Associate General Counsel (Contracts)

JOB SUMMARY

This position provides corporate legal services to the National Trust related to contracts and procurement matters, including soliciting, negotiating, drafting, processing, administering, and enforcing contracts both directly through contracts falling under the National Trust’s contracts and procurement policies and standard operating procedures, and indirectly by giving advice and assistance to program managers who have the primary responsibility for establishing and maintaining contractual relationships.

The Associate General Counsel may also provide other general legal services to the organization as assigned. The Associate General Counsel reports to the Deputy General Counsel.

DUTIES

Contracts (primary responsibility). The Associate General Counsel will oversee and administer the National Trust’s contracts and procurement matters.

The National Trust’s Law Division administers all procurement and income-producing contracts with a value of over $50,000.

With some specific exceptions, contracts of $50,000 or less are generally administered directly by program offices; however, the Associate General Counsel regularly provides advice and assistance for those contracts on an as-needed basis.

The duties of the Associate General Counsel include the following :

• Consult closely with program offices to draft, negotiate, review, and / or revise proposed procurement and income-generating contracts.
• Prepare and administer requests for proposals and other competitive selection processes for procurement transactions and / or provide guidance and assistance to staff carrying out competitive selection processes.
• Provide advice and assistance to staff to ensure compliance with the organization’s procurement policies, applicable laws and regulations, and funding requirements.
• Coordinate the comprehensive review of private and governmental grant applications and agreements with program offices, the Finance Division, and the Administrative Division when human resources, data creation / management, or technology are included.
• Conduct regular trainings for new and current staff regarding procurement policies and coordinate other legal trainings with Law Division staff.
• Ensure compliance with the internal concurrence process prior to executing contracts.
• Provide advice and assistance to staff on how to resolve performance issues and contract disputes.
• Work collaboratively with staff managing contracts and independently with minimum supervision from the Deputy General Counsel to address and resolve contractual disputes and enforcement actions.
• Coordinate with outside counsel regarding adverse claims by contractors that cannot be amicably resolved.
• Maintain a central archive of electronic contract records.
• Maintain and regularly update a set of model contract documents for use by the organization.
• Maintain and regularly update the organization’s contracting policies.
• Stay up to date with current legal issues and best practices related to contract administration and risk mitigation.
• Track organization’s inclusion and use of MWBE vendors and development of DEIA best practices for procurement contracts.
• Supervise contract-related work of the Associate Manager for the Law Division.

Other Corporate Legal Services (secondary responsibility). The Associate General Counsel may provide and assist with the provision of a broad, complex, and varied range of nonprofit corporate legal services involving the entire scope of National Trust activities, as time permits, and as assigned.

Education and Outreach. Participate in public outreach relating to historic preservation law through educational activities relating to historic preservation law for professional, student, and lay audiences.

QUALIFICATIONS

Juris Doctor from an accredited institution and member in good standing of the D.C. bar or a state bar (and eligible to waive into D.

C.); total years of professional experience must include not less than 5 years’ experience in the practice of law, with experience in negotiating, drafting, and administering contracts.

• Experience managing contracts for a non-profit corporation preferred; experience with construction contracts, specifically AIA contracting forms, preferred.
• Familiarity with regulations applicable to state and federal grants to non-profit corporations preferred. Experience with state and federal government contracts is a plus.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, including issue identification and prioritization and risk assessment and mitigation.
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task efficiently, and respond to a high volume of ongoing requests in a timely fashion. Entrepreneurial spirit and skill set a plus.
• Advanced project-management and client-management skills and ability to collaborate collegially across divisions and with external parties to achieve results with only limited supervision.

Track record of building and maintaining productive relationships with multiple colleagues and parties.

• Effective presentation skills, attention to detail and excellent writing and proofreading skills, as well as strong verbal communication and customer service skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a remote environment, maintaining productivity and communications to meet deadlines and goals, is required.
• Demonstrated success in engaging culturally diverse colleagues and stakeholders. Bi-lingual language skills a plus. Demonstrated success in outreach to and engagement of diverse vendors a plus.
• Proven ability to continually develop skills related to use of rapidly changing technology and communications best practices.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel required. Familiarity with other software, including Monday.com, a plus.
• Regular and reliable attendance is required.
• Demonstrated interest in historic preservation or related fields a plus.

PAY & BENEFITS This is a full-time, exempt level position, eligible for full benefits, including health, dental and life insurance, retirement benefits, and 3+ weeks of vacation, plus sick time and holidays.

Hiring Range : $105,000 - 115,000 per year