Legal & Compliance: Senior Counsel

OverviewGilbane Building Company is seeking an experienced in-house construction attorney to serve as Senior Legal Counsel supporting the Mid-Atlantic Division (Washington, DC/Arlington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New Jersey). This senior legal role serves as a trusted business partner to divisional and project leadership, providing strategic, practical legal counsel across all phases of the construction lifecycle. Responsibilities include commercial contracting, claims management, dispute avoidance, and dispute resolution, risk management, compliance, training, and cross-functional counseling. The ideal candidate is a proactive, business-minded attorney who can balance legal risk with operational objectives, influence outcomes in a fast-paced project environment, and build strong relationships across field operations, project management, estimating, preconstruction, procurement, safety, finance, and executive leadership.This position will be an integral part of the Legal Department that supports Gilbane Building Company and its subsidiaries. The Senior Legal Counsel will report directly to the Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and will serve as the primary legal advisor to the Mid-Atlantic Division.Possible locations for this position include Gilbane’s Arlington, Baltimore, or Philadelphia office.As a Top-10 ENR Contractor, Gilbane is a family-owned business with 45 offices that has been shaping communities since 1870. Consistently recognized as one of the most reputable construction management firms in the country, Gilbane is committed to delivering projects safely and on-time. You will have the opportunity to build schools, labs, hospitals, corporate offices, sports arenas and more! We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Gilbane offers employees multi-dimensional training opportunities through a number of resources. While managing your responsibilities to projects, you will be able to enroll in trainings through our award-winning Gilbane University to build leadership and technical skills. You will protect and promote the interests of both Gilbane and the client in all matters as well as demonstrating the personal characteristics of a developing leader.ResponsibilitiesThe Senior Legal Counsel will provide hands-on advice in the following practice areas for the Company, among others:Construction Contracts & Commercial TransactionsDraft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements: owner/CM agreements (CMAR/CM‑at‑Risk, CM as Agent, GMP, Design‑Build), design consultant agreements, subcontracts, purchase orders, equipment rental/lease agreements, master supply agreements, NDAs, teaming and JV agreements, lease agreements, and professional services agreements.Structure, negotiate, and update contract templates, playbooks, and clause libraries, ensuring alignment with corporate standards and insurance/risk requirements.Support public and private sector procurement, bid protests, prequalification, and compliance with RFP/RFQ requirements, including small/diverse business participation. Claims, Dispute Avoidance & ResolutionGuide project teams on claim preservation, notice requirements, changes, delay/acceleration/disruption, differing site conditions, constructive changes, defective work, backcharges, and pass‑through claims.Manage pre‑dispute processes (issue escalation, negotiation, mediation, DRBs) and oversee outside counsel for litigation, arbitration, and surety matters as needed.Handle lien and bond claims, subcontractor defaults/terminations, and recovery strategies.Develop practical protocols for claims documentation. Strategic Counseling & Business PartnershipServe as a trusted advisor to division leadership on strategic business, operational, risk management, and project delivery matters.Provide practical legal guidance that supports business objectives while appropriately managing legal and commercial risk.Collaborate with operational leaders to develop scalable processes, best practices, and risk mitigation strategies.Risk Management, Safety, Training & CompliancePartner with Risk/Insurance to ensure appropriate insurance strategies are utilized based on project risk profile.Counsel on licensing, permitting, mechanic’s lien/bond compliance, prevailing wage, certified payroll, and other public procurement rules.Collaborate with Safety on OSHA compliance, incident response, and post‑incident reviews.Lead training programs for project teams on contract compliance, claims preservation, documentation standards and operational risk management.Support ethics/compliance initiatives.S. law schoolActive membership in good standing in at least one U.State Bar Ability to obtain in-house registration or other required authorization in applicable jurisdictions, as necessary.Education and ExperienceThe ideal Senior Legal Counsel will possess solid academic credentials and 8+ years of progressively responsible legal experience counseling businesses in the practice areas listed above, including at least 3 years of relevant in-house experience. In particular, the ideal candidate will have relevant experience as in-house counsel for a medium-sized or large construction company, will be familiar with public and private contracting for institutional, commercial and residential projects, including developer projects, and possess a demonstrated ability to serve as a trusted advisor to field superintendents, project executives, and division leadership, balancing legal risk with operational challenges.Ability to communicate effectively with both legal and non-legal stakeholders.TravelThe applicant must be willing to travel on occasion, sometimes with short notice. The travel required for the role is estimated at approximately 25%.Salary to be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience of the applicant, as well as the internal equity and alignment with the team.The pay ranges from $200,000.00-$270,000.00 plus benefits and retirement program.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or disability status.Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our jobs alias, website, or to any Gilbane employee. Legal