The Associate General Counsel (AGC) will independently manage the California/Hawaii, Western and Canada Legal Teams and ensure delivery of high quality, customer-focused legal services to assigned Conservancy business units.  The AGC serves as a member of the Legal Leadership Team to assist the General Counsel in managing the Global Legal Function. This position reports to the General Counsel.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The AGC has overall management responsibility for a specialized, expert legal team and is responsible for ensuring delivery of high quality, customer-focused legal services to business units in the Conservancy’s California/Hawaii, Western and Canada Divisions in a manner that (i) proactively manages important risks while enabling nimble action, and (ii) assists The Nature Conservancy in achieving its organizational goals.  The AGC ensures that the assigned legal team (i) appropriately manages important risks while enabling nimble action, and (ii) assists the Conservancy in achieving its organizational goals.  

As a member of the Legal Leadership Team the AGC will:

• Ensure that Legal staff are fully engaged, motivated and have the requisite training, tools, and demonstrated skills to meet the needs of the organization.
• Identifies, develops, and implements standards and best-practices to effectively marshal The Nature Conservancy’s legal talent to achieve organization-wide results on a global basis.
• Implements consistent, organization-wide practices that minimize legal risks having organizational impact.
• Actively promotes and helps to implement TNC’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities work.
• Establishes and maintains optimal standards of performance for the department while controlling costs.
• Provides guidance to attorneys throughout the Conservancy on complex legal matters and Global Legal Function.

The AGC clearly articulates complex legal concepts and options to high-level managers and the Board of Directors. Facilitates strategic dialogues with clients and senior-level stakeholders, probing to identify key issues and requirements, negotiating and developing solutions, and synthesizing a plan of action tailored to audience. Serves as a key advisor to the General Counsel regarding risks related to assigned areas of responsibility and areas of expertise.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

•  Juris Doctorate or equivalent and license to practice law in at least one jurisdiction.
• 10 years of relevant legal experience.
• Experience managing and/or supervising attorneys and other legal staff or significant experience managing outside counsel OR coordinating the work of other professionals.
• Experience negotiating complex, high profile or sensitive transactions and agreements.
• Experience developing, implementing and managing diverse projects and implementing strategic program goals.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience motivating and coaching others and building effective collaborative relationships.
• Strong critical thinking and flexible thinking skills.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural experience appreciated.
• In-house experience and/or law firm experience advising sophisticated clients and senior management.