Deputy General Counsel, New York, NY (1007-SLS)
The Deputy General Counsel will serve as a senior advisor to the Chief Legal Officer, overseeing the organization's corporate legal matters, including commercial agreements, procurement, finance, intellectual property, tax, corporate governance, and other enterprise-level transactions. This role involves managing and developing a team of attorneys and legal professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration. The Deputy General Counsel will also play a key role in modernizing the legal department's operations through technology, automation, and artificial intelligence.
Key responsibilities include advising on complex corporate structures, governance matters, and relationships among affiliated entities, foundations, and boards. The Deputy General Counsel will provide legal guidance on significant financing, real estate, facilities, philanthropic, and strategic initiatives, including geographic expansion. Partnering with senior executives and business leaders, this role will offer practical, commercially oriented legal advice that supports organizational objectives. Additionally, the Deputy General Counsel will lead the modernization of legal operations through contract management systems, legal intake processes, workflow automation, and AI-enabled tools.
The ideal candidate will possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from a highly regarded law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar. A minimum of 8 years of significant legal experience, including in-house experience and training at a leading law firm, is required. A strong background as a corporate generalist, with meaningful experience across commercial transactions, corporate governance, finance, and other business-related legal matters, is essential. Demonstrated experience managing, mentoring, and developing attorneys and other legal professionals is crucial. Experience in leading or managing a legal department, including responsibility for improving processes, workflows, and organizational effectiveness, is highly desirable. Hands-on experience implementing legal technology, automation, or AI-enabled workflows to improve legal department efficiency and service delivery is preferred. Strong commercial judgment and the ability to advise senior executives on complex legal and business issues are necessary. Excellent drafting, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities are required. The candidate should have strong executive presence, communication skills, and the ability to develop credibility with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, operate independently, and deliver results in a demanding, fast-paced environment is essential.
Compensation details are not specified in the provided information.
The organization is founder-led, entrepreneurial, and intensely mission-driven, with a culture characterized by high expectations, intellectual rigor, direct feedback, accountability, and a strong bias toward action. The ideal candidate will be a sophisticated corporate generalist and proven legal leader who thrives in a fast-moving environment and brings the judgment, adaptability, and operational mindset to help build a highly effective legal function.