Chief Legal Officer, Child Welfare Network

Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

The General Counsel at Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, Inc. will serve as the chief legal officer, guiding governance, contracts, regulatory compliance, and risk management for CACTX and its 70 local CACs. This is a high-impact, strategic role reporting to the CEO.

The position requires a JD, active Texas Bar, 10+ years in nonprofit or corporate law, and experience advising executives. A collaborative leader with strong negotiation skills will partner across teams to advance CACTX’s

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor from ABA-accredited law school.
• Active Texas State Bar license in good standing.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible legal experience.
• Significant nonprofit, corporate, or in-house legal experience.
• Experience advising executive leadership.
• Strong contract drafting, negotiation, governance, and risk management skills.
• Ