Colorado Nonprofit Association

Legal Affairs Director

Are you looking for employment with a purpose? Join the team at the American Water Works Association! At AWWA, you’ll find purpose, great benefits, relaxed culture, collaborative colleagues and interesting work. Our mission is providing solutions to effectively manage water, the world’s most vital resource.

We are seeking a Legal Affairs Director to serve as the chief legal advisor for AWWA, providing comprehensive legal support and guidance. This role focuses on general legal triage and contract management, ensuring the organization’s compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Actively informs and supports the executive management team and Board for AWWA. 

Essential Functions

• Legal Triage: Provide timely and effective legal triage, assessing and prioritizing legal issues (i.e. contracts, employee relations, business risks) as they arise.
• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate legal risks, providing strategic advice to the executive team and board of directors. 
• Litigation Management: Oversee and manage any litigation or legal disputes involving the organization.
• Compliance: Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including non-profit governance and tax-exempt status requirements. 
• IP Protection: Ensure protection of all AWWA IP including industry standards, trademark and logos. 
• Contract Management: Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a wide variety of contracts, including vendor agreements, service contracts, and partnership agreements. 
• Oversight of External Legal Counsel: Manage and optimize the work of external counsel, including billing/spend tracking. Ensure cost-effective and high-standard legal representation that aligns with the company’s budget and strategic objectives.
• Policy Development: Partner with key staff to develop and implement organizational policies and procedures to ensure legal compliance and best practices. 
• Board Support: Partner with key staff to provide legal support and guidance to the board of directors, including attending board meetings, managing AWWAs bylaws and Board Policy Manual, and section (i.e., chapter) documents including bylaws, insurance and affiliation agreements. 
• Travel required, up to 5%.

Qualifications

Education, Certifications or Formal Training:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school required.
• Admission to the bar in Colorado required.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of legal experience, preferably in non-profit, government affairs, or public sector setting (or combination) required.