NAELA's CareerCenter

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The Future Now umbrella includes The States Project (TSP) and The Lawmaker Network (TLN). Its initiatives focus on improving Americans’ lives by winning state legislative majorities and working with them to achieve goals for the common good.

 

Future Now offers a fast-paced environment focused on using the best available tools and resources to build state legislative power to improve Americans’ lives. We encourage you to find out more about the organizations’ values here.

 

Future Now seeks a Deputy Director of Legal to help manage legal operations and serve as an in-house counsel to a fast-growing team doing cutting-edge electoral and policy work impacting state legislatures.

 

Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer & Counsel, and working collaboratively with leaders across political, lawmaker services, communications, fundraising and operational teams, the Deputy Director of Legal will help ensure program and internal operations are legally compliant, including consideration of nonprofit tax, campaign finance, ethics, lobbying, employment and other relevant laws. The Deputy Director will develop and oversee codified legal guidance materials and trainings; and provide legal input and review including on program, communications, and fundraising materials, contracts, operational and employee policies, escalating items to Counsel and obtaining outside legal guidance as needed.

 

We value diversity, equity, and inclusion at Future Now. Women, people of color, trans/genderqueer, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are especially encouraged to apply. 

Responsibilities

• • Codify and maintain legal guidance for teams 
    • Working closely with Counsel and team leaders, generate user-friendly, actionable materials codifying legal rules to provide non-legal staff with guidelines and answers to commonly asked questions in areas including campaign finance, nonprofit tax, ethics, and lobbying 
    • Assist in developing and delivering trainings for teams on legal topics
    • Develop and execute process to expand guidance materials on an ongoing basis to cover new legal questions that arise as Future Now’s work expands, and ensure guidance reaches those executing the work

• • Assist with day-to-today management and resolution of legal questions
    • Using existing legal guidance from Counsel and outside counsel, answer legal questions from teams
    • Provide legal input to programmatic materials and proposals such as campaign spending plans, and fundraising, communications and other program materials to ensure such materials align with Future Now’s policies and legal positions
    • Raise new, novel legal and/or compliance questions to Counsel and collaborate to resolve using outside counsel as needed

• • Collaborate on internal policies and procedures to maintain legal compliance
    • Work with Counsel and team members responsible for internal policies to contribute legal input and perspective to ensure internal policies and practices comply with all relevant laws
    • Assist in annual and periodic updates to employee handbook and other internal policies to ensure legal compliance
    • Keep up-to-date on best practices for legal operations at comparable organizations and provide input and recommendations for consideration

• • Team participation 
    • Stay up-to-speed on best practices for in-house legal operations and make recommendations for improvement
    • Contribute to planning and execution of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) as appropriate
    • Participate in ensuring that legal team’s activities meet OKRs in equitable, inclusive, and values-aligned ways
    • Interface with other teams as appropriate (via surveys, meetings, etc), to ensure legal work is meeting teams’ needs to achieve the 2030 vision
    • Stay up to speed on and implement team participation and collaboration best practices, attend internal and external trainings and contribute to internal conversations about team systems, processes, and norms as appropriate
    • Participate in DEIB planning and programming
    • Serve on various internal committees as requested (e.g. CareComm, DEIB Committee,
    • training/professional development committee, etc.)

 

Qualifications

• Self-starter with a drive to make things happen
• Highly collaborative approach
• Capable of independently managing time and tasks associated with a fast-paced organization
• Demonstrated ability to make legal guidance understandable to non-lawyers
• Innovative thinker, with a track record for translating strategic thinking into action plans and output
• Proven ability to listen deeply to what people are saying (while understanding what they aren’t) to identify and resolve challenges 
• Proven track record of project management and research excellence and high standards for success
• Demonstrated good judgment and creative problem solving skills
• Current bar admission(s) in good standing
• Due to requirements in states where we regularly convene, Future Now requires all employees attending in-person meetings or events to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination. Reasonable accommodations may be granted in accordance with relevant federal and state regulations.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience or knowledge of nonprofit tax, campaign finance, ethics, lobbying, or employment law
• Experience or knowledge of in-house legal operations and/or small or mid-size start-up or nonprofit operations
• Experience or knowledge of U.S. state legislatures or state policy
• Experience or knowledge on the intersection of policy and politics, and the role of elected officials in setting policy

This is a full-time, exempt position; remote candidates will be considered and are encouraged to apply. Limited travel may be required.

 

Future Now currently offers a competitive benefits package, including an unlimited paid time off policy, 75% paid coverage of medical, dental, and vision for individuals and families, access to a 401(k) plan, annual professional development and work from home reimbursement policies, and 12 weeks of paid family leave. The salary for this position is $100,000 per year.