Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel

Humane World • Washington, DC

2d • $177,000 - $283,200 • Remote

About The Position

Humane World for Animals, a global leader in animal advocacy and protection, is seeking a Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the Office of General Counsel. In this role, you will play a leadership role in the Office of the General Counsel and CLO Organization by supporting both Humane World for Animals and Humane World for Animals International legal and governance operations and by working closely with the General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer to provide substantive legal advice and oversight of the organization’s legal operations. This employee will be a key thought partner and thought leader in supporting the General Counsel/CLO’s efforts to develop legal strategies, modernize operations and will recommend and collaborate on efforts to leverage process improvements, develop workflows and to standardize policies and procedures necessary for a strong legal infrastructure. These efforts will include talent development efforts, training, strong client engagement, and the development of a legal leadership cohort to foster the sharing of knowledge within the legal teams and providing leadership over the division’s operations and budget. This employee will support efforts to create a diverse and inclusive work environment and to prioritize support of the organization’s mission strategic plan, priorities, and governance structures, including supporting Humane World for Animals and Humane World for Animals International Board of Directors and other related boards.The functions of the position will fall into 5 categories:1) Managing, advising, and providing legal advice and oversight to OGC lawyers with a goal towards providing Humane World for Animals and its affiliates legal advice on a wide variety of legal issues that apply to 501 (c) (3) and other tax-exempt organizations.2) Supervising key administrative activities and operation3) Leading the development and coordination of the General Counsel’s management team.4) Managing legal department staff5) Coordinating the division’s communications activities to promote the division’s accomplishments; working with staff in developing, populating, and maintaining the legal division’s intranet sites; and working with the division’s management to create helpful training and resources for internal clients and coordinating with those clients on legal service and delivery improvements.

Requirements

• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school required
• A minimum of twelve (12) years of experience with an established law firm, corporation, government, or multi-lateral agency required
• Proven management experience in a mission-based organization, including staff leadership, strategic planning, and budget oversight
• Current license in good standing to practice law
• Experience supervising other attorneys required
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and oral and written communication skills
• Proven expertise in change management
• Ability to provide accurate and timely legal advice in an accessible manner and tailored to the organizations’ needs
• Ability to identify underlying legal issues in complex situations and resolve problems strategically, effectively, and proactively
• Ability to display concern for the entire organization’s performance, and to support the legal department’s contribution to the entire organization’s performance
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently and collaboratively across all levels
• Maintains confidentiality of sensitive information
• Demonstrates a high degree of emotional intelligence, fostering a positive and inclusive work environment where team members from diverse backgrounds and experience levels feel valued and appreciated

Nice To Haves

• Experience with tax-exempt organizations, international law, and litigation is a plus

Responsibilities

• Managing, advising, and providing legal advice and oversight to OGC lawyers with a goal towards providing Humane World for Animals and its affiliates legal advice on a wide variety of legal issues that apply to 501 (c) (3) and other tax-exempt organizations. In this role, the deputy general counsel is responsible for the following activities as they relate to in-house lawyers:a) Setting annual goalsb) Overseeing development plansc) holding regular check-on meetingsd) Addressing performance issuese) collecting, evaluating, and synthesizing feedback from department peers, subordinates, business colleagues and external lawyers.f) Conducting and documenting annual performance reviewsg) Succession planning.h) Keeping the General Counsel/CLO appropriately informed of the performance of the department’s inhouse lawyers and matters that may expose the organization to civil or criminal charges, violations or penalties, material financial liability, government scrutiny, disruptions to business operations, negative publicity raise ethics or compliance issues
• Supervising key administrative activities and operations - incorporating legal department operations professionals to manage the department’s administrative activities. a) Working with the General Counsel to develop the department’s mission and vision statement and collaborating with division leadership on creating and implementing the department’s strategic plan to align with the organization’s priorities and strategy and assisting with budget preparation. b) Refining staffing strategy, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training new personnel on the department’s policies and procedures in collaboration with other managerial staff c) Overseeing the legal department’s relationships with external lawyers including developing the department’s external lawyer retention, managing diversity and billing policies and practices, including ensuring pro bono and reduced fee arrangements are considered and tracked on an annual basis d) Engaging and managing third-party resources e) Leveraging technology improvements and management systems f) Developing knowledge management practices, including records retention and document destruction policies g) Coordinating communications activities, including the legal department’s submissions for reports, communications, and Humane World for Aniamls/Humane World for Animals International intranet site h) Recommending and assisting in the development of legal project management tools i) General office administration activities, such as space planning
• Leading the General counsel’s senior team a) Coordinating activities of the legal department’s senior leadership team b) Scheduling and documenting and planning periodic leadership meetings and periodic retreats c) Overseeing the completion of strategic deliverables
• Managing Staff a) Ensuring non-lawyer staff are included in development opportunities b) Adopting strategies to address issues identified by staff in response to satisfaction surveys c) Recommend and support division wide activities, such as staff meetings and recognition events
• Client Relations a) Representing the legal department at organizational meetings and events as appropriate b) Recommending department clients for education activities and presenting assisting staff in the presentation and development of legal training programs on legal issues and departmental practices

What This Job Offers

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