects of incident response, coordinating with IT, communications, and external counsel as necessary.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage all organization-wide contracts, agreements, and legal documentation.
• Lead negotiations for high-value strategic partnerships, major vendor agreements, grant agreements, and donor agreements.
• Create and maintain a relevant library of standardized, legally sound contract and NDA templates (e.g., employment, consulting, vendor, grant-making, licensing, and human resources related agreements as appropriate).
• Manage and provide legal oversight for agreements with government partners, ensuring supportive compliance mechanisms that can be operationalized within a small and busy nonprofit environment.
• Manage and oversee any contractual disputes or litigation.
• Oversee the ongoing build and refinement of the organization’s policies, including policies related to financial management, information security, human resources, and programmatic implementation.
• Identify, assess, and manage risks across the organization, including the buildout, evaluation and updating of a clear risk inventory for the organization, development of risk management tools and systems, and management of the organization’s key liability insurance policies.
• Advise Executive Director, senior leadership and the Board regarding legal compliance, draft key governance documents, in coordination with other team members and executive leadership where appropriate.

Benefits

• 30 days of paid time off (15 vacation days for new employees increasing with tenure; 5 personal days; and two weeks of office closure per year, one in early July and one at the end of December), plus sick time and holidays
• medical, dental, vision, life, short- & long-term disability insurance
• healthcare FSA with employer contribution
• dependent care FSA
• 401(k) with 4% employer match after one year of service

What This Job Offers

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