Corporate Counsel Jobs

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

Position Summary

The Corporate Counsel (CC) is an in-house legal position at the Public Health Institute. The CC will provide professional legal services to protect the corporation’s interests and maintain its operations within the scope of established law. The CC will report to a Deputy Chief Legal Counsel (DCLC) and serve in the Office of Chief Legal Counsel. The Office of Chief Legal Counsel advises executive leadership and Board of Directors on the legal and compliance dimensions of the overall business strategy and methods of the corporation.

The CC will provide advice and counsel matters related to a wide range of complex legal issues including, but not limited to, contractual agreements, clinical trial agreements, operations, licenses, intellectual property, governance, employment law, and government contracting. The CC will provide specialized knowledge and compliance advice regarding complex issues related to PHI’s Central Departments and Programs. The CC will provide recommendations on process improvements that mitigate risk and improve efficiencies. The CC will provide senior level advice and counsel to the Office of Chief Legal Counsel, including assisting in the development and implementation business strategy and methods of the corporation in support of one or more corporate business functions or program service areas. Under the direction of the DCLC, the CC supports business planning, operational activities of research and public health intervention programs (i.e., procurement, award, and purchasing of subaward goods and services), and overall risk management functions of PHI.

Full salary range for this position: $137,92 to $214,224 per year. The typical hiring range for this position is from $137,192 (minimum) to $175,708 (midpoint), based on 100% FTE. The starting salary is determined based on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, as well as budget availability.

Employment Type: Full Time

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Professional legal services:

• Apprise CLC and/or DCLC of developments presenting legal and/or regulatory significance and implications within the organization and/or its fields of engagement, identified risks, and opportunities.
• Under the direction and supervision of the DCLC, provide advice and counsel, privileged and confidential legal opinions, interpretations, recommendations, and other legal services to the Public Health Institute.
• Evaluation of business opportunities and due diligence
• Commercial transactions, procurement, research administration related agreements (including human subjects, clinical trial, and research conducted in accordance with the Common Rule).
• Advise PHI staff on legal and/or compliance requirements related to proposals, funding awards, performance of research and public health interventions, outside party agreements (subaward, awards, grants, contracts, MOUs, NDAs, etc.), commercial transactions, teaming agreements and other partnering relationships, commercial sales.
• Data security and privacy
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Provide advice and counsel on the process for conducting internal investigations as may be appropriate to responsible and ethical conduct of research.
• Formation and implementation of business relationships
• Private foundation and donor fundraising
• Protection of intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential business information
• Responsible conduct of research
• Insurance and legal strategies related to risk management
• Interact with a wide variety of outside parties including public and private funding and regulatory agencies, potential business partners, contractors and vendors, outside counsel, opposing counsel, and other parties with whom PHI has or is considering relationships related to its mission and business.
• Defense and prosecution of legal and administrative proceedings
• Command subject matter interests and expertise enabling the CC to provide advice and counsel in topics including but not limited to:
  • Formation and implementation of business relationships
  • Evaluation of business opportunities and due diligence
  • Commercial transactions, procurement, research administration related agreements (including human subjects, clinical trial, and research conducted in accordance with the Common Rule).
  • Private foundation and donor fundraising
  • Defense and prosecution of legal and administrative proceedings
  • Protection of intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential business information
  • Responsible conduct of research
  • Corporate risk and compliance
  • Insurance and legal strategies related to risk management
  • Data security and privacy
• Provide information and training to department heads, program directors, and their respective employees about legal matters and compliance, contributing to effective policies and procedures, and offering organizational support for PHI to conduct its activities lawfully and responsibly in the ordinary course of its business.
• Corporate risk and compliance

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited law school and current admission in good standing to practice law as an in-house attorney in the State of California.
• 7 years of experience as an attorney or relevant experience, including experience in a law firm, as in-house counsel or government attorney.

Other Required Qualifications

• Ability to travel in the state of California or occasionally out of state when required.
• Knowledge of ethical responsibilities of in-house legal counsel
• Maintain current knowledge of the essential subject areas of expertise and to participate in continuing legal education or comparable professional education in subject areas of expertise where superior knowledge is required.

Preferred Qualifications

Skills, abilities, and subject area expertise including the following:

• Competence in legal research tools and techniques
• Ability to learn and gain expertise in a broad range of areas of law including but not limited to employment and contract agreements where PHI is operating internationally
• Identify, research, and analyze legal questions
• Prepare written legal opinions
• Ability to identify legal risks and concerns independently and bring them to the attention of executive leadership
• Ability to rapidly gain knowledge and provide legal advice and recommendations
• Knowledge of clinical trial agreements, clinical research, data use agreements, material transfer agreements, and other contractual.
• Ability to independently plan and accomplish goals in a timely manner
• Resolve legal problems and disputes
• Verbally communicate legal opinions, recommendations, and positions
• Experience providing advice and counsel on foreign operations and international business transactions.
• Able to train and advise non-lawyer managers and staff to perform business functions with a significant legal or compliance dimension.
• Knowledge of nonprofit management is desirable but not required.
• Contribute to corporate business decisions
• Able to craft innovation solutions to mitigate legal risk
• Ability to successfully practice law in an in-house setting including daily interaction with non-lawyer executives and managers.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.

PHI WORKFORCE MANDATORY COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY

Per the PHI Workforce Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, it is a condition of employment for all domestic based employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless they are granted a reasonable accommodation under applicable law.

New hires need to provide proof of full vaccination prior to their start date or apply for an exemption/accommodation within three business days after their start date. Depending on the circumstances, new hires who do not comply with this Policy, or who cannot be reasonably accommodated, will either have their employment suspended or terminated. Candidates who are non-compliant will have their offers rescinded.

EEO Statement

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

ADA Statement:

The Public Health Institute is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Recruitment Team at least 48 hours in advance at [email protected].

#LI-REMOTE

To apply for any position, you must create an account on the Public Health Institute’s job application site. After creating your account, you may search the open positions and apply for the specific position that interests you. Please note, mailed and emailed applications will not be accepted.

We’re so pleased the Public Health Institute is an organization you would like to work with. Do you have questions about this opportunity? If so, email our recruitment team at [email protected].