Senior Associate General Counsel (Chicago)

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants, and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, and ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC addresses the world’s most urgent environmental challenges and advances innovative, science‑based, enforceable solutions. NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. Our team works across the United States and globally from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Beijing, and New Delhi. NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, encouraging applicants whose identities have historically been under‑represented in the environmental movement.

Position Summary

NRDC is seeking a Senior Associate General Counsel with expertise in employment law and labor relations. The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides in‑house legal support to all NRDC programs and departments. This position will oversee the vertical within the OGC team comprising employment, labor, and benefits, manage and supervise other OGC attorneys, and provide legal counsel to key partners such as the People & DEI Team (PODEI). The role will also support implementation and oversight of a collective bargaining agreement with the NRDC Union.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance to PODEI and others on consistent application of employment policies, including performance management, accommodations, employee classification, engagement structures, outside engagements, and employee relations matters.
• Oversee compliance with employment requirements applicable to NRDC’s multistate U.S. workforce, including city, state and federal wage‑and‑hour standards, leave laws, pay‑transparency obligations, discipline, termination, and hiring and onboarding rules.
• Advise on Africa‑border considerations related to international staff (e.g., Africa, China, India, UK), coordinating with local counsel as needed to align with jurisdiction‑specific expectations.
• Develop strong relationships with key PODEI managers and stakeholders, and collaborate to address evolving and emergent matters.
• Draft, revise, and maintain employment‑related policies, handbooks, and compliance frameworks to ensure alignment with legal requirements and organizational needs.
• Review PODEI‑related vendor agreements, including data‑processing and confidentiality provisions, to ensure responsible handling of workforce data by third parties.
• Develop and deliver training for managers, PODEI personnel, and staff on employment‑law obligations, workplace conduct expectations, and changes in relevant legal requirements.
• Coordinate with PODEI to deliver other OGC trainings to relevant NRDC staff.
• Advise on legal requirements relating to employee benefits programs, including health and welfare plans, retirement plans, disability benefits, and related administrative practices.
• Provide legal support for compensation‑related matters in coordination with HR and senior leadership.
• Evaluate employment and employee related data practices for legal risk, establish priorities for process improvements, and advise on appropriate solutions for compliance issues and employment disputes.
• Monitor legislation, regulations, judicial developments, and government enforcement activities relating to benefits, compensation and employment law; advise on necessary updates to programs, plan documents, or processes.
• Advise on employee relations matters and manage any litigation, investigations, disputes, settlement negotiations, or claims, including managing outside counsel.
• Staff relevant NRDC committees, such as the NRDC Board HR subcommittee and the Benefits Committee.
• Support the implementation of NRDC’s first collective bargaining agreement and future bargaining and related activities.
• Manage, delegate, and provide guidance and mentorship to direct reports on a day‑to‑day basis, and to other colleagues on specific projects or matters.

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Education & Experience

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school required.
• Current license in good standing to practice law.
• 8+ years of experience with federal, state, and/or international legal issues in the exempt organization field in the areas of employment, labor and benefits matters; at least 4 years of in‑house experience and/or subject‑matter leadership strongly preferred.
• Experience successfully managing junior attorneys and paralegals.
• Experience working within a union environment.

Skills, Abilities, Competencies

• Experience with federal and state legal issues in the exempt organization field in the areas of employment, labor and benefits matters; in‑house experience strongly preferred.
• Communicate complex legal concepts clearly and succinctly, including to lay audiences, in both formal training and informal advising.
• High level of emotional intelligence and ability to collaborate across diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Excellent drafting, research, and written and oral communication skills.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical ability, sound judgment, strategic orientation, and interpersonal maturity.
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast‑paced environment, handle multiple assignments and meet deadlines independently with strong attention to detail.
• Integrity, professional discretion and ability to handle sensitive/confidential matters.
• Flexibility and ability to work well independently on multiple projects with a wide variety of people, at all levels of the organization.
• Competence with and commitment to diversity and inclusion; ability to be an effective partner with diverse colleagues, leaders and partners.
• Experience in anti‑discrimination matters, hiring preferences, immigration, and pay equity audits a plus.
• Ability to travel to NRDC offices as needed, approximately 15‑20 %.
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles.

Physical Demands

• Frequently perform desk‑based computer tasks.
• Frequently interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary.
• Frequently attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers.
• Occasionally attend events and activities in the office or offsite.
• Work is sometimes performed primarily in office; the noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations.
• Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, when necessitated by projects.
• The job includes work‑related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time‑sensitive, or multiple matters.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. For this position, the salary range is $180,000 to $200,000.

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Employees are required to come to the office 8 days per month.

As a science‑based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID‑19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC‑approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination; those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine‑related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.