Senior Counsel

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors•New York, NY

About The Position

Role Overview The Senior Director, Associate General Counsel, serves as a senior legal advisor supporting the Chief Legal & Compliance Officer (CLCO) in delivering high-quality legal guidance across the organization. This role is responsible for overseeing day-to-day core legal functions, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations, supporting management of organizational risk, and supporting governance and operational decision-making. This role provides expert counsel on a range of complex legal matters impacting nonprofit operations, employment, intellectual property, data privacy, and regulatory compliance. They also play a critical role in stewarding governance practices for RPA and affiliated entities, strengthening Board operations, and ensuring adherence to evolving best practices and legal standards. Role Accountabilities Legal Strategy and Advisory Implementation Provide forward thinking, mission aligned legal guidance that supports organizational goals and ensures compliance across diverse programmatic and operational areas. Serve as a legal advisor to RPA staff and sponsored projects, offering counsel on nonprofit tax laws, employment issues, intellectual property matters, and data privacy requirements. Monitor emerging legal and regulatory developments, assess organizational impact, and proactively advise leaders. Develop and deliver accessible training, tools, and resources to support sound decision making and compliance across teams. Conduct legal research and communicate insights in a way that supports timely, informed organizational action. Risk Management and Compliance Protect RPA’s assets, reputation, and long-term sustainability through rigorous risk assessment and compliance practices. Identify and analyze risks and recommend mitigation strategies tailored to the nonprofit and fiscal sponsorship landscape. Draft, update, and review organizational policies to ensure alignment with current laws, regulations, and sector-leading practices. Conduct compliance reviews and provide guidance on emerging or complex areas of law impacting RPA and its portfolio of projects. Contract Management Ensure that all agreements safeguard organizational interests, reduce risk, and support efficient, mission-aligned operations. Lead the review, drafting, and negotiation of a broad and complex portfolio of agreements, including service agreements, grant agreements, vendor contracts, and MOUs, ensuring strategic alignment and effective risk allocation. Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to internal stakeholders providing risk-based, solutions-oriented counsel on contract terms, obligations, and risks to support informed decision making. Oversee and continuously enhance RPA’s contract governance framework, including templates, policies, processes, and standards, to ensure legal integrity, operational efficiency, and enterprise-wide consistency. Lead complex, higher-risk, and non-standard contractual matters, including escalated agreements, novel arrangements, and the development of new templates and structures. Stakeholder Engagement Build and maintain high-trust, strategically valuable relationships with internal colleagues, external counsel, and sector peers. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment between legal guidance, organizational mission, and operational priorities. Manage relationships with external legal advisors, ensuring coordinated, cost-effective support on specialized matters such as employment, intellectual property, and data protection. Engage with legal associations, professional networks, and regulatory forums to stay current on sector trends and emerging risks. Corporate Governance Support Strengthen governance structures and processes to promote effective oversight, compliance, and Board operations. Support governance for RPA and affiliated entities, ensuring adherence to legal requirements and best practices. Draft resolutions, policies, and governance documents to support Board decision making and organizational accountability. Advise on governance questions and support Board meetings, committee operations, and documentation protocols as needed. Complexity and Problem-solving Navigates and leads resolution of complex or novel legal issues. Synthesizes multifaceted legal, operational, and strategic considerations to advise senior leadership and shape organizational decision making. Evaluates risks across the entire enterprise and develops proactive mitigation strategies that balance legal requirements with mission-driven priorities. Handles highly sensitive matters that require deep judgment, discretion, and balancing of competing stakeholder interests. Anticipates legal and regulatory shifts, interprets their implications for RPA and its sponsored projects, and designs strategic responses. Creates legal frameworks, policies, and operational systems, ensuring both compliance and usability. All facets of this position are self-directed within the policies and procedures approved by the C-Suite Supervisory Responsibility Works collaboratively to deploy staffing assignments and configure engagement teams based on a wide range of internal and external factors. Provides direct oversight and managerial support to direct reports as well as indirect reports within Legal and Compliance.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
Active membership in good standing with a U.S. state bar.
12 or more years to include 8 years of relevant legal experience, including experience in the philanthropic or related field and ideally in-house.
Must be willing to commute to RPA’s NYC and or San Francisco office(s) as needed, at least quarterly.
Must be willing to travel for business as needed.
The incumbent in the role must demonstrate a commitment to RPA’s Mission and Values

Nice To Haves

Additional certifications in nonprofit law, privacy (e.g., CIPP), or employment law are a plus.
International experience desirable.

