Associate General Counsel

SSI (U.S.) Inc. d/b/a Spencer Stuart; New York (NY); On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Health benefits

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Wellness program

Voluntary benefits

Job summary

Spencer Stuart seeks an Associate General Counsel to lead governance and compliance for the firm, including fiduciary duties and director obligations. You will advise the CLO, support Board and committee governance, and oversee global entity governance across multiple jurisdictions.

The role emphasizes collaborating with Finance, Treasury, and leadership to manage corporate maintenance, transformations, and partnership-related matters, with a focus on privacy and integrity of governance

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with 6+ years of legal experience.
• Ideally based in the United States, New York or northeast preferred.
• Governance experience.
• Experience with cross-border, multi-jurisdictional transactions including board/committee support.
• Experience in professional services or a global firm, ideally private partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead corporate governance and corporate compliance across the firm globally.
• Advise the Chief Legal Officer on governance issues and fiduciary duties.
• Support Board and committee governance activities, including agendas, minutes, and consents.
• Oversee governance framework for subsidiaries and affiliated entities in multiple jurisdictions.
• Coordinate annual director/officer changes, filings, and corporate secretarial requirements.
• Manage outside counsel and ensure prudent use of firm resources.
• Allocate time between governance matters and other legal initiatives as needed.

Skills

Governance

Strategic thinking

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Education

J.D. or equivalent

New York bar admission

Job description

Associate General Counsel

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to: Global Counsel

Other key relationships: Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary, Firm Chair, Board Committee Chairs, colleagues in Legal Function, Corporate Paralegal, Compliance Specialist, Finance Function, members of senior leadership team (Operating Team)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Corporate Governance Matters

• Leads corporate governance and corporate compliance work in the Legal function, ensuring that the Firm is observing corporate formalities globally

• Working closely with the Firms Chief Legal Officer, advises on legal and governance matters relating to the parent company, providing strategic counsel on governance issues, fiduciary duties, director obligations, and governance best practices

• Supports the full annual cycle of Board and committee governance activities, including meeting planning, agendas, materials, minutes, resolutions, director onboarding, and governance calendars

• Oversees the governance and compliance framework for Spencer Stuart's global subsidiaries and affiliated entities, partnering with local teams and external advisors across multiple jurisdictions

• Coordinates annual corporate maintenance activities, including director and officer changes, statutory filings, corporate secretarial requirements, and legal entity governance obligations worldwide

• Ensures compliance with the Firms governance documents and requirements of the Firms domicile of incorporation

• Works closely with Treasury, Finance and other functions on corporate matters, including supporting any restructuring, reorganization, or other corporate projects and initiative

• Partners with other members of the Legal function and Treasury to support the Firm's employee-owned share structure and related governance initiatives

• Oversees execution and legalization of corporate documentation and maintains corporate files and records, including entity management

• Reviews, develops, and updates corporate processes and templates to improve efficiency

• Provides advice and counsel on governance issues, develops and disseminates expertise to other stakeholders

• Understands and captures emerging themes within the corporate space, shares best practices, templates, and approaches; disseminates knowledge effectively, and guides other colleagues in the Legal function, ensuring consistent approaches globally

Support to Chief Legal Officer (CLO)

• Works closely with and supports the CLO in carrying out her Company Secretary responsibilities vis--vis the Board and its committees

• Provides support to the CLO and senior management on governance issues that impact the Company's partnership model, partnership culture and succession planning

• Partners with the CLO to help manage Board and shareholder matters, carry out elections for the Chair, Managing Partner/CEO, Board, Partner, and Principals of the firm, and support of other key partnership culture and governance processes

• Consistently evaluates current resources and capabilities, and raises key issues with the CLO

Team Oversight

• Provides guidance and oversight to other colleagues on the team: a Corporate Paralegal based in the United States and a Compliance Specialist based in Ireland

Relationship with Outside Counsel

• Oversees the work of outside counsel when outside support is needed, being mindful to be an excellent steward of the Firms resources

Other Responsibilities & Initiatives

• It is expected that the role will be 60% focused on governance matters for the Firm as described above

• The remainder of the time will be spent as needed by the Legal function, which may include helping on matters relating to the Firms share program (the Firms securities issued to certain employees of the Firm), corporate, transactional, and other initiatives as needed in consultation with the Firms CLO

KEY CAPABILITIES

• Strong intellectual horsepower

• Ability to navigate nuance and complexity and to work independently

• Ability to think strategically while demonstrating outstanding attention to detail

• Excellent judgment and ability to problem-solve creatively and effectively with an enterprise-wide mindset

• Highly collaborative, able to work effectively with senior stakeholders and multiple functions

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills

• Calm under pressure and able to effectively manage multiple competing priorities and deliver consistently with a high standard of excellence on a timely basis

IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Qualified lawyer with 6+ years of legal experience

• Ideally based in the United States, New York or northeast preferred

• Governance experience

• Experience with cross-border, multi-jurisdictional transactions, including entity matters across geographies, and hands-on experience assisting in the support of Board and committee meetings, including agendas, pre-read materials, minutes, resolutions, and written consents

• Has worked in professional services and/or a global firm, ideally with organizations that are or operate as private partnerships

The base compensation range for this position is $200,000 $250,000 per year. The actual base compensation offered within this range will be dependent on the individuals skills, experiences, and qualifications. This position will be eligible to participate in our annual discretionary bonus program.

Spencer Stuart also offers a competitive benefits package, which includes:

• Retirement savings plan with discretionary profit sharing contribution and employer match;

• PTO (minimum 15 days per year, increases with tenure), paid sick time (10 days per year), company holidays (12 days per year), and paid leaves of absence when applicable;

• Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and healthcare flexible spending account;

• Life Insurance, and short-term and long-term disability insurance;

• Wellness benefits, including an employee assistance program, virtual mental health program, and mindfulness program; and

• Voluntary benefit options, including supplemental life insurance, identity theft protection, and whole life insurance with long-term care and critical illness coverage.

Spencer Stuart is a proud equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to non-discrimination without regard to actual or perceived race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, immigration status, ancestry, age, marital status, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any basis prohibited under applicable federal, state or local law.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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