Head of Legal

GiveWell

2d • Remote

About The Position

GiveWell is seeking an experienced, pragmatic attorney to lead its legal function and build a team capable of scaling with the organization's anticipated growth. This role reports to the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and will serve as a strategic senior leader and thought partner, influencing the Operations team and GiveWell as a whole. The Head of Legal will be responsible for GiveWell’s legal portfolio and strategy, and will also support and manage the Grants Administration function. The position is a Senior Director-level role, with potential for a Vice President level hire for candidates with significant prior General Counsel experience, particularly in grantmaking or operating nonprofits.

Requirements

• 10+ years of legal experience, including significant in-house experience.
• Active state bar membership in good standing, preferably in California or New York.
• Excellent people management skills, including experience building, leading, and coaching legal and other professional teams.
• Expertise in legal and compliance areas relevant to GiveWell’s work: nonprofit and tax-exempt law, data privacy, contract negotiation, international corporate governance & expansion, and employment.
• Prior success leading complex legal or compliance projects where results depended on cross-functional stakeholder engagement.
• Strong communication skills, particularly in translating complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal colleagues and leadership.
• Sound judgment and experience in calibrating legal guidance to the practical stakes involved, preferably within multiple different environments.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience as a General Counsel or similar senior legal leadership experience.
• Experience in philanthropy, global health, or international development.
• Experience managing or partnering closely with adjacent functions, such as grants administration, HR, or partnerships.
• Experience with international legal and regulatory environments (e.g., UK operations or establishment of corporate subsidiaries abroad).
• Experience and comfort with legal technology and self-service/automation tools that increase team efficiency.
• Experience working with or advising nonprofit boards.
• Value alignment with GiveWell’s mission and values.
• People oriented, with a love for building teams and helping people reach their potential.
• Adaptability to grow with an organization and tailor approach to unique circumstances.
• Humility and a focus on getting things right, welcoming feedback from any direction.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead GiveWell’s legal function and serve as the organization’s primary legal decision-maker.
• Develop a calibrated legal strategy as GiveWell continues to scale.
• Maintain and improve GiveWell’s strong compliance posture as a nonprofit that receives donations, makes grants, and operates in multiple jurisdictions.
• Conduct risk assessment and mitigation across employment law, data privacy and security, programs and staff travel, IP, contract management, and other areas.
• Provide strategic leadership and management for GiveWell's Grants Admin function, including guidance on complex or novel grant structures.
• Own contracting across all of GiveWell’s functional areas (grants, contributions, employment, software, independent contractors and vendors, etc.).
• Build the systems, processes, and controls needed to help the organization operate efficiently.
• Modernize how GiveWell's legal administration work gets done, prioritizing technology and tools that increase capacity and reduce reliance on manual review.
• Act as a thought partner to the COO and other leaders, helping shape how the growing organization operates and scales.
• Partner with Research, Outreach, Finance, People, and Tech to ensure legal considerations are integrated into major decisions.
• Respond to internal legal questions promptly with clear, actionable guidance grounded in GiveWell’s goals and values.
• Help staff across the organization understand when and how to bring in legal support.

Benefits

• Fully funded health, dental, vision, and life insurance (100% of premiums covered within the US for employee and dependents).
• Four weeks of paid time off per year.
• One week all-office closure.
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Ergonomic home workstations or coworking space memberships.
• Automatic contribution equal to 5% of gross salary into a 403(b) retirement plan (for US-based staff).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed