The Organization
The Kresge Foundation is one of the top 20 private philanthropic foundations in the United States and the only one focused exclusively on expanding opportunities for people with low income in American cities. With a $4.2 billion endowment and a staff of over 100 employees, the foundation deploys grants and social investments across arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and community development. The foundation’s state-of-the-art headquarters maintains an array of energy-efficient, water-conserving and health-promoting systems. The foundation also operates an office in Detroit’s Midtown district.
About the position
Reporting to the General counsel, the Associate General Counsel supports the work of the Office of the General Counsel and will assist in advising on grantmaking, governance issues, tax, and investment and impact investing matters. This role is responsible for providing legal representation to the Foundation and for supporting staff by providing counsel on a variety of legal issues. The position includes ongoing work as well as short and long term projects such as policy review and development, Board presentations and materials, and research and analysis of tax and grantmaking issues.
Primary responsibilities
- Analyze legal issues that affect the Foundation and its activities at the local, state, federal and international levels and prepare written analysis with conclusions, recommendations, policy suggestions, and proposed implementation plans to meet the Foundation’s standards of integrity and effectiveness and goal of creating, reviewing and/or supporting policies and internal systems.
- Support all legal matters related to the Foundation’s impact investments (i.e., investments made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact).
- Advise management and staff on laws applicable to private foundations.
- Provide support to management and staff on grantmaking and other activities at federal, state, and international levels.
- Review complex grantmaking, contract, intellectual property and other issues; troubleshoot issues with staff and assist staff in finding and implementing proper solutions and monitor as needed.
- Assist in developing and delivering training on legal issues.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with outside counsel.
- Identify areas and processes for improvement, make recommendations, and implement and communicate changes.
- Represent the Foundation internally and in interactions with individuals and organizations external to the Foundation.
- Support the Foundation’s internal processes and system.
- Support and facilitate Foundation-wide projects and contribute to other teams.
- Support the General Counsel to make work more effective and efficient.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Qualifications
- Juris Doctorate from ABA accredited law school.
- Active admittance to practice law (any state, in good standing) with ability to obtain admittance in Michigan required.
- Minimum of eight years of related or corporate/business law experience required, with an emphasis on transactional experience.
- Experience advising tax-exempt entities, specifically private foundations, preferred.
- Experience with investment transactions preferred.
- Experience advising governing board and senior management of complex organizations.
- Prior employment at a law firm, in-house corporate experience, and/or work at a private foundation or large nonprofit is preferred with specific experience advising private foundation clients.
- Deep knowledge about how foundations operate and the legal requirements that private foundations must follow
- Excellent research, writing, communication and presentation skills.
- Strong analytical skills and ability to understand complex and nuanced legal concepts and analysis.
- Strong interpersonal skills, commitment to collaboration and teamwork with staff at all levels.
- Ability to listen effectively.
- Knowledge of program related investments and mission investments.
- High level of ethics and commitment to Kresge’s mission, vision and core values.
- Absolute integrity and discretion essential due to exposure to sensitive and confidential information.
- Good and tested judgment as reflected in a professional record of successfully and independently providing counsel to clients.
- Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to work through challenging complex situations; experience with resolving challenging problems.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to meet tight deadlines.
- Strong project management experience.
- Highly developed diplomatic skills and organizational savvy.
- Demonstrated skill with Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- This position is full-time. The starting salary for this position begins at $212,000.00 per year. Individual offers will be based on the candidate’s years of experience and our practice of upholding salary equity within the foundation.
How To Apply
The application deadline for this position is Midnight EST on June 8, 2023.
The Kresge Foundation COVID -19 Vaccination Policy requires all employees to be “up to date” on the COVID-19 vaccination. The Foundation defines “up to date” as having received two primary doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna vaccine or one primary dose of the J&J vaccine and any booster dose(s) when eligible. Proof of vaccination must be provided prior to the first day of employment. If you believe you need a disability or religious accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding the vaccination policy, you are responsible for requesting an accommodation prior to your first day of employment by notifying Human Resources. Employment will be contingent upon the outcome of the accommodation review process.
This position is located in Troy, Michigan and currently has a hybrid schedule. Tuesday and Wednesday will be the standard in-office days, however, there may be times when you will have to adjust the days based on work needs.
Some of the benefits include:
- Relocation Services
- Health, dental, vision and life insurance
- Paid time off
- Half day Fridays
- 401k and 401k matching
- Tuition reimbursement
- Life, accident and disability insurance
Kresge is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or other applicable legally protected characteristics.