Chief Legal Officer

At The New York Foundling, we trust in the power and potential of people, and we deliberately invest in proven practices. From bold beginnings in 1869, our New York-based nonprofit has supported hundreds of thousands of our neighbors on their own paths to stability, strength, and independence.  We help children and families navigate through and beyond foster care. We help families struggling with conflict and poverty grow strong. We help individuals with developmental disabilities live their best lives, and we help our neighbors access quality health and mental health services—core to building lifelong resilience and wellbeing. Together, our interrelated programs provide a whole-person, whole-family, and whole-life approach that unlocks solutions for a lifetime.

The Chief Legal Officer oversees all legal operations for The New York Foundling. This role is a strategic member of the executive leadership team and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer/President, offering proactive legal advice and counsel aligned with the organization’s mission and strategic priorities. This position is responsible for creating and executing The Foundling’s legal strategies that supports the organization’s business objectives, addressing legal risks, day-to-day analysis and advice and counsel on legal, policy, and contractual issues facing the organization. This position will work across teams within The New York Foundling, as well as with key external organizations and clients. This role will provide in house legal advice and counsel to executives, the Board of Trustees, and employees to ensure compliance on a wide range of matters including regulatory requirements, policy, contractual integrity, risk mitigation, data privacy and security, governance, intellectual property, and labor and employment law. The Chief Legal Officer oversees and manages outside counsel as well as a small but dedicated in-house legal team. 

The Chief Legal Officer oversees all legal operations for The New York Foundling. This role is a strategic member of the executive leadership team and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer/President, offering proactive legal advice and counsel aligned with the organization’s mission and strategic priorities. This position is responsible for creating and executing The Foundling’s legal strategies that supports the organization’s business objectives, addressing legal risks, day-to-day analysis and advice and counsel on legal, policy, and contractual issues facing the organization. This position will work across teams within The New York Foundling, as well as with key external organizations and clients. This role will provide in house legal advice and counsel to executives, the Board of Trustees, and employees to ensure compliance on a wide range of matters including regulatory requirements, policy, contractual integrity, risk mitigation, data privacy and security, governance, intellectual property, and labor and employment law. The Chief Legal Officer oversees and manages outside counsel as well as a small but dedicated in-house legal team. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following: 

Governance and Risk Management 

• Provides legal advice and counsel to the President/CEO, executive leadership team, Board of Trustees, and other employees on legal matters relevant to The New York Foundling including on matters related to non-profit corporate governance, regulatory compliance, labor and employment, data privacy and security, and intellectual property 

• Oversees legal components of mergers and affiliations, including coordination of due diligence and preparation of related business agreements 

• Evaluates risk factors regarding business decisions and operations 

• Acts as a close advisor to leadership and management; provides advice and counsel for policies for the business and advises management and the board of directors regarding legal risk and compliance matters 

• Implements and oversees implementation of sound internal controls to minimize exposure to legal risks and ensure that The Foundling operates legally and with integrity 

• Provides expertise and oversight on litigation and regulatory matters, including subpoenas, litigation discovery, litigation strategy and other similar matters 
• Advises on labor and employment law matters, including union negotiations, workplace investigations, and employee relations. 
• Ensures overall compliance with city, state, and federal employment laws, including ADA, FMLA, Title VII, NYS Labor Law, and wage/hour rules. 
• Represents or manages representation in employment disputes, arbitrations, and administrative proceedings.
• Advises on insurance coverage, liability exposure, and incident response protocols. 

Compliance and Privacy Programs 

• Provides overall vision, direction, and collaborative leadership for The New York Foundling’s compliance program 

• Oversees the Vice President of Compliance in monitoring and responding to regulatory developments affecting The Foundling, in establishing policies and procedures that comply with applicable rules and regulations and with the organization’s standards of conduct and in training relevant work teams to ensure appropriate actions are taken 

• Oversees and works with Vice President of Compliance to develop data privacy and security policies and procedures, working closely with the Chief Information Officer, and all other appropriate stakeholders, including Human Resources and Finance and programmatic leads 

• Ensures compliance with city, state, and federal employment laws, including ADA, FMLA, Title VII, NYS Labor Law, and wage/hour rules. 

• Ensures compliance with applicable regulations from oversight agencies (e.g., NYS OMH, NYS OCFS, NYC DOHMH, NYC ACS, Medicaid, IRS 501(c)(3), etc.). 

• Ensures quality and integrity of responses to audits, investigations, and program reviews. 

• Provides legal advice and counsel and investigations for claims of violations of law or organization policy and procedures as well as for data privacy or security incidents and breaches 

• Works with the IT department to ensure that The Foundling employs best practices and remains in compliance on all data handling matters 

Contracts

• Reviews, drafts, and negotiates complex contracts and / or oversees such work by internal /outside counsel on a wide range of contracts including vendor agreements, government programs, leases, and Memorandum of Understandings.
• Collaborates with The New York Foundling department leaders to establish standardized agreements with appropriate terms and conditions for NYF products and services 
• Oversees in-house counsel in the implementation of efficient contracting processes and strategies to accelerate new participant acquisition and contract review and approval.

Advocacy and Public Policy 

• Reviews policy recommendations and positions on relevant local, state and federal initiatives, drafted to influence policy at the respective government level that supports The New York Foundling’s mission and strategic plan 

• Supports the development of New York Foundling’s public policy strategy 

• Tracks relevant legislation and regulations that may affect the New York Foundling’s business and advises the organization in relation to such matters

Oversight of Legal Department 

• Supervises the work of The New York Foundling legal team, and manages processes to assist with efficiency and workflow, and oversees the budget for legal operations. 

• Selects and retains outside counsel, as needed, to obtain legal opinions or to handle claims and litigation. Oversees such outside counsel and the department budget to ensure high quality, cost effective legal assistance 

• Works to reduce reliance on external legal counsel by building internal capacity and systems 

• Performs other related duties as needed 

• J.D. from an accredited law school; member in good standing of the New York State Bar. 

• 10+ years of progressively responsible legal experience, including in, nonprofit law, contracts, and regulatory compliance, and experience in employment and labor law strongly preferred. 

• Experience advising large nonprofit, government, or government-funded agencies strongly preferred. 

• Demonstrated success navigating complex legal and regulatory environments and working with senior leadership. 

• Strong negotiation, analytical, and communication skills. 

• Knowledge of contract law; the judicial system and procedures; current and developing legal issues and trends; institutional policies and procedures, as well as regulatory environment of human services; and legal documentation procedures and requirements. 
• Demonstrated strong commitment to safety.