Assistant General Counsel - Contracts - Tribal Legal (El Cajon)

Sycuan is seeking an experienced and business-minded attorney to serve as Assistant General Counsel- Contracts. This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of Tribal government and diverse business enterprises, serving as a trusted legal advisor on a wide range of commercial and governmental matters.

Compensation: Depending on Experience; salary, plus annual bonus

Location: El Cajon, CA -100% onsite

Job Purpose:

Under the direct supervision of the General Counsel, the Assistant General Counsel (Contracts) will serve as a primary legal resource for Sycuan’s contracting activities and manage agreements throughout their lifecycle, from intake and negotiation through approval, execution, renewal, and post-execution administration. The attorney will work directly with internal stakeholders to understand operational needs, provide practical legal guidance, and develop scalable contracting processes and tools. The position will also play a central role in the continued implementation, administration, and optimization of Sycuan’s contract lifecycle management platform. Although primarily focused on contracts, the attorney will also advise on governmental, commercial, and enterprise legal matters as assigned by the General Counsel.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serves as a primary legal contact for Sycuan departments and enterprises regarding contract requests, negotiations, interpretation, performance, renewals, and disputes.
• Drafts, reviews, and negotiates a broad range of agreements, including construction and development agreements, technology and SaaS agreements, professional services agreements, procurement and vendor agreements, healthcare agreements, gaming and hospitality agreements, real estate documents and leases, energy and utility agreements, governmental and intergovernmental agreements, grants, licenses, sponsorship agreements, confidentiality agreements, data processing agreements, and related commercial and governmental documents.
• Meets directly with business stakeholders to understand the operational purpose, material business terms, and desired outcomes of proposed transactions and translates those objectives into clear, enforceable agreements that protect Sycuan’s interests.
• Identifies, evaluates, and addresses legal and business risks involving sovereign immunity, jurisdiction, dispute resolution, governing law, indemnification, insurance, limitations of liability, warranties, intellectual property, confidentiality, cybersecurity, privacy, payment obligations, termination rights, regulatory compliance, and other legal and commercial risks.
• Preserves and protects Sycuan’s sovereignty, sovereign immunity, governmental authority, and jurisdiction.
• Manages and prioritizes a high-volume contract workload while providing timely, practical, risk-based, and solutions-oriented advice to internal clients.
• Coordinates contract review and approval with internal stakeholders across Sycuan’s governmental departments and business enterprises.
• Leads or supports the continued implementation, configuration, and administration of Ironclad, including intake forms, workflow routing, user permissions, contract templates, clause libraries, automated documents, metadata, reports, and dashboards.
• Develops and maintains standard contract templates, negotiation playbooks, clause guidance, and approval protocols.
• Identifies opportunities to automate routine work, standardize contracting practices, reduce contract turnaround times, and improve visibility into the status of contract requests.
• Assists with contract data migration, repository organization, execution processes, renewal tracking, and post-execution obligation management.
• Provides training and guidance to Sycuan employees regarding contract intake, negotiation, approval, signature authority, use of Ironclad, and contract management best practices.
• Provides legal advice and support on other governmental, commercial, and enterprise matters as assigned by the General Counsel.
• Performs other related duties consistent with the responsibilities of the position.

Job Specifications:

Education and Experience:

Essential:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active member of the California State Bar, in good standing, and licensed to practice law in California.
• At least three years of relevant experience as a practicing attorney, including substantial experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage agreements from initial intake through negotiation, approval, and execution.
• Experience communicating directly with business leaders, department personnel, and other non-legal stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage numerous matters, competing priorities, and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Ability and willingness to work fully onsite at Sycuan’s offices in El Cajon, California.

Desirable:

• Five or more years of transactional, commercial, or in-house legal experience.
• Prior experience serving as in-house counsel or working closely with governmental departments and business enterprises.
• Experience with Ironclad or another contract lifecycle management platform.
• Experience implementing or improving contract management workflows, templates, playbooks, approval processes, reporting, or legal technology.
• Experience with construction, technology, SaaS, cybersecurity, privacy, procurement, hospitality, gaming, healthcare, real estate, energy, or governmental agreements.
• Experience advising a Tribal government, Tribal enterprise, or organization doing business in Indian Country.
• Knowledge of federal Indian law, Tribal law, Tribal sovereignty, sovereign immunity, and jurisdictional issues.
• Experience developing and presenting contract or legal process training to internal clients.
• Experience with legal operations, process improvement, change management, or project management.

Skills and Knowledge:

Essential:

• Strong understanding of common contractual risk provisions, including indemnification, insurance, limitation of liability, warranties, confidentiality, intellectual property, data security, privacy, payment, termination, and related legal and commercial risk allocation provisions.
• Excellent legal drafting, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• A practical, business-oriented approach to legal problem-solving and the ability to protect Sycuan’s interests without unnecessarily delaying legitimate business objectives.
• Ability to explain complex legal issues clearly and provide practical, actionable advice to non-lawyers.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish credibility with executives, department leaders, employees, vendors, contractors, and opposing counsel.
• Ability to take ownership of matters and move them efficiently from intake through completion.
• Careful attention to detail while maintaining awareness of broader business, governmental, and operational objectives.
• Demonstrated judgment, discretion, professionalism, and commitment to protecting confidential and privileged information.
• Cultural awareness, humility, and respect when working with Tribal leadership, Tribal members, employees, and community members.
• A commitment to Sycuan’s sovereignty, self-governance, and long-term institutional interests.

Supervisory/Managerial Accountability:

Direct: None Indirect: None