Goodwill Industries of SE WIS
Associate Counsel I (Finance)
RESPONSIBILITY LEVEL:
Associate Counsel I works under the supervision of the Deputy General Counsel and Director of Legal Operations to support the legal and compliance activities of the corporation and advise management on the legality of contemplated actions. This position will assist in preparation and execution of contracts, ensure legal compliance, and set official contract strategies. All contracts will be aligned with larger organization goals while mitigating risk whenever possible in contractual relationships. This role will work closely with and support multiple members of the legal team.
Implements strategies to achieve the goals for the organization and Legal/Compliance functions. Implements, revises, and sustains policies, procedures and programs. Typically works on projects and initiatives that span 3 12 months.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES:
1. Draft, review and negotiate contracts, requests for proposals and other legal documents.
2. Assist in real estate transactions by reviewing and negotiating leases, purchase agreements, SNDA s and REOA s.
3. Prepare, review, and advise on legal instruments and documents such as contracts, licenses, requests for proposals, purchasing agreements, and NDA s.
4. Support Procurement, Real Estate & Facilities, and other departments on vendor selection, contract reviews and negotiations, including identifying and analyzing potential business risks and recommending risk mitigation strategies. Proactively support leaders on contract renewals prior to contract expiration.
5. Manage all facets of the contract creation, review, and negotiation process, heavily focused on technology contracts.
6. Advise and train internal departments on contractual issues.
7. Identify and assess legal risks arising from proposed contractual requirements.
8. Advise on sweepstakes and contest matters.
9. Provide support for general legal issues such as drafting and reviewing internal policies and procedures, vendor problems, miscellaneous civil litigation, Goodwill initiatives/projects, legal research and analysis, and regulatory matters.
10. Ability to self-manage and work independently to assess and resolve complex legal issues
11. Partner as a strategic advisor to business unit and functional leaders on a wide variety of issues. Have strong business acumen to understand the company, its business units, and basic business concepts.
12. Evaluate existing corporate policies and procedures to mitigate risk by formulating new ones or revising existing ones.
13. Research and analyze legal issues. Keep informed of industry-specific regulations affecting business units.
14. Provide sound legal and practical advice to business unit leaders on regulatory, safety, compliance, insurance, and IP related matters.
15. Address legal matters arising out of the day-to-day functions of the company, requiring a thorough understanding of the company, its business units, and basic business concepts.
16. Project and Change Management: Effectively plans and manages own work to reliably complete routine job responsibilities and special assignments. May serve as a team member or subject matter expert on formal projects or within the department. Effectively engages in change affecting her/him, communicating appropriately with supervisor. Follows through on learning, skill building, and practice necessary to adapt to change.
17. Problem Solving: Light supervision; works independently. Periodic review of work by manager or senior coworker. Solves problems of moderate to advanced complexity; able to identify root cause, interpret data and resolve issues.
18. Technical Skill: Understands and applies professional principles and skills within area of specialization to modify processes to resolve situations.
19. Community Engagement: Champions Goodwill s community engagement initiatives and serves as an ambassador for Goodwill in the wider community.
20. Responsible for completing other duties/responsibilities as assigned.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Must have Juris Doctor degree and be in current good standing with a state bar association.
2. Minimum 0-2 years of legal or regulatory experience with direct client contact.
3. License to practice law in WI and/or IL.
CORE COMPETENCIES:
1. Customer Focus: Independently anticipate and meet customer needs, while searching for ways to improve customer service. Internalize customer feedback, and follow up with customer to ensure problems are solved by providing innovative ideas to meet their future needs.
2. Values Differences: Seeks out the diverse perspectives and talents of others, striving to work effectively with others who have different perspectives, backgrounds or styles. Behave with sensitivity towards differences in cultural norms, expectations, and ways of communicating. Challenge stereotyping or offensive comments.
3. Communicates Effectively: Shares information and updates with others, while ensuring a clear, concise and professional communication through reports, documentation, written and other communications. Listens with interest to what others have to say.
4. Situational Adaptability: Demonstrates flexibility of responses to different situations through adapting to the changing needs, conditions, priorities or opportunities. Monitors how well an approach is working to see if a change is needed, recognizing cues that suggest a change in approach or behavior is needed.
5. Drives Results: Demonstrates a strong drive to achieve meaningful results, through driving tasks to successful completion and closure. Sets high standards for own performance, showing determination in the face of obstacles and setbacks.
6. Ensures Accountability: Takes responsibility and ownership for successes and failures in own work. Monitors progress of performance and changes approach accordingly, following through on commitments.