Legal Counsel Europe - Brussels, België - Conservation International

Beschrijving

Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people.

With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced legal professional to join the General Counsel's Office (GCO) as the LegalCounsel Europe.

As Legal Counsel Europe, you will play a critical role in supporting the management of legal and compliance matters for CI's operations in Europe, as well as providing legal expertise for select CI global programs.

At CI, the General Counsel's Office comprises a small global team of legal, risk management/compliance, internal audit, and security professionals who work collaboratively to advance CI's mission and manage legal and regulatory risks.

As the Legal Counsel Europe, you will be responsible for managing and supporting CI's international legal operations in Europe, including corporate registrations, affiliate governance, employment issues, contracting, grant making, compliance and risk management, and general legal program support.

Additionally, you will provide complex transactional support to programs, analyze future Europe-focused funding models, and offer expert advice on various issues affecting nonprofit organizations in Europe.

This position is based in Brussels, Belgium, and you will report to the VP of the General Counsel's Office (VP Legal).

They will work closely with the Senior Director, Operations and HRBP, CI Europe and engage directly with the Senior Vice President, CI Europe, and other members of the CI Europe team.

• Manage legal risk for CI offices/presences in Europe and oversee overarching matters with European or global context.
• Advise and counsel staff and leadership on program country legal issues.
• Resolve legal issues while ensuring compliance with operational policies and exempt organizations law, providing actionable support to programs.
• Review legal matters and documents, and offer comprehensive legal advice to ensure efficient operations.
• Provide expert legal transactional support to European and global departments and programs.
• Advise on institutional risk, draft and review documents, address legal and regulatory requirements, resolve conflicts of interest and disputes, and offer overall legal advice.
• Manage annual compliance filings and support governance of Europebased CI offices as required.
• Strategically consult with programmatic input and effectively manage relationships with outside counsel in Europe.
• Collaborate with legal personnel at peer organizations to share best practices and stay updated on developing legal/compliance trends.
• Contribute to specialized legal initiatives aimed at enhancing CI's governance of international programs and managing legal and regulatory risk.
• Assist in developing and delivering training on legal and compliance issues.

Perform other duties as assigned by the VP Legal or General Counsel and as requested by the European leadership team.

• Duties are performed in a normal office environment.
• International travel may be required for meetings.
• Ability to work extended hours to meet surge needs or deadlines.
• This is a hybrid position, with some days in the office and some remotely.

• Law degree and international degree (e.g., LLM) from an accredited European law school.
• 7 or more years of prior legal experience, ideally (at least in part) in a nonprofit and/or multilateral organization or international corporate legal setting.
• Experience with international transactions (including financing agreements from private, multilateral, and bilateral donors and international grantmaking), as well as in compliance and taxation matters, helpful.
• Experience with employment law issues in a corporate or institutional setting. Corporate governance experience is also helpful.
• Familiarity through professional or academic experience (such as obtained through an LLM study or foreign attorney experience) with at least one other applicable legal system.
• Proactive, clientfocused, solutionsbased, collaborative work approach. Ability to work effectively and to lead crossfunctional teams with remote supervision.
• Strong analytical skills and demonstrated ability to understand complex, international legal concepts and offer succinct explanations and counsel.
• Selfstarter with the ability to work independently but with the judgment to know when to seek guidance from the General Counsel