Senior Attorney, General Administration

Job activities include but are not limited to:

• • Negotiates, drafts, and reviews a wide range of contracts and other commercial agreements (including real estate and business partnership), working closely with internal business and program staff, as assigned by the General Counsel or the Chief Financial Executive.

  • Manages compliance program implementation and roll-out among various constituencies

  • Reviews, develops and improves standard contracting procedures and terms, including maintenance of contract database, development and updating of contract templates, improvement of contracting guidelines and procedures, and staff training.

  • Reviews and evaluates business practices, decisions and actions for legal risk, in consultation with General Counsel, including publication risk review for Club communications.

  • Assists in the administration of the organization’s records retention policy, including periodic updating of the policy, coordinating staff record reviews, and assisting General Counsel with document retention notices related to specific matters.

  • Advises and provides training for staff across the organization on legal issues and risks, troubleshooting problems, addressing litigation and legal threats, and responding to other matters in a variety of legal practice areas.

  • Performs legal research on a wide variety of legal issues in support of General Counsel’s role in advising on organizational policies, governance issues, and specific legal and business issues facing the organization.

  • Assists General Counsel in responding to and managing legal claims against Sierra Club, and managing outside counsel with respect to litigation and legal threats.

  • Advises on a range of other business and operational issues relevant to a large, complex tax-exempt organization.

  • Performs miscellaneous duties, special projects and reports as assigned.

The successful candidate must have the following skills and experience:

• • A J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school and admission in good standing to a state bar within the United States.

  • 5+ years of relevant legal experience, preferably as in-house counsel.

  • Familiarity with non-profit organizations, including working within mission-driven organizations, grassroots infrastructures, and distributed workforces.

  • Strong legal drafting skills and substantial contract review and negotiation experience, preferably for a broad range of clients and types of agreements.

  • Excellent organizational skills. Ability to track multiple priorities involving a wide variety of legal issues.

  • Ability to communicate and work effectively with volunteers, staff, and outside counsel.

  • Strong written and oral communication skills.

  • Excellent legal research skills.

  • Able to work independently and as a constructive team member; exercise initiative (ie., set own work priorities), and independent judgment and decision making.

The strongest candidates will also demonstrate the following experience, skills and competencies:

• • Familiarity with or interest in environmental issues and conservation.

  • Experience managing challenging group dynamics in ways that build credibility, trust, collaboration, respect for individual differences, and fair outcomes across all levels of an organization.

  • An understanding and commitment to the Sierra Club’s core values of Anti-racism, Balance, Collaboration, Justice and Transformation.