jobs description

General Counsel, Climate Imperative Foundation

Organization/Grantor: Climate Imperative Foundation

Position/Title/Fund: General Counsel

Type/Term: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Washington, D.C. or San Francisco, CA

Deadline: November 8, 2024

Description:

Climate change is governed by physical facts—about carbon sources, accumulation, impacts, and timing, and more importantly, about solutions that work. These facts must inform strategy: they show that avoiding dangerous climate change is only possible through strong policy to cut carbon, promptly, in the biggest countries.

To address these issues, Climate Imperative was founded to provide additional resources to the field of climate policy in this decisive decade. Climate Imperative is a 501(c)(3) public charity focused on solving the climate crisis at speed and scale by providing funding, technical support, and expertise to win the world's most significant emissions reduction policy decisions within the next ten years. Learn more about Climate Imperative at .

Responsibilities :

The General Counsel will serve as a senior advisor and the primary in-house legal counsel for Climate Imperative Foundation, advising leadership, the Board, and other staff on a range of topics, ensuring compliance and alignment with best legal practices. The range of topics span those associated with operating a not-for-profit organization to risk management relating to climate and energy policy. This role requires a solutions-oriented thinker with extensive legal expertise, discretion, and a passion for Climate Imperative’s mission. The General Counsel will be able to forecast, identify and assess legal risks while simultaneously providing pragmatic, solutions-focused guidance that balances risk mitigation with organizational goals.

The General Counsel functions as in-house legal counsel to the Board, leadership team, and other team and affiliated members on legal and risk management issues relating to general business practices and foundation matters. This high-level position manages a range of complex contractual, grant, regulatory, and compliance matters and assists with Foundation governance policies and practices.

Specifically, the General Counsel, Climate Imperative will be responsible for:

• Providing legal and risk management advice on a wide range of legal matters related to organizational operations
• Creating and implementing a framework to identify and manage risks, ensuring compliance with regulations
• Reviewing of all organizational agreements (contracts, grant agreements, etc.) for legal compliance
• Participating in the definition and development of policies, procedures, and programs related to the organization's legal and risk management
• Working with outside counsel on guidance on local, state, international federal statutory and regulatory matters associated with operating a nonprofit
• Keeping current on new and emerging laws and best practices related to operating a non-profit
• Managing and coordinating outside counsel, overseeing their work, and ensuring it aligns with organizational goals
• Supporting legal aspects of the organization's substantive work and that with closely affiliated individuals and organizations as requested by the President or Vice President
• Balancing risk assessments with actionable paths forward to address critical issues in which the organization is involved
• Working with outside counsel to provide guidance on local, state, and federal legal matters associated with the organization's programmatic climate and energy policy work
• Guiding the organization's legal work in foreign countries
• Drafting and advising on relevant internal and external policies, as needed
• Ensuring compliance on all grantmaking related to programmatic work
• Leading special projects identified by the Board or senior leadership
• Maintaining high standards of ethics, integrity and confidentiality at all times

Qualifications :

Climate Imperative seeks a well-respected, senior legal professional with a demonstrated track record of providing expertise to organizations that can serve as a trusted thought partner and advisor. They will be passionate about the mission of the organization with a deep appreciation for the important role that philanthropy can play to address climate change. The successful candidate will be a creative thinker with a solution-oriented, innovative approach that can be flexible, adaptable, and able to excel in a fast-paced environment. This mission-driven individual will bring strong curiosity; a collaborative work style; a sense of humor; and the dedication to work hard toward the fulfillment of Climate Imperative's mission.

Within this framework, Climate Imperative seeks a General Counsel with the following attributes:

• J.D. with a minimum of 10 years of relevant legal experience with active Bar status
• Experience with laws applicable to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations including governance, contract, grant agreements and other day-to-day matters
• Experience working with a national or global organization and familiarity with working cross-culturally and with those of diverse backgrounds and perspectives
• Comfort exercising strategic judgment to help navigate complex legal situations to further the organization's mission
• Demonstrate and promote appropriate risk tolerance in alignment with the Board’s direction
• Advanced research skills, including the ability to highlight and prioritize information that is truly material
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, with a high attention to detail and versatility in addressing a broad array of audiences
• Ability to prioritize and be flexible in a fast-paced, constantly evolving, and collaborative environment
• Highly effective and respectful negotiation skills, resulting in mutually beneficial agreements
• Solid analytical and evaluative skills
• Ability to learn quickly and respond/react to changing priorities
• Adept at exercising good judgment when it comes to problem-solving, setting priorities, and decision making
• Understanding and adherence to high standards of ethics and confidentiality
• Active status with the State Bar of California, or in good standing with the bar of another state and willingness to obtain registered in-house counsel status in California
• Experience with U.S. environmental and administrative laws
• Experience working within an affiliated entity, including maintaining appropriate separation among entities

How to Apply:

All applications are held in strict confidence. Please submit your credentials and a letter of interest through our private applicant portal to The 360 Group at:

Applications should be directed to the attention of Maureen Capitolo, Principal or Monica Rodgers, Senior Consultant. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Earlier applicants may receive priority consideration. To be considered, The 360 Group encourages all interested candidates to submit their applications promptly, via the confidential applicant portal linked above.

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Washington DC United States

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