Assistant General Counsel

Unite America seeks a full-time Assistant General Counsel (AGC) to join its Legal & Compliance team.  

This individual will work hand-in-hand with the General Counsel, Strategy & Operations team, and the organization’s outside counsel to ensure Unite America and its core operating entities operate within the law at all times. The AGC will help the General Counsel identify, vet and maximize opportunities for political and charitable engagement and grantmaking by Unite America entities. This role will also have the opportunity to contribute to the mission of our organization as we work to foster a more representative and functional government, including through Unite America’s compliance program–whether drafting policies and procedures, providing staff training, or doing other cross-functional work with Unite America staff. This is an entry- to mid-level position, ideal for someone with a Juris Doctor degree and preferably with experience in politics, non-profit law, and/or compliance.

THE ROLE

As Assistant General Counsel at Unite America, you’ll help architect innovative, legally sound strategies to strengthen American democracy, while gaining hands-on training directly from our General Counsel and leading campaign finance lawyers outside of our organization. Every day is different in our dynamic working environment at the intersection of campaign finance, nonprofit law, and political reform. This is not an expert level position; we will teach you about the specific laws and regulations with which you will primarily work. To succeed in this role, you must have sound legal research skills, including a keen ability to assess multi-state political committee registration thresholds and reporting and disclosure requirements. Additionally, this role requires good communication skills and an ability to confidently and clearly explain legal concepts to (non-lawyer) political and operations professionals. Other responsibilities will include negotiating contracts, grant agreements, and reviewing external communications.

This role provides the opportunity to work closely with our General Counsel, and Sr. Manager, Operations & Compliance, to play a role in advancing Unite America’s mission to build a more representative and functional government. This role is ideally based at our headquarters office in Denver, CO with the option to be based remotely. Travel 1–2 times per quarter for team meetings and retreats is required. Unite America offers a relocation stipend for those interested in moving to Denver.

OUR ORGANIZATION

Unite America is  a non-partisan, philanthropic venture fund (composed of several legal entities) that invests in candidates, campaigns, and organizations in order to advance nonpartisan election reforms that will foster a more representative and functional government capable of solving America’s most pressing challenges.

Founded in 2014, Unite America and its 35+ person team has grown to be a leader in the democracy reform movement. The organization has existed in its current form, and with its current primary focus, since 2019; in that time, we have successfully mobilized tens of millions of dollars from scores of philanthropists to candidates and reform campaigns across the country.

Recent victories where we played a leading or a major supporting role to win: a major anti-gerrymandering campaign in Virginia; a first-of-its-kind, top-four open all-candidate primary system in Alaska that helped elect one of the most ideologically diverse slates of statewide officeholders in recent history; and a ballot initiative in Nevada to implement Alaska-style reforms in that state. We are poised to dramatically scale our impact in the years to come.

At Unite America, we are working to build a more representative and functional government that puts voters first and reflects the diversity of our country, and an inclusive democracy in which leaders embrace problem-solving over fueling divisiveness. Likewise, we have a vision of building an organization that reflects diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives, a culture of working across differences toward common goals, and a workplace where everyone feels included, respected, and heard. To that end, Unite America is proud to have made diversifying our team, ensuring more equitable opportunity, and fostering a culture of belonging a priority. Our organizational values reinforce this commitment as we work to model the leadership we seek, solve problems together, and take care of one another, to name a few.

Requirements

RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal & Regulatory Compliance 

• Assisting in the assessment of state campaign finance and lobbying law registration thresholds, reporting requirements and contribution limits
• Assisting in the review and approval of public communications, and associated campaign finance reporting function
• Identifying risks and working with outside counsel to assess and mitigate them
• Managing relationships with all political compliance vendor(s)

Legal Review 

• Drafting and reviewing contracts
• Vetting employees, vendors and grantees, as appropriate
• Preparing RFPs and reviewing grant applications for compliance with requirements of internal policies and applicable laws
• Assisting with employee onboarding related to legal compliance
• Developing, implementing and monitoring organizational policies and procedures
• Training employees on organizational policies, practices and procedures
• Managing relationships with external counsel; acting as a point of contact for the entire team for all legal/compliance matters, questions, requests, etc.
• Prioritizing legal & compliance workstreams on behalf of the organization and in support of General Counsel

QUALIFICATIONS

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school
• Must be admitted to a U.S. state bar or on track to sit for the bar exam in the next available administration. Employment is contingent upon passing the bar.
• Strong legal, regulatory and agency materials research skills
• Rigorous attention to detail and highest standards of excellence in execution 
• Ability to track, prioritize, and balance a diverse set of responsibilities
• Proactive mindset–anticipates and responds effectively to the organization’s needs 
• Commitment to providing quality legal advice, learning agility (included demonstrated willingness to develop expertise in new subject matters), and a history of enthusiastic participation in a team environment
• You value “soft skills” in your professional development: clear, timely, and respectful communication, a desire to collaborate, an eagerness to listen
• You have a strong desire to fix a broken political system and a passion for our cause

Benefits

• Competitive Compensation (est. $145k-$160k)
• 401(k) Plan (with up to a 3% employer contribution match)
• Health Care Plan (medical, dental, and vision)
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (vacation, sick days, public holidays, and team-wide wellness days)
• Family Leave (maternity, paternity, and adoption)
• Paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff
• Training & Professional Development
• Wellness Resources
• Opportunity to join an inclusive, vibrant, and diverse team