Senior Assistant General Counsel, Impact Investments

Social Finance•Austin, WA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Social Finance is a national nonprofit and registered investment adviser (SF Advisors, LLC) that mobilizes investments to measurably improve lives in areas like workforce development, health, and housing. They are driven by the belief that social and economic systems should enable all people to thrive and that collaboration between government and markets can create significant change. The organization operates through four areas: Impact-first Investing, Workforce and Education Investments, Advisory & Public Sector Practice, and the Social Finance Institute. The Impact-first Investment team focuses on designing and managing investments for social outcomes. The Workforce and Education Investments team develops financial solutions for workforce challenges. The Advisory team partners with government and philanthropy to implement data-driven programs. The Social Finance Institute aims to advance the field through research and education. Application review begins June 8, 2026, on a rolling basis. This role is for an experienced Senior Assistant General Counsel to join a five-person legal team, reporting to the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. The work is innovative and often without legal precedent, requiring creativity and collaboration. The legal team acts as strategic partners to the organization. Social Finance navigates fund structures, regulatory frameworks, government partnerships, and transactional work simultaneously. This is a broad, hands-on role for a lawyer who thrives in a dynamic environment, manages complexity, and works independently. The role involves both legal and compliance functions, with corporate generalist components and a preference for candidates with a background in fund formation/management, transactional work, and financial regulation. The successful candidate will be rigorous, detail-oriented, creative, and flexible in navigating ambiguity to design practical solutions. Depending on experience, this role may oversee other attorneys and/or paralegals.

Requirements

J.D.
License to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction
Minimum of 8 years relevant experience (more strongly preferred)
Relevant experience working at a major law firm or equivalent in-house experience
Meaningful exposure to fund structures and governance
Corporate transactional work including capital markets, investment funds, project finance, securities, structured finance, private equity, or public finance law
Investment adviser or regulatory compliance experience
Comfort quickly getting up to speed in unfamiliar areas of law
Excellent communication skills; ability to translate new, complex, or unclear concepts to unfamiliar and non-legal audiences.
Comfort comparing and communicating the likelihood of different risks.
Ability to flag and quantify risks rather than prohibit them, and communicate clearly about the degree of uncertainty and where that uncertainty stems from.
Strong interpersonal skills; including an ability to identify, build and maintain relationships within the Legal team and across our organization more broadly.
Commitment to excellence and accuracy, with an ability to manage multiple competing priorities simultaneously, constructively express contrary points of view and seek consensus among strong, independent thinkers.
Comfort operating in gray areas and contributing creative, practical solutions in a fast-moving environment.
Capacity to work in an independent and solutions-oriented way while contributing to team projects, as appropriate.
Sense of humor, integrity and flexibility to regularly incorporate the feedback of others into work processes.
Commitment to enhancing a team culture of inclusion, belonging and equity.
Must be permanently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including receiving a booster shot, to be in-person at a Social Finance office, client location or Social Finance-sponsored event.

Nice To Haves

Some mix of (i) meaningful exposure to fund structures and governance, (ii) corporate transactional work including capital markets, investment funds, project finance, securities, structured finance, private equity, or public finance law, or (iii) investment adviser or regulatory compliance
No prior knowledge or experience with nonprofit law, nonprofit governance or managing regulatory compliance program is required, though this experience would be considered a strong plus.
Demonstrated interest and knowledge of key issues in effective nonprofit management, social interventions, and/or impact investing (e.g., academic coursework, consulting projects, volunteer work, etc.)

Responsibilities

Advise deal teams from initial structuring to drafting and negotiation of final financing and outcome-contingent agreements.
Oversee external counsel in discussion and negotiation with project stakeholders (within private, nonprofit and public sectors).
Contribute to deal document negotiations.
Serve as thought leader to deal teams throughout the entire deal lifecycle, including on key contract terms and best practices for achieving impact via contracting.
Collaborate with internal and external counsel to develop credit facility agreements, asset purchase agreements, and ancillary financial agreements.
Draft and execute entity formation agreements for impact investment special purpose vehicles, which may include trusts, partnerships, limited liability companies, or other corporate forms.
Advise on investment fund development, structuring, and legal implementation.
Oversee drafting and negotiation of fund documentation with key stakeholders.
Collaborate with internal and external counsel to develop private placement memoranda and support finance structuring.
Support capital raises; lead investor agreement drafting and negotiation.
Conduct legal due diligence on prospective investments, develop and draft investment agreements.
Advise, support, or oversee corporate governance and entity management for the nonprofit parent and its 20+ subsidiaries and affiliates, including board and committee support, preparation of board materials, maintenance of corporate records, data security and organizational policies, insurance coverage, annual reports, tax and regulatory filings, and preservation of tax-exempt status.
Support management of the organization’s RIA compliance program and build a culture of compliance across the organization, including policies and procedures, annual testing, Form ADV updates, marketing review, training, vendor oversight, and regulatory filings.
Contribute to a positive culture by maintaining relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, understanding stakeholder needs, and remaining accessible and responsive to those needs.
Maintain and improve compliance and governance processes, designing systems that are efficient, reliable, and audit-ready.
Collaborate with other members of the Legal team on fund and investment work, with opportunities for selective exposure and growth.
Oversee any other legal matters which may arise, with special emphasis on risk management and compliance more generally for governing Social Finance, its affiliates and subsidiaries.
Participate in the growth and development of a quickly evolving organization and have opportunities to participate in and lead broad, non-legal organizational priorities and community activities.

Benefits

Comprehensive health care coverage: medical, dental and vision insurance
Flexible spending accounts
Access to Blue Cross Blue Shield Wellness Program “AHealthyMe Rewards”
Retirement savings plan with employer contribution
Short-term, long-term and life insurance policies
Commuter benefits
Cell phone reimbursements
Hybrid work model (in office a minimum of two days per week and on an ad-hoc basis as needed)
Dedicated budgets for team building and employee recognition
Annual budget for external professional development opportunities
Mentorship and onboarding programs
Collaborative and energizing workspaces in downtown Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; Washington, D.C. and New York, NY
Paid vacation and paid holidays (with 12/24-1/1 off every year)
Paid parental leave