POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Title: Director of Legal Affairs – Boston, MA

Office: National

Location:  Boston, MA

OVERVIEW:

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this role will effectively manage general legal issues that surface within the organization. As the Director of Legal Affairs, you will help build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders, such as students, staff, and legal partners. You will also provide high-quality professional support on a range of legal, regulatory, and compliance issues.

To be successful in this role, you will be a highly motivated and energetic individual who can be part of an interdisciplinary team of all career stages, departmental teams and geographies.  This individual will engage in partnerships and professional development opportunities from the legal profession and community.

The Director of Legal Affairs – Boston, MA will also interact with students as a mentor, group facilitator, and or advocate, participating in building a positive educational environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Draft and/or review contracts, agreements, and monitor legal obligations under agreements, as requested. This includes, but is not limited to corporate partner agreements, operating agreements with community colleges, etc.
  • Engage in contract negotiations, including leases
  • Manage pro-bono relationships with legal firms
  • Conduct legal research in relevant areas
  • Conduct policy and program legal compliance assessments where required
  • Provide sound legal, regulatory, and compliance advice to the organization and make recommendations to management as necessary
  • Mentor legal fellows
  • Assess legal issues that surface, make recommendations, and drive implementation strategies to improve the process for surfacing and managing student and staff related situations that need legal attention
  • Participate in staff meetings and trainings

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in the workforce
  • Qualified to practice law in Massachusetts or New York
  • Proactive problem solving instincts, both with people and projects
  • Strong organizational and time management skills and the ability to work under pressure
  • A passion for working with urban young adults, an unshakable belief in their potential and a strong commitment to the mission of Year Up
  • Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
  • Commitment to diversity and inclusion

COMPENSATON & BENEFITS:

  • Salary: Competitive and commensurate with education and experience
  • Benefits: Competitive package including 100% healthcare coverage, dental, and 401(k) match
  • Vacation: Three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year
  • Professional development: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Year Up is an award-winning national 501(c) 3 organization striving to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults ages 18-24 with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Through a one-year intensive training program, these young adults complete a unique combination of rigorous, hands-on technical and professional skills training, college credit, and corporate internships. With an annual operating budget of $90 million, Year Up will serve over 2,700 students in 2015 nationwide.

Year Up takes three approaches to closing the Opportunity Divide. Our core sites are based on our founding program model – direct service programming where facilities, staff, infrastructure, academics, and all other aspects of the program are managed by Year Up staff. The Professional Training Corps (PTC) is a community college based model that provides an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful workforce training. In this model, students are dual-enrolled in the community college and Year Up; technical skills are taught by college faculty, while Year Up staff provide professional skills and other wrap-around services. Lastlyour Employer Based Solutions are created in collaboration with employer partners; custom solutions are developed to meet critical business needs and solve for skills gap challenges in the marketplace.

Consistently voted one of the Best NonProfits to Work For by the NonProfit Times, Year Up is a rewarding place to work. Our staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. We set high standards for both ourselves and our students, and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and full potential of our young adults. The work we do is life changing, and we know that our team is the greatest asset in achieving our mission.

Please visit http://www.yearup.org/careers to learn more about working at Year Up, and to see a list of current opportunities.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume through our website.

Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered.  We respectfully request no phone calls.