Vice President of Legal & Compliance

Minnesota Cannabis Services•Minneapolis, MN

4h•Onsite

About The Position

At Minnesota Cannabis Services, we’re not just building businesses — we’re building the people who make them great. Our team partners with leading operators across cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail to deliver world-class expertise in legal, finance, analytics, marketing, HR, and technology. We’re looking for professionals who take pride in their work, move with purpose, and thrive in fast-changing environments. The kind of people who hold themselves to high standards, think creatively, and find satisfaction in solving hard problems. When you join our team, you’ll work alongside some of the most experienced leaders in the industry — professionals who share their knowledge freely and lead by example. You’ll be challenged, supported, and trusted to take ownership of meaningful work that shapes the future of one of the fastest-growing industries in America. About Us Minnesota Cannabis Services is a cannabis management and professional-services company. We deliver legal, compliance, operational, and corporate support to cannabis clients across Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Minnesota, Florida and Puerto Rico. Our clients span the full value chain: retail, manufacturing, cultivation, transportation, and delivery. Position Summary We are seeking a Vice President of Legal & Compliance to lead the legal and compliance function we deliver on behalf of our clients across all markets. This is the senior most legal role in the organization, with full responsibility for legal strategy, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, risk management, and leadership of an in-house legal team that includes attorneys, paralegals and legal operations professionals that serve our client portfolio. The role reports directly to the CEO and offers a clear path to Chief Legal Officer as the company grows. This is a build-and-operate position for an attorney who wants genuine authority and meaningful impact across a fast growing, heavily regulated industry. The right person is energized by leading and mentoring high performing teams and by advising clients to success — they see building people and guiding clients through complex challenges as the most rewarding part of the work. This is a high intensity role with long hours and some travel. This is a 100% on-site role based in our Edina office. It is not a hybrid or remote position, and candidates seeking that flexibility should not apply. What Makes This Role Different This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who wants to own a function, not simply advise on it. You will serve a portfolio of clients across the entire cannabis value chain and in six jurisdictions. This work rewards someone who is detail-obsessed, decisive, and energized by responsibility. We expect this leader to operate at the cutting edge of legal practice, including leading with AI-powered tools such as Claude and Claude Cowork's legal capabilities for research, drafting, and review while rigorously protecting privilege and confidentiality. You should be comfortable working across the political spectrum with bipartisan coalitions and focused on advancing the industry rather than any single ideology.

Requirements

Juris Doctor with active bar membership in good standing (Minnesota admission or ability to obtain promptly).
8+ years of legal experience, including senior in-house leadership.
Demonstrated success managing and developing legal operations teams.
Deep multi-state regulatory compliance experience in cannabis — or a comparably regulated, multi-state industry (alcohol, pharmaceuticals, gaming, tobacco, or retail franchises). Direct cannabis experience is strongly preferred.
Experience serving multiple operators or working in a management services, professional services, or multi-client environment strongly preferred.
Multi-unit or multi-state retail legal experience strongly preferred — high-volume leasing, zoning and municipal approvals, and labor matters across jurisdictions.
Franchising or other multi-entity systems experience a plus, particularly building replicable governance across many entities.
Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage many priorities simultaneously.
Strong people- and process-management skills, sound judgment, and the confidence to make and own decisions.
Genuine enthusiasm for technology and AI in legal practice.
The highest ethical standards.

Nice To Haves

Direct cannabis experience is strongly preferred.
Experience serving multiple operators or working in a management services, professional services, or multi-client environment strongly preferred.
Multi-unit or multi-state retail legal experience strongly preferred — high-volume leasing, zoning and municipal approvals, and labor matters across jurisdictions.
Franchising or other multi-entity systems experience a plus, particularly building replicable governance across many entities.

Responsibilities

Legal & Organizational Strategy: Partner with company leadership and client executives as a strategic advisor, providing legal insight on major decisions and long-term planning across the businesses we support.
Cannabis Regulatory Compliance: Ensure our clients adhere to all federal, state, and local cannabis laws across every market and license type — retail, manufacturing, cultivation, transportation, and delivery. Develop and maintain deep, current expertise across our multi-state regulatory landscape.
Corporate Governance & Compliance Programs: Architect, draft, and implement comprehensive governance and compliance frameworks across a large portfolio of client entities. Maintain audit readiness at all times.
Legislative & Government Affairs: Monitor legislative developments, advise on their impact, and engage directly with lawmakers, regulators, and bipartisan industry coalitions to help shape favorable policy on behalf of our clients and the industry.
Legal Team Leadership: Manage the attorneys, paralegals and legal operations professionals to plan workload, prioritize across clients, and deliver high-quality work ahead of deadlines.
Real Estate & Transactional Law: Lead real estate and transactional work on behalf of a leading cannabis real estate fund that delivers turnkey operational facilities to licensees — including acquisitions, leasing and subleasing to tenant-operators, and the agreements that support facility delivery, in partnership with the construction and facilities team.
Zoning & Land Use: Manage zoning and land use matters for client and fund facilities, and work directly with municipalities to secure approvals for new locations.
Labor & Employment: Partner with Human Resources on complex labor and employment matters affecting our clients' workforces, including union dynamics, training, and sensitive employee relations.
Litigation & External Counsel: Oversee litigation strategy and manage outside counsel on behalf of our clients, with rigorous control of scope and spend.
Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risk across the client portfolio through proactive programs and regular compliance audits.