Job Description

The Organization and Role

About Us

Access Now is a growing international human rights organization dedicated to defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk around the world, including issues of privacy, security, freedom of expression, and transparency. Our Policy, Advocacy, Helpline, RightsCon, Grants, and Operations teams have staff presences in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East/North Africa (MENA), North America, and South/Southeast Asia, to provide global support to our mission.

About The Role

The Deputy General Counsel supports the Organization in preventing and mitigating legal risk through compliance, transactional, and operational counsel.

The Deputy General Counsel helps to foresee and overcome legal and regulatory risks to the Organization’s work, to expedite and provide timely responses to queries, and to help shape its global legal priorities. The Counsel maintains and improves multi-way communication channels, protocols, and databases to manage organizational contracting, assists in compliance with public regulations, navigates risks in employment, finance, cross-border transactions, and tort law, and confronts a wide range of scenarios in our many countries of operation.

What You Will Do

• Provides extensive support for contracting, from vendor selection through drafting and execution – advising on best practices, standards, and model clauses in transactional law
• Develops and manages a system to track, expedite, and fulfill legal support requests, which may range from urgent support on contracts, employment law questions, and corporate registrations and financial filings
• Facilitates compliance with relevant public and private law and regulation, including through staff training programmes on defamation, lobbying, copyright, procurement, and data protection, in partnership with regional counsel
• Assists in legal aspects of Access Now’s RightsCon Summit Series, including service contracts, sponsorship agreements, and in advising or acquiring relevant legal advice for additional areas, such as travel and immigration, through inside and outside counsel
• Advises the General Counsel, works alongside the Tech Legal Counsel, and manages the Latin America Legal Officer to shape the Legal Arm and better support the Organization’s mission
• Manages regional counsel focused on legal operations, and works closely with global governance team, regional human resources, finance, and other Operations staff
• Works to further development, finance, security, employment, and corporate initiatives, including through contributions to policy development and maintenance
• Works with the internal grantmaking team to ensure legal compliance and to manage risks in subgranting operations and international transactions with grassroots grantees
• Manages and builds relationships with pro bono and external counsel, especially in regard to tax, finance, and lobbying compliance, corporate registration, and administrative law issues
• Helps ensure that the organization’s programmatic services and outputs mitigate risks involving defamation, trade secret, privacy, and related tort laws and claims
• Assists in identifying opportunities to preserve and advance civic space, including through legal interventions to better NGO rights and interests

About You

• Deep respect for cultural, linguistic, and economic equity – including with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity, regional differences and ethnic and racial diversity – to bring an understanding of diverse and differing cultures and political systems into the work of the Legal team, and how to support the team and wider organization in navigating them
• A highly confident and skilled lawyer, with at least 3 years of experience or equivalent expertise in a relevant international organization or firm, with relevant legal or risk assessment experience and a demonstrable knowledge of relevant compliance, contract, and/ or employment law, in the US and other jurisdictions
• Understanding of human rights law, the international political system, and/or the internet, with the ability to identify emerging issues and use legal mechanisms
• A law license or bar admission (or equivalent), and strong understanding of US law and legal practice, given the financial, accounting, and non-profit laws and norms relevant to the organization’s operations
• Process-driven operator, with strong capacity to delegate, create responsive and flexible systems, and make decisions as required
• Excellent spoken, expository, and persuasive writing and editing skills, and ability to talk publicly to a room as well as privately with team members on- and offline
• Precise attention to detail
• Strategic and creative thinker who can provide expert and tactical advice
• Strong management of competing and urgent tasks vs with long-term, sustained projects
• Ability to build partnerships across the Organization in order to inspire and set policy direction
• Fluency in a language other than English preferred
• Understanding of modern information and communications technologies
• An advanced degree (or equivalent practical experience) related to law

The Details

Location

This is a full-time position. The successful candidate must possess the right to work in the location in which they will be based. At this time most Access Now Team Members are working through hybrid office arrangements, combining remote at-home work with intermittent use of offices and/or co-working spaces.

Candidates based in the US, Berlin, Brussels, San José (CR), or Tunis who meet skills and background requirements will be considered. The successful candidate must have the legal right-to-work in the location in which they will be based. Visa sponsorship and/or relocation assistance are presumed to be unavailable for this recruitment.

Remuneration

Access Now offers competitive compensation and benefits packages that align competitively with locations and regions around the world. Location-specific examples of initial placement within the salary range for this role include:

• €7,390.50  EUR gross monthly (Belgium)
• $6,664.00  USD gross monthly (Costa Rica)
• €8,057.00  EUR gross monthly (Germany)
• $8,317.00  USD gross monthly (United States)

Benefits for this specific role are tied to the location, and will vary. Regardless of location, all Team Members benefit from a strong global culture aligned around:

• Work-life balance…including a generous paid time-off program
• Professional development and growth opportunities
• Extensive workplace flexibility
• Connection to a diverse, global team of passionate, principled professionals
• Organizational resilience and support for all team members
• Opportunities to recharge (including one month of paid refresher leave after 4 years)

How to Apply

Please submit the following documents:

• Résumé/CV (removing all personally identifying information such as age, gender, marital status, address, and photo)
• Cover letter outlining your specific interest and suitability for this role

Our hiring teams review applications submitted through our Career Openings page; email submissions are not accepted. In order for us to communicate with you on the status of your application, please be sure to add apps.bamboohr.com to your contacts list, and check spam or junk folders so that you do not miss updates from us.

We are a global human rights organization committed to inclusivity and equity, and seek the most talented team members who bring their true selves, with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences. As an equal opportunity employer, we value and encourage diversity and consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected status. Our commitment applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.

Published: 2023-07-28

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 100,000 and above.

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