Staff Counsel, Legal - Washington, D.C. (hybrid); Durham, NC (hybrid), or remote considered in the US

New Venture Fund 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. The General Counsel’s office also works closely with Sunflower Services, a public benefit corporation owned by three charitable organizations, including New Venture Fund, that provides back-office services to mission-driven clients.

This position provides substantive advice to fiscally sponsored project staff and to fund leadership on legal and compliance matters related to exempt organizations, including state and federal tax exemption, nonprofit governance, registration, disclosure, and compliance requirements, and contracting considerations, as well as general legal support. The successful candidate will be able to navigate a broad array of stakeholders and will provide practical legal information and guidance in a fast-paced setting.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide advice on a broad range of matters related to nonprofit and exempt organizations, working in coordination with the legal team, external counsel, and non-legal staff and partners. This work will involve issues related to fiscal sponsorship, including federal tax law and other federal, state, local, and international laws that regulate the activities of nonprofit corporations.
• Serve as a technical resource on nonprofit legal and compliance issues for all levels of non-legal staff.
• Work with the legal and compliance teams to identify legal risks and ensure corporate compliance with state and federal laws, including charitable solicitation registration, state tax exemptions, and registration of commercial co-venture agreements.
• Work with the legal and compliance teams to streamline, develop, and manage tax and compliance-related policies, systems, operations, and processes.
• Liaise with outside counsel as necessary on specific projects and to develop additional in-house expertise.
• Develop and conduct training for non-legal staff on legal rules and compliance procedures.
• Support on an as-needed basis on corporate, employment, and transactional matters, especially as they may relate to exempt organization law.
• 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.

To Be Successful in This Role, You’ll Need

• Current bar admission in good standing.
• J.D. and at least five years of experience in a legal role.
• Broad knowledge of exempt organization tax law, including 501(c)(3) public charities and foundations, as well as state laws regulating nonprofits.
• Experience working in-house at a nonprofit organization or directly advising nonprofit organizations.
• Experience in general corporate law, employment law, non-501(c)(3) organizations (e.g., 501(c)(4)s, for profits), and/or lobbying and advocacy rules 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 other diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and a strong client service orientation.
• Ability to work independently and proactively identify and prioritize needs.

Hiring Statement

New Venture Fund (NVF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. NVF is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. NVF’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

E-Verify

NVF participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the United States. Job candidates and employees authorized to work may not be discriminated against on the basis of national origin or citizenship status.

This is a full-time, Exempt position in either Durham, NC, Washington, DC, or fully remote. This position reports to the General Counsel. We offer a competitive and holistic total rewards package that includes salary and benefits. The starting salary for this position is $160,000-180,000.

Comprehensive benefits package that includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees (and their families). Employees are able to enroll in 401K retirement plan and are eligible for a 3% automatic contribution and up to a 3% employer match on 401K contributions. Employees are also eligible for pre-tax transportation benefits. Employers will receive 160 hours of paid vacation time, 80 hours of health leave, up to 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave annually. Employees will also receive 13 paid holidays throughout the calendar year. Employees are eligible for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and a strong client service orientation.