Job Title: General Counsel 

Location: Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NYC) 

Employment Type: Full-time

Start Date: October 2022

To Apply: Submit your application here. Send any questions to jobs@bebraven.org (applications submitted via email will not be accepted).

About Braven

We believe that the next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere. We empower promising college students with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.

Learn more about Braven’s impact:

https://impactreport.bebraven.org/

https://jobsreport.bebraven.org/

Braven was named one of America’s Best Startup Employers 2022 by Forbes! We’re proud to be a nonprofit organization that values its employees and has always been committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace that mirrors our country.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 40,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven must strengthen our operations team with an expert in legal, contract processes and overall risk management. In that effort, Braven is hiring a General Counsel who will be a thought partner to the Chief Financial & Operations Officer (CFOO) in all matters legal, as well as a partner throughout the organization as we build out the contract, risk, and compliance processes. As a member of the People & Operations team, you will be heavily involved and a thought partner in employment matters, IP, privacy, and data security. You will lead day-to-day contract management, including with university partners and vendors. You will also plan and implement an approach to risk, internal controls, and compliance in a growing organization.

Braven is a nimble yet disciplined, fast-paced, startup environment where the work evolves quickly and no day is the same as the day before. This should excite you!

What You’ll Do: 

• Lead and build out our legal affairs function.
• Provide proactive legal counsel and guidance to the Braven leadership on all legal matters relevant to a growing non-profit, including but not limited to: university partnerships, employment issues, non-discrimination, conflicts of interest, ethics, fundraising, contracts, insurance and risk management, purchasing, real estate, compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, copyright and other intellectual property matters, computer and information technology issues, and other areas related to a non-profit organization legal environment;
• Serve as the point of contact for all requests for legal assistance from appropriate staff. Determine if requests for legal assistance shall be handled internally or referred to outside counsel and delegate appropriately. If referred to outside counsel, supervise and monitor such engagements;
• Advise and recommend policy and procedure changes based on current or emerging case law and precedent and assist the organization, preparation, and review of related policies and procedures;
• Own multiple organization compliance requirements, such as Covid-19 vaccinations
• Work closely with the Director of People Operations and other leaders to ensure employment practices are in line with the organization’s desired culture, with a particular emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion and provide guidance in employment-related personnel matters;
• Be a strategic and innovative thinker who can bring value and find creative solutions to complex legal issues;
• Ensures that the organization’s vision, mission, and values are fulfilled and actualized in its operations and services through a strong contract approval process; 
• Stays up to date on current federal, state, city, and county laws and regulations that may affect the organization’s interests and risk exposure;
• Plans and implements a risk management approach as we continue growing the organization.

Qualifications & Skills: 

Braven is looking for a General Counsel with progressive experience in higher education and/or non-profit who brings broad and deep knowledge of the range of legal issues related to policies, procedures, and law. You are bringing experiences and strengths like these:

• You have a Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-accredited law school. 
• You have at least 5-7 years of experience and successful legal/business experience, including years working in higher education, non-profit organization, government, private law practice, or business. 
• You are a member of the Bar or eligible to practice law in Illinois, New Jersey, or New York. 
• You exemplify exceptional initiative and proven ability to work efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment
• You have a demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion
• You exemplify Braven’s core values
• Your experiences have informed your belief in Braven’s mission and have prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population
• You possess excellent analytical, drafting, negotiation, research, and oral and written communication skills

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work in-person in Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NYC)
• Ability to occasionally travel for Braven team meetings nationally
• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Must be fully vaccinated and have received the Booster vaccination against COVID-19 and provide proof of such by the date of hire. Individuals may claim exemption from the vaccine requirement for medical or religious reasons. Exempted individuals will be subject to weekly testing if they engage in any in-person work activities.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position, which depends on prior work experience and our assessment of your demonstrated fit for the role, will likely be between $133,700 - $167,100 for Chicago, and $144,400 - $180,500 for New York or Newark. Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide, week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year 
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium 
• A one month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Location

When social distancing is not in place, we gather in the office two to three days a week. Therefore, we require teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Chicago, New York City, and Newark. Each teammate can use two flex days per week of their choosing to work remotely. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face and we believe in giving people the flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week. 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

At Braven, we are committed to attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining a diverse team. Braven operates in the context of our American culture, against the backdrop of systemic racism and oppression of marginalized people since our country’s founding. We are committed to assembling leaders at our organization who have emerged from everywhere, with a particular emphasis on those who share the racial and income backgrounds of our Fellows, and creating an inclusive culture that allows all teammates, of all experiences and identities, to thrive.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.