Corporate Counsel

Job Title: Corporate Counsel

Department: Legal

Location: Hybrid based in Washington, DC, or Durham, NC; or Remote based in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina or Virginia

Who We Are

Today’s societal challenges are more complex, interconnected, and urgent than ever. Sunflower Services is comprised of over 240 professionals with deep expertise in the philanthropic sector. We provide support services to fiscal sponsors and intermediaries—and their hundreds of mission-driven projects—that are creating meaningful change. We welcome job-seekers who are motivated by results and driven by impact. For a list of current job openings at Sunflower, please visit our LinkedIn page.

Sunflower Services is an independent, nonprofit-owned Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to providing operational excellence to nonprofit and social impact organizations. Sunflower delivers integrated solutions in finance, HR, grants management, compliance, and other administrative areas, helping mission-driven organizations and changemakers focus on what matters most: their impact.

Position Overview

Sunflower Services seeks an organized, detail-oriented and highly motivated attorney to work in the General Counsel’s office. The General Counsel’s Office is responsible for providing timely, coordinated, and thoughtful legal advice to internal clients on a wide variety of regulatory, compliance, and risk-management matters, tailored to Sunflower Service’s business needs. The General Counsel’s office also provides legal support to a variety of client nonprofit organizations.

This position provides substantive advice to Sunflower Service’s staff on legal matters related to corporate and compliance areas, including contracts, employment, insurance, intellectual property, and data privacy. The successful candidate will be able to navigate a broad array of stakeholders in a corporate environment that serves nonprofit and philanthropic clients, and will provide practical legal information and guidance in a fast-paced setting.

What You’ll Do

Contracts and Corporate Support

• Serve as the primary lawyer on a broad range of contracting matters, working in coordination with the legal and compliance teams. This work will involve leading the evaluation, drafting, and negotiating process for a broad range of agreements, including independent contractor agreements, vendor contracts, technology, employment and non-disclosure agreements.
• Advise clients on a variety of transactional and operational corporate matters, including intellectual property, data privacy, AI, and employment law.
• Liaise with outside counsel as necessary on specific projects and to develop additional in-house expertise.
• Develop and conduct training for nonprofit staff and Sunflower Services operations staff on legal rules and compliance procedures.

Compliance

• Work with the legal and compliance teams to identify legal risks and ensure corporate compliance with state and federal laws and regulations and legal policies.
• Work with the legal and compliance teams to streamline, develop, and manage corporate policies, systems, operations, and processes.
• Support on an as-needed basis on federal and state laws related to tax-exempt organizations, especially as they may relate to contracting.
• Provide general support to the legal and compliance teams to resolve routine legal or regulatory-related issues or questions.
• Conduct research and perform other duties as assigned.

Project Leadership and Service

• Provide excellent service, including being able to address complex service matters, implement and communicate service changes to everyone involved, and to coach teammates on how to apply the firm’s service standards
• Manage large-scale and cross-firm projects, including delegating and managing all resources, identifying and implementing improved processes, monitoring consistency across project teams, and providing direction and support to teammates.
• Facilitate and negotiate among stakeholders with conflicting needs and to generate consensus among decision makers.
• Effectively communicate difficult messages. Adapt style, tone, and content to meet various needs, and coach teammates on crafting content.
• Work cooperatively and inclusively with others to achieve shared goals, including encouraging and facilitating effective compromise, drawing on the capabilities of all team members, and leading team-level knowledge sharing.

Employment Law

• Work closely with the People team to provide legal support on the full range of employment matters.
• Provide practical legal guidance on federal, state, and local employment laws, including wage and hour compliance, worker classification, work visas, etc.
• Prepare and negotiate confidentiality agreements, separation agreements, and other employment-related contracts.
• Develop and update internal HR policies, handbooks, and procedures to align with legal requirements and best practices.
• Support the People team and management in investigating employee complaints, disciplinary issues, and grievances.
• Manage employment-related litigation as requested by the General Counsel.
• Provide training on employment law issues as needed.
• Assist with employment-related audits and reporting.
• Advise on hiring, acquisitions, downsizing, and reorganizations, including employee communications.

What You’ll Bring

• License to practice law in a jurisdiction with a Sunflower Services office.
• J.D. and at least five years of experience in a legal or related role.
• Experience with negotiation, drafting, analyzing, and advising on contracts.
• Experience with employment law, preferably from an in-house role.
• Knowledge of privacy, general corporate, or intellectual property law is a plus.
• Experience in 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit law is preferred.
• Experience working in-house at a nonprofit or with a corporate compliance department is a plus.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work on broad topics and balance multiple projects at once.
• Ability to establish and manage effective relationships with legal and compliance colleagues as well as diverse stakeholders across the firm.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and a strong client service orientation.
• Ability to work independently and proactively identify and prioritize needs.
• The ability to use available resources and feedback to continually develop mastery in your role and facilitate team and project-level learning, including coaching others.
• The ability to solve complex challenges by identifying innovative solutions and facilitating coordination with others.
• The ability to elevate the voices of marginalized colleagues and mitigate power dynamics with employees with less formal authority.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $160,000 - $180,000. Our salary ranges are based on national compensation benchmarks of similar sized companies in professional services. This position is eligible for an annual bonus at 10% of the annual salary.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus a flexible spending account and health savings account, in addition to a 401k with a company match, and commuter benefits.

We give generous paid time off, with 16 days of vacation time, 10 days of personal time, 20 hours of volunteer time, 11 company holidays, and 4 optional holidays.

We support work-life balance with parental leave, UrbanSitter membership, Employee Resource Groups, and fitness and telecommunications reimbursements.

We value growth and development with options for education reimbursement and professional development.

We also offer disability, life insurance, additional voluntary insurances, and access to Teladoc and Health Advocate.

Work at Sunflower Services

Submit a resume and cover letter. The application deadline for this position is March 18, 2026. The deadline to apply may be extended depending on business needs.

Location Requirements

This is a full-time position. The position can operate on a hybrid schedule, based in our Washington, DC, or Durham, NC offices, or it can be fully remote from the following locations: Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, or Virginia.

If a new hire is within proximity of our Washington, DC or Durham, NC offices, the expectation during onboarding (~90 days) is that you come into the office a minimum of 3 days per week. After this onboarding period, employees can then come into the office on a more flexible schedule with the remaining days worked at home/remotely.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 10 pounds at a time

We will make reasonable accommodations under the guidelines of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Sunflower Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer without regard to race, gender, disability status, veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Visit our web page to learn more about Sunflower Services and watch this video.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus a flexible spending account and health savings account, in addition to a 401k with a company match, and commuter benefits.

We give generous paid time off, with 16 days of vacation time, 10 days of personal time, 20 hours of volunteer time, 11 company holidays, and 4 optional holidays.

We support work-life balance with parental leave, UrbanSitter membership, Employee Resource Groups, and fitness and telecommunications reimbursements.

We value growth and development with options for education reimbursement and professional development.

We also offer disability, life insurance, additional voluntary insurances, and access to Teladoc and Health Advocate.