Job Description
JOB TITLE: General Counsel
DEPARTMENT: Legal
REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director
FLSA: Exempt
SALARY RANGE: $165,000 - $180,000
About the Center
The Center for New York City Neighborhoods, Inc. (the “Center”) is a New York not-for-profit that promotes and protects affordable homeownership in New York State so middle- and working-class families can build strong, thriving communities. We meet and support the diverse needs of homeowners throughout the state by offering free services and affordable loans while advocating for systemic change to address racist housing policies. Today we are working to close the racial wealth gap through the Black Homeownership Project, developing new programs to respond to the climate crisis, and helping New York State to deliver nearly half a billion dollars in COVID-19 relief.
Position Summary
The Center seeks a General Counsel, who will be responsible for managing the legal affairs of the Center and providing legal advice and counsel to the Board of Directors, Executive Team, and staff, in collaboration with the Executive Team. The General Counsel is a member of the Executive Team and reports to the CEO/Executive Director. This role will manage and supervise a team of staff attorneys and procurement staff.
The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial, curious, mission-driven professional with a legal, compliance, and program development background to have a meaningful impact on a rapidly growing organization. The successful candidate will have deep experience in directly managing people and a collaborative and empathic leadership style.
The role will improve or develop and oversee a compliance and risk management program for the Center that ensures that the Center complies with applicable laws, rules, and regulations of regulatory agencies and contractual obligations and that the Center’s policies and procedures are being followed. The General Counsel will serve as an objective coordinator that reviews and evaluates compliance issues and concerns within the organization, identifying any potential gaps and working with staff to build or improve policies and procedures to support compliance efforts.
The General Counsel is a full-time, exempt position. This is a hybrid role intended for candidates within commuting distance from our office.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Advise the Center’s Executive Team, senior management, staff, and board on legal matters relevant to the Center
- As part of the Executive Team, contribute to setting the Center's strategic direction and participate in managing those strategic goals and priorities
- Manage day-to-day operation of the Legal Department, including ownership of the legal, procurement, compliance & risk management, contracting, and program support functions
- Support and manage the Center’s staff attorneys and procurement staff, including collaborating on the Legal Department’s vision and strategy, guidance, coaching, and training
- Consult with staff as needed to resolve difficult legal and programmatic issues, including
- Partner with program teams to research and answer questions about program operations and documentation
- Advise lending team about interpretation and compliance with banking regulations and procedures
- Partner with the finance, operations, and human resources teams to provide legal advice and support
- Procure and manage outside lawyers, manage the flow of their advice and services
- Advise in the negotiation of a broad range of transactions and review contracts, certifications, and other legal documents and recommend revisions as necessary
- Review, research, interpret, and prepare written and verbal advice on a variety of legal issues, both external-facing and internal
- Work with the Executive Team and other staff as appropriate to develop training programs for staff and managers in areas such as compliance, procurement, new employee onboarding, lobbying, cybersecurity, and PII
- Oversee the Center’s compliance and risk management program, including
- Liaise with other members of the Executive Team and program staff to ensure comprehensive compliance with all grant and program contracts
- Identify potential areas of operational and compliance vulnerability and risk, develop/implement corrective action plans for the resolution of problematic issues, and provide general guidance on how to avoid or deal with similar situations in the future
- Advise and consult with staff who are responsible for compliance and risk management across multiple program and operational areas to assist them in maintaining compliance and managing risk
- Maintain and revise policies and procedures for the general operation of the compliance and risk management program and its related activities to prevent illegal, unethical, or improper conduct
- Partner with the Center’s legal team and external counsel, other members of the Executive Team, and program staff to ensure real-time, reliable communication on progress against compliance goals. Integrate adopted compliance policies and procedures into ongoing workflow and board reporting
- Monitor the performance of the compliance and risk management program and related activities on a continuing basis, taking appropriate steps to improve its effectiveness
- Other duties as required
Values:
- Demonstrate Ownership by showing initiative, active problem-solving, being solution-oriented, acting conscientiously, and putting team results above individual accomplishments
- Demonstrate Growth Mindset through resilience, humility, engaging in expansive thinking, and showing curiosity and openness to learning
- Work Collaboratively by demonstrating the ability to work in teams, exhibiting emotional intelligence, actively seeking input and consensus building, and having positive energy
Skills & Qualifications:
- An active member of the New York State Bar
- At least 7-10 years experience in a nonprofit or public sector, ideally including transactional legal experience, contract drafting, and negotiation, knowledge of procurement/ purchasing, foreclosure prevention, and/or lending regulations
- At least 4 years in a General Counsel type role advising on corporate matters, such as board management and interactions; corporate authority/resolutions; organizational risk assessment; familiarity with insurance coverages and issues; interaction with finance on audit, 990s, annual reports, etc.; working as part of an Executive Team to bring a legal perspective to strategic discussions; and familiarity with HR laws and typical employer/employee matters & issues.
- Experience working with government-funded or other restricted grants, especially federal funding
- Experience advising program and lending operations preferred
- Experience in supervision of staff and managing a team; with a collaborative and empathic leadership style
- Demonstrated alignment with the Center’s mission, communities the Center serves, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Strong interpersonal skills, the ability to learn quickly, the ability to be flexible in a fast-paced environment, and the ability to work effectively with colleagues at all levels of the organization
- Proven track record of successfully managing multiple projects, meeting deadlines, and solving problems in a collaborative manner
- Interest in being involved in all parts of the job at a granular level
- Exceptional judgment, creativity, and resourcefulness
- Complete confidentiality and discretion
Salary:
We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.
Application:
To apply for this position, please submit your cover letter with salary requirements and resume through our website. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Applicant review will continue until the position is filled.
The Center strongly encourages Section 3 residents to participate in this hiring effort. Information to determine if you are a Section 3 resident can be obtained by contacting careers@cnycn.org.
Persons requiring reasonable accommodation to participate in this hiring effort are requested to contact: careers@cnycn.org.
We thank you for your interest in career opportunities with the Center for NYC Neighborhoods
The Center for NYC Neighborhoods is an equal-opportunity employer. We recruit, hire, upgrade, train, and promote for all positions and job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital, veteran or disabled veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other status as a member of any other legally protected group or activity.
To learn more, visit cnycn.org