Responsibilities

Provide forward thinking, mission aligned legal guidance that supports organizational goals and ensures compliance across diverse programmatic and operational areas.
Serve as a legal advisor to RPA staff and sponsored projects, offering counsel on nonprofit tax laws, employment issues, intellectual property matters, and data privacy requirements.
Monitor emerging legal and regulatory developments, assess organizational impact, and proactively advise leaders.
Develop and deliver accessible training, tools, and resources to support sound decision making and compliance across teams.
Conduct legal research and communicate insights in a way that supports timely, informed organizational action.
Protect RPA’s assets, reputation, and long-term sustainability through rigorous risk assessment and compliance practices.
Identify and analyze risks and recommend mitigation strategies tailored to the nonprofit and fiscal sponsorship landscape.
Draft, update, and review organizational policies to ensure alignment with current laws, regulations, and sector-leading practices.
Conduct compliance reviews and provide guidance on emerging or complex areas of law impacting RPA and its portfolio of projects.
Ensure that all agreements safeguard organizational interests, reduce risk, and support efficient, mission-aligned operations.
Lead the review, drafting, and negotiation of a broad and complex portfolio of agreements, including service agreements, grant agreements, vendor contracts, and MOUs, ensuring strategic alignment and effective risk allocation.
Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to internal stakeholders providing risk-based, solutions-oriented counsel on contract terms, obligations, and risks to support informed decision making.
Oversee and continuously enhance RPA’s contract governance framework, including templates, policies, processes, and standards, to ensure legal integrity, operational efficiency, and enterprise-wide consistency.
Lead complex, higher-risk, and non-standard contractual matters, including escalated agreements, novel arrangements, and the development of new templates and structures.
Build and maintain high-trust, strategically valuable relationships with internal colleagues, external counsel, and sector peers.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment between legal guidance, organizational mission, and operational priorities.
Manage relationships with external legal advisors, ensuring coordinated, cost-effective support on specialized matters such as employment, intellectual property, and data protection.
Engage with legal associations, professional networks, and regulatory forums to stay current on sector trends and emerging risks.
Strengthen governance structures and processes to promote effective oversight, compliance, and Board operations.
Support governance for RPA and affiliated entities, ensuring adherence to legal requirements and best practices.
Draft resolutions, policies, and governance documents to support Board decision making and organizational accountability.
Advise on governance questions and support Board meetings, committee operations, and documentation protocols as needed.
Navigates and leads resolution of complex or novel legal issues.
Synthesizes multifaceted legal, operational, and strategic considerations to advise senior leadership and shape organizational decision making.
Evaluates risks across the entire enterprise and develops proactive mitigation strategies that balance legal requirements with mission-driven priorities.
Handles highly sensitive matters that require deep judgment, discretion, and balancing of competing stakeholder interests.
Anticipates legal and regulatory shifts, interprets their implications for RPA and its sponsored projects, and designs strategic responses.
Creates legal frameworks, policies, and operational systems, ensuring both compliance and usability.
Works collaboratively to deploy staffing assignments and configure engagement teams based on a wide range of internal and external factors.
Provides direct oversight and managerial support to direct reports as well as indirect reports within Legal and Compliance.

Benefits

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including health coverage, retirement benefits, paid sick leave, vacation and holidays, tuition reimbursement and access to professional development resources.

Stand Out From the Crowd

Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.

Upload and Match Resume