Paralegal for the Legal Department / Executive Assistant to the General Counsel

JDC, a global humanitarian organization, has an exciting opportunity for a professional with diverse experience across paralegal or legal assistance, executive assistance, and project management/coordination. We’re seeking a Paralegal to the Legal Department / Executive Assistant to the General Counsel to assist in advancing the goals of the Legal department, with about 75% of time spent on paralegal work and 25% on executive assistance. This role will ensure that projects move forward smoothly, serve as a liaison between departments, reinforce legal procedures, provide other legal assistance, and provide day-to-day administrative assistance for the General Counsel and Legal team. This role is part of a small team within a large nonprofit that has over 100 years of experience doing meaningful work around the world.

Thinking about applying?

Frequently cited statistics show that certain applicants may hesitate to apply for positions due to a false perception that they must meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to apply if you meet a majority of the requirements. We look forward to your application.

What will you do as a Paralegal / Executive Assistant?

Project Coordination

• Assist with overseeing projects and tasks for the Legal department, including identifying action items, task management, and follow-up
• Manage coordination between the Legal department and other departments by scheduling regular meetings, coordinating agendas, taking notes and overseeing follow-up
• Coordinate electronic signatures for contracts and physical signature and notarization, where required

Legal Assistance

• Manage legal templates to ensure they are up to date and properly filled out
• Guide and educate other departments in contracting procedures
• Research local and international regulations and laws with regard to corporate governance and document authentication
• Travel within New York City to have documents certified, authenticated, and apostilled
• Assist with corporate governance, including preparation of corporate resolutions and meeting minutes
• Own the organization of Legal department information, including managing the department’s shared drives and updating information repositories

Administration

• Provide day-to-day assistance to the General Counsel and Legal department
• Coordinate the vendor procurement process
• Liaise with Finance; submit invoices for payment, track and report expenditures, maintain petty cash
• Manage, organize, and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing systems
• Assist with drafting, proofreading, editing, and sending legal documents (e.g. resolutions, powers of attorney), emails, letters and other communications to Board members and staff
• Schedule meetings for the Legal Department
• Manage calendars and book travel for the General Counsel

Equal Employment Opportunity

JDC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As the world’s leading global Jewish humanitarian organization, we are committed to treating people with compassion and respect. All qualified applications will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, reproductive health decision-making, marital status, height, weight, disability, mental disorder, familial status, veteran status, genetic information, AIDS/HIV-positive status, victim of domestic violence, sex offenses or stalking, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

What qualifications are required to be our Paralegal / Executive Assistant?

• Prior experience as a legal assistant/secretary/paralegal, administrative or executive assistant, or equivalent
• Experience with legal procedural research
• Outstanding detail-orientation and organizational skills
• Ability to work on one’s own, manage large workloads, and meet deadlines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to proactively anticipate and resolve problems
• Excellent follow-through and responsiveness, comfortable interacting with colleagues at all levels to ensure tasks are accomplished
• Interest in, and ability to learn, new skills and concepts, particularly in the legal and administrative fields
• Teamwork and customer-service skills/mindset

Additional Preferred Skills and Competencies:

• Bachelor’s/Associate’s degree in paralegal studies or a paralegal certificate
• Experience with legal operations systems
• Knowledge of, and experience with, having documents certified, authenticated, and apostilled
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams), Zoom, Monday.com and DocuSign, or comparable applications
• Passion for humanitarian work and/or global Jewish service
• Proficiency in Russian, Hungarian and/or Hebrew language

Additional Details

• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Hours: 35 hours/week, 8:45 AM – 4:45PM with a 1-hour lunch break
• Location: Hybrid from New York, NY in office Tuesdays and Thursdays and as needed
• Reports to: General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
• Job Function/Department: Legal

What are the compensation and benefits for the Paralegal / Executive Assistant?

This is a full-time position paid semi-monthly at a salary of $75,000-$85,000 per year; in determining where a candidate falls in that range JDC considers several factors, including skills and experience, internal equity, and cost of living in location of work. This role is non-exempt per the FLSA.

We offer an excellent benefits package, including but not limited to:

• 100% paid medical and dental insurance for employee coverage
• Paid time off, including 15 vacation days, 15 sick days, 3 personal days, 10 national holidays, and up to 14 Jewish holidays depending on the Jewish calendar for any given year
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave for full-time staff who have worked with JDC for at least 1 year
• 403(b) with JDC contributions of 6.5% of salary
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), commuter benefits, and life insurance
• Learning & Development: Ongoing opportunities for professional development through workshops and trainings with our internal L&D program
• Food Perks: Bagel Thursdays and beverages/snacks in the office for on-site and hybrid employees

Why work at JDC?

• The People – What we hear most from our team members is that they enjoy working with others who share their passion for doing good; Our staff aim to use their skills to make a positive difference in the lives of others
• A Global Environment – you will have the opportunity to develop a global perspective, working with staff from the U.S., Israel, the Former Soviet Union, and all over the world
• Tikkun Olam – This Jewish value of “repairing the world” is deeply important to us. Collectively we are dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of other