Associate Counsel

New York, NY

Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology, and leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip students who identify as girls or nonbinary with the computing skills needed to pursue 21st century opportunities. Our organization does more than teach girls to code; we’re building a global movement to change culture and challenge systems that have kept girls out of technology. Nearly ten years in, Girls Who Code is a major voice in the fight for gender equality and a thought leader in creating a more fair and equitable society and economy.

GWC is looking for its first in-house Associate Counsel who is a results-oriented problem-solver, excels at critical thinking and clear writing, and has exceptional interpersonal skills. The candidate must be a highly motivated individual who thrives in an entrepreneurial environment and wants to help solve the gender gap in technology.

This role will be the lead on legal matters for the organization and will work on a range of issues that impact Girls Who Code, with a special focus on negotiating, implementing, and ensuring compliance with Data Privacy Agreements with School Districts across the country. The Associate Counsel will report into the Chief Financial Officer and is embedded in the team handling Compliance, Research, Analytics, Finance and Technology functions.

Key Responsibilities will include:

Provide practical legal and business advice regarding a wide variety of issues that are relevant for an organization partnering with thousands of schools, libraries, universities and community based organizations and sharing curriculum materials.
Manage compliance efforts with respect to federal and state laws and regulations
Actively manage third party risk, particularly among Vendors and Donors.
Lead GWC’s contracting: draft, review and negotiate a wide variety of commercial and strategic agreements, including our agreements with schools, service agreements, consultancies, and vendor agreements.
Develop and oversee the implementation of organizational policies and procedures.
Develop and implement strong governance procedures
Drive our efforts to be trusted stewards of student data, including compliance with our commitments to data privacy and security and data protection laws.
Provide training on legal issues and compliance to staff at all levels.
Assist with policy and PR issues.

As our head of privacy and intellectual property, the successul candidate will:

Drive transparency regarding our privacy and security practices and statements, maintaining a Privacy Center and ensuring that our practices are aligned with our policies
Work with our partners to identify and implement best-in-class practices regarding data use and digital security.
Oversee implementation of commitments to families and schools about student data privacy, monitor for any needed changes, and ensure compliance with the industry’s strongest privacy and security practices.
Support partnering to enable high-quality educational materials and ensure that our curriculum and learning solutions complies with all laws, including copyright.

Additional responsibilities include supporting our internal teams by:

Working in conjunction with External Counsel, partner with our People & Culture team to ensure compliance with employment law and support in resolving employee relations and employee benefit matters.
Collaborating with the People & Culture team to review and revise the Employee Handbook, related policies, and forms.
Supporting with other projects as assigned

Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree and JD required; Member in good standing of a state bar.
4 years of legal experience, preferably with a combination of law firm and in-house experience. The ideal candidate will have experience representing education and technology companies and likely a deep experience in more than one of the following substantive areas: data privacy law, enterprise contracts, education law, governance. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams and across diverse stakeholders.
Excellent interpersonal, writing, communication and presentation skills.
Outstanding organizational skills with extraordinary attention to detail.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, prioritizing and managing multiple projects.
Ability to analyze statutes and regulations to provide clear and practical advice.
Ability to effectively manage outside counsel and leverage help in a cost-effective way.
Ability to independently make decisions balancing legal requirements and business/managerial needs, and to efficiently and effectively communicate with non-lawyers.
Ability to present complex and sensitive issues in a concise and effective manner.
Experience taking on projects involving unfamiliar subject matters.
Ability to collaborate and build relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders.
Demonstrates empathy and ability to apply understanding of an audience to deliver desired products and/or services.
Ability to evaluate risk and resolve complex issues in creative and effective ways.

Compensation transparency statement:

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At Girls Who Code, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this role is $103,000 to $131,000

Please note: We are open to a variety of profiles for this role, and recognize that the person we hire may be more or less experienced than this job description as posted. If that ends up being the case, the updated salary range will be communicated to you as a candidate.

Benefits:

Girls Who Code has been named one of the Best Non Profits to Work For and is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace environment that allows employees to be engaged, productive and successful.

At Girls Who Code, we value our team members and offer employees a broad range of benefits to round out our total compensation package. Our ambitious, high impact, and supportive culture allows people to do their best work every day. We offer policies and programs that encourage balance and support health and well-being, and we are always looking for new ways to maintain a culture where our people excel and lead healthy, happy lives. Our competitive compensation and benefits package includes generous PTO, 3 medical insurance plans (including one fully funded by the org), vision, dental, 401(k) with match, hybrid work, virtual days, paid parental leave, medical flexible spending plans, life insurance, short and long term disability.

Girls Who Code is committed to building a truly diverse and inclusive organization with a focus on valuing, serving, and understanding our target constituents, while challenging all stakeholders to think inclusively for the betterment of our programs.

Girls Who Code is an equal opportunity employer committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its hiring and promotion process without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, partnership status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital, parental or familial status, national origin, ethnicity, veteran or military status, age, disability, or any other legally protected basis. Racial and ethnic minorities and men are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels. GWC is not able to sponsor employment visas.