Skoll is a private grant-making foundation that seeks to build a sustainable world of peace and prosperity for all by investing in, connecting, and championing social entrepreneurs and other social innovators. Together, we advance bold and equitable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. The Skoll Foundation fosters a mission and values-based approach to the work we do focused on the vision of doing good.
The Skoll Foundation is hiring a Senior Paralegal to manage contracts and legal operations based in Washington, DC. The Senior Paralegal is eligible for a hybrid work schedule, including Tuesday through Thursday in the DC office.
The Senior Paralegal plays a critical role in a core function of the Skoll Foundation by providing support to the General Counsel on all legal affairs of the Foundation and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Foundation’s contracting processes and legal operations. This role will play a critical function in supporting the structure, policies, and processes of the organization, partnering with internal clients to provide timely and comprehensive guidance and training on a wide variety of regulatory, compliance, and risk-management matters. This role will also provide support for the governance policies and practices of the Skoll Foundation and the Skoll Fund.
Primary Duties
Legal Operations & Governance
- Provide day-to-day support to the General Counsel on all legal affairs of the Foundation.
- Support the General Counsel’s role as Secretary to the Board by supporting matters of organizational and board governance such as: maintaining articles, bylaws, annual conflict of interest disclosures for both staff and board members, board resolutions, meeting minutes, written consents, board orientation manuals, and other governance related items for both the Skoll Foundation and the Skoll Fund.
- Manage the review process for all legal invoices of the Foundation.
- Manage the budget for legal department and participate in annual budgeting process with respect to the legal department.
- Coordinate routinely with Finance and other departments, as needed, on supporting financial record keeping for the legal department.
- Oversee technology tools and other resources to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the legal department and its operations.
Contracts & Vendor Management
- Lead the Foundation’s end-to-end contracts function with a strategic lens on risk mitigation, value creation, and operational efficiency.
- Draft, review, revise, and negotiate a wide range of vendor and consultant contracts (typically 150+ annually).
- Manage the full contract lifecycle, including renewals and expirations, and ensure key stakeholders are informed throughout the process.
- Responsible for the oversight of the Procurement Policy, monitoring performance, and recommending changes to the Policy as needed.
- Improve contract workflows and implement user-friendly policies, templates, and guidance materials.
- Deliver staff training on legal requirements and internal compliance processes.
- Oversee integration of technology tools and systems to support contract management functions and continually assess and propose recommendations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of existing systems.
Data Licensing, Technology Use, and Intellectual Property Management
- Review and negotiate data licensing agreements that allow the distribution and sharing of internal and external data involving awardee, grantee, and partner data to enable secure and compliant data sharing.
- Collaborate on internal policies related to data privacy, data use, and risk mitigation.
- Maintain information relating to intellectual property assets of the Foundation and work with internal staff and partners when licensing the intellectual property assets of others in support of Foundation business, including copyright permissions, appearance releases, and footage releases.
- Manage domestic and global Trademark filings and issues.
- Monitor compliance risks associated with data use and recommend appropriate solutions.
Insurance Oversight
- In coordination with the Finance Department, manage all Foundation insurance-related matters, including annual renewals and adding new policies.
- Coordinate with brokers to obtain Certificates of Liability for events.
- Process and track insurance-related documentation and invoices.
ERISA
- In coordination with the Finance Department, participate in ERISA Committee meetings and take meeting minutes.
- Distribute Summary Annual Reports to all participants in the Foundation’s retirement plan.
Qualifications
- A passion for the Foundation’s mission.
- 10+ years of paralegal or similar experience, preferably within a law firm or in-house legal department.
- Knowledge and experience working in a nonprofit or private Foundation setting, or in a law firm setting in support of nonprofit or private Foundation clients, is strongly preferred.
- Prior contracts management experience with responsibility for reviewing, drafting, and negotiating contract terms and working with complex agreements.
- A bachelor's degree, paralegal certification, or similar degree required.
- Ability to work on-site in Washington, DC Tuesday through Thursday within a reasonable commuting distance to the office.
- Demonstrated experience with compliance, governance, and legal operations.
- Resourceful self-starter and strategic thinker with excellent problem-solving capabilities.
- Strong organizational and project management skills. Ability to manage a heavy workload and juggle competing priorities to meet tight deadlines.
- Ability to exercise independent judgment and willingness to tackle new projects.
- Ability to interact effectively and comfortably with all levels of management and collaborate with various teams on different projects.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- High attention to detail is a must.
- Strong knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams)
- Experience using SpringCM, Docusign, and Salesforce.
- Ability to travel up to 10% including domestic and international travel.
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Cultural Fit
- Enthusiastic and flexible team player with humility, a positive demeanor, and exceptional service orientation; ready to roll up sleeves and collaborate across the Foundation’s small team.
- A keen sense of integrity, professionalism, and commitment to creating a positive organizational culture.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and adaptable to change.
- Interest in social innovation and alignment with the Skoll Foundation’s mission to catalyze transformational social change.
Benefits
The Skoll Foundation offers a comprehensive benefits package including flexible time off, paid holidays, medical, dental, vision coverage, and generous retirement plan offerings.
Salary
$132,480 - $198,720
The Skoll Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.
