Job Title: Director Legal Operations

Team: Finance Department

Location: In-Person in Newark (NJ)

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt 

Start Date: ASAP

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.  

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Director of Legal Operations who will support the execution of core Legal Team functions, with a primary focus on legal research, transactional matters including but not limited to contract and grants management, and assisting with Braven’s risk compliance efforts. As a member of the Legal team, the Director of Legal Operations will play a key role in contract and grants review, developing and facilitating staff training on various compliance areas, and performing critical research on legal issues impacting a scaling nonprofit, including but not limited to university partnerships, financial audits, employment issues, risk management, and compliance with federal, state, and local laws. The role will also support the General Counsel in managing Braven’s legal portfolio.

This role is on the Finance team and reports directly to the General Counsel.

What You’ll Do

Transactional Work (30%)

• Serve as the first point of contact for contract and grant review requests
• Prepare and provide guidance on organizational contracts, grant agreements, leases, and memoranda of understanding
• Own the contract management infrastructure, including systems, practices, clause libraries, periodic audits, and analytics, evolving practices to maximize organizational efficiency
• Support Braven’s New Sites and Current Sites teams during Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) negotiations and renewals as needed
• Mitigate organizational risk through implementing a strategy that strengthens contract terms, ensures organizational compliance, and supports Braven’s mission and strategic direction
• Develop and lead or co-facilitate staff trainings related to contract negotiation, Braven policies, and relevant developments
• Own the trademark application process

Legal Operations & Systems Management (25%)

• Maintain and provide updated agreement templates in accordance with shifting policies
• Manage and continuously improve Higher Education Partner MOU templates 
• Track baseline metrics for contract response times, rates, turnaround, and completion to evaluate efficiency and effectiveness
• Steward internal teams through the execution of contracts and agreements, ensuring signatories understand their obligations
• Own and ensure organizational compliance with the record retention policy, and schedule knowledge management processes
• Coordinate with and support the Finance team as needed regarding state registrations and corporate filings
• Serve as a thought partner to staff members navigating internal legal processes and requirements
• Partner with the Data and Systems teams to ensure data sharing agreements associated with partner MOU’s and vendor contracts are aligned with Braven's policies and values
• Partner with Data and Transformation teams related to Braven’s AI initiatives 
• Design and manage the Legal Team’s knowledge management page on Confluence 

Compliance (35%)

• Own the monitoring of legislative and regulatory changes in all Braven hubs; propose organizational policy changes as needed
• Research and provide updates to staff on matters pertaining to federal and state law compliance and university partnerships
• Support Braven’s Policy team with the review of current and proposed legislation impacting Braven and/or its higher education partners
• Direct and guide the work of ensuring lobbying activity is compliant across jurisdictions by reviewing required filings, monitoring federal and state developments, and coordinating with General Counsel and Policy team
• Support Braven’s People team by assisting with workplace investigations as needed
• Support Braven’s Finance team with issues related to procurement and financial audits
• Develop and facilitate risk management trainings 
• Monitor incident report submissions regarding students and coordinate organizational response as appropriate
• Lead document collection and production in response to external information requests
• Identify and mitigate risk in organizational operations/processes and independently escalate critical compliance issues as needed

General Support and Other Duties (10%)

• Serve as the subject matter expert on legal AI trends, tools, and opportunities, and co-lead the Legal Team's AI strategy
• Conduct research and analysis on various issues relevant to the higher education industry and nonprofit organizations
• Prepare and present slide decks as needed
• Draft, review, update, and interpret Braven policies and procedures
• Coordinate matters with outside counsel as needed
• Assist in shaping the Legal Department’s strategic priorities for future fiscal years
• Support the General Counsel with unplanned, time-sensitive requests arising from the dynamic nature of a growing organization, including drafting communications, preparing materials for urgent stakeholder engagements, and executing on organizational priorities as they emerge.
• Drive various projects that may involve other teams
• Be a strategic and innovative thinker who can offer a solutions and outcomes mindset to complex legal matters
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• 4 years of experience in a legal setting (can include experience after college prior to earning a JD and legal internships)
• Juris Doctor

Preferred Qualifications 

• Licensed to practice law in any of Braven’s hubs 
• Technical Skills and Knowledge: Proficiency in Google Suite and Slack
• Exemplify an ability to work both independently and collaboratively, efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Knowledge of issues impacting higher education and/or the nonprofit sectors 
• Ability to nurture collaborative approaches to problem solving
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and has prepared you to work with or for Braven’s students

• Excellent analytical, drafting, research, and oral and written communication skills
• Steady, unflappable demeanor 
  

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

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Newark (NJ) at least 3 days per week
• Travel at least 4-5 times per year 

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Compensation and Benefits

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.

New hires can expect a starting salary at the beginning of the range to allow room for growth with performance and so that Braven maintains internal equity. The salary range for this role in Newark is $101,200-$126,400. This is based on a 50-hour work week. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits-eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.  

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 holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• 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 for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe that our total rewards package matches what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply. 

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Newark. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

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.