Director of Legal Affairs

WASHINGTON STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION

Position Title: Director of Legal Affairs

Reports to: Executive Director

Non-Bargaining Unit: Exempt

About WSNA: Washington State Nurses Association is the leading voice and advocate for nurses in Washington. As a professional association and union, we represent more than 21,000 bargaining unit members for collective bargaining and the professional interests of more than 103,000 registered nurses. For more than 100 years, WSNA has championed issues that support nurses, advance professional standards, and improve the health of individuals, families, communities, and populations in Washington state.

About the position: The Director of Legal Affairs collaborates closely with the Executive Director and the executive leadership team to provide strategic legal advice and guidance, ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This position is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive legal strategy, ensuring all legal and contractual obligations align with WSNAs' mission and operational goals. This position will be the principal liaison between WSNA and outside legal counsel, managing relationships and overseeing external legal work.

Pay Range and Benefits Description:

The salary range for this position is $190,000 - $230,000. New hires generally start at $190,000, and placement within the range is based on qualifications and professional experience.

WSNA provides a generous benefits package that includes employer-paid individual health, dental, vision, and life insurance, fifteen paid holidays, twelve personal days per year, twenty-two vacation days per year, one day of sick leave per month, and participation in a 401(k) plan with employer contribution.

The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and staff without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. WSNA believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates are critical to our success in serving our membership, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.

Closing Date: This position will remain open until filled.

To Apply: Interested applicants should use the link in this announcement to submit a letter of interest, résumé, and contact information for three professional references.

Duties and Responsibilities Common to All Positions:

• Supports WSNA Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Goals.
• Works with others, role modeling collaboration, communication, and teamwork.
• Strives for excellence in work performance.
• Remains current in the field of expertise.
• Performs other duties as assigned to meet association needs, including participation in staff teams and committees.
• Acquires and maintains knowledge of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, and has the ability to learn union-specific computer systems within the first six months of employment.

Duties and Responsibilities Common to all Executive Team Members

Human Resources

• Collaborate with the Executive Director to recruit, interview, and select employees.
• Collaborate with assigned employees in setting annual performance expectations, coaching, and evaluating performance.
• Plan and implement departmental employee orientation and job training.
• Assist in the identification of formal training and development opportunities for departmental employees.
• Contribute to decisions related to compensation and staffing at the request of the Executive Director.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director on human resource policy and practice decisions for WSNA.
• Determine if departmental overtime or additional staffing is necessary.
• Recommend departmental employee termination or reassignment to the Executive Director.

Operations

• Collaborate with staff to identify opportunities for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of WSNA programs and operations.
• Prepare an annual budget for the legal department.
• Monitor legal department expenditures and adjust in collaboration with the Executive Director.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Director of Legal Affairs

• Provide consultation to the Executive Director related to internal governance and compliance with applicable federal and state laws and rules.
• Supervise attorney and non-attorney staff within the legal department.
• Serve as lead counsel in legal proceedings, including arbitrations, administrative hearings, labor board proceedings, and other litigation matters as well as managing all aspects of litigation, either directly or through delegation and supervision of department attorneys or outside counsel, including case evaluations, witness preparation, document review, oral arguments, brief drafting, and legal research.
• Coordinate WSNAs' legal defense against charges, lawsuits, and enforcement actions brought against the organization.
• Serve as liaison to external counsel, managing relationships and ensuring effective legal representation.
• Establish and lead the implementation of statewide strategic collective bargaining priorities, in collaboration with in-house attorneys, negotiators, and WSNA labor program directors.
• Advise and provide legal support to the Labor and Organizing Directors on matters related to collective bargaining, union representation, and organizing.
• Assist in developing and conducting staff and member training in areas of collective bargaining, contract enforcement, union governance, and other related labor-focused training.
• Identify and develop model contract language for collective bargaining and advise on bargaining strategy to implement.
• Provide negotiating and contract administration services to bargaining units as assigned.
• Provide legal consultation to the executive staff team in support of work in WSNA departments.
• Ensure legal review and contribute to drafting legislative, regulatory, and practice-related proposals.
• Assist in developing, reviewing, and advising on organization policies and procedures.
• Review vendor contracts, insurance policies, property and equipment leases, etc.
• Advise on human resources decisions regarding staff and labor relations with the staff union.
• Serve on the WSNA negotiating team with staff union negotiations.
• Support organizational and leadership development and long-term planning.
• Participates in meetings of the WSNA Board of Directors, Labor Executive Council, and other organizational units as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Education/Experience

• Juris Doctorate and Washington State Bar Association membership are required.
• At least ten (10) years of experience in practicing law is required.
• At least five (5) years’ experience representing a health care union or other private sector unions, including collective bargaining, arbitrations, and practice before the NLRB.
• At least three (3) years’ experience managing/supervising internal attorneys, outside counsel, and paralegals
• Demonstrated ability in strategic thinking, planning, and participation in teams required.

Essential Skills/Competencies

• Excellent writing skills required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively.
• Demonstrated knowledge of labor law, particularly in areas related to collective bargaining, organizing, and union governance, with the ability to interpret relevant statutes, legal decisions, and regulatory guidelines.
• Strong personal planning and time management skills, ability to develop and carry out work plans with minimal supervision, and ability to work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Physical requirements

This job requires:

• Travel within Washington State; some travel out-of-state for national meetings and conferences.
• A valid driver’s license in the state of residence and access to an operational and currently insured motor vehicle.