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Open Society Foundations · 3 weeks ago

Lead Legal Counsel, Tax-Exempt Organizations

Washington, D.C.

Full-time

Hybrid

Lead/Staff

$244K/yr - $276K/yr

8+ years exp

Open Society Foundations is dedicated to establishing vibrant and inclusive democracies. The Lead Legal Counsel will provide expert legal advice on regulatory issues related to grant making and advocacy, focusing on compliance with tax laws and regulations for U.S. private foundations.

CommunitiesHedge FundsNon Profit

Responsibilities

Work with the Director for Strategic Philanthropy on setting and implementing strategy for legal support to strategic philanthropy across Open Society’s global network, including leading, developing and managing attorneys and other legal professionals

Advise on charitable, social welfare and exempt organizations’ law, including compliance with tax laws and regulations applicable to U.S. private foundations, such as private benefit, expenditure responsibility, lobbying restrictions and political activity prohibitions

Advise on international (and potentially domestic) grant making, advocacy and other strategic interventions including escalated transactions and multi-tool campaigns that require coordinated inputs from multiple specialist attorneys and internal and external stakeholders

Advise on the development and implementation of organisational policies including global grant making and advocacy process design and implementation

Represent OGC in interdepartmental efforts, such as network wide policy and planning committees

Advise on transactions including grants, service agreements, consultancies, commercial contracts, licences and software agreements

Contribute to developing and maintaining OGC know-how, templates, technology solutions and other key enablers

Engage and instruct external counsel when needed and co-ordinate advice as appropriate to ensure it is fit for the organization

Open Society’s legal needs mean that legal work is often cross-cutting so all attorneys in the OGC must be generalists to some extent, and should expect workload sharing within and between divisions to respond to fluctuating demands

Qualification

Tax-exempt organizations lawUS private foundation lawLegal draftingManaging legal professionalsNegotiationAdvising senior leadershipExternal counsel coordinationAnalytical skillsVerbal communicationWritten communicationCreative thinkingRelationship building

Required

Law degree or equivalent from an accredited university (law school)

Admission to practice law in the United States

A minimum post-qualification experience of 8 years at a law firm and/or in-house, with an emphasis on tax exempt charitable organizations and substantial experience with US private foundation law

Extensive experience and record of accomplishments with drafting and negotiating, in matters requiring keen attention to detail with excellent follow-through

Experience with leading, developing and managing lawyers and other legal professionals to achieve specific results within a medium-term timeframe including experience in managing complex projects

Experience advising and providing counsel to senior leadership of a large complex and international organization

Experience engaging and instructing external counsel when needed and co-ordinating advice as appropriate to ensure it is fit for the organization

Demonstrated ability to communicate (verbal and written) legal and strategic advice with stakeholders who are not lawyers including in a virtual environment

A practical, business-oriented approach to problem-solving, tempered by an appreciation for legal complexity and risk

Demonstrated ability to apply creative thinking, strong judgment and analytical skills, combined with a record of integrity, professional discretion and the ability to work under pressure, prioritize and handle sensitive/confidential matters

Demonstrated ability to build relationships, with experience managing inter and intra organizational relationships in complex organizational environments

Benefits

Exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact; from a generous annual professional development allowance for every employee to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts.

Excellent benefits and perks to promote well-being and a healthy work-life balance, including:

Generous time off and flexible work arrangements.

Employer-paid health insurance and dental plans for individuals and families (no employee contribution required).

Exceptional retirement savings plan (non-contributory for employees) and life insurance.

Progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, and much more.

A commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, so you can bring your whole self to work and make a positive impact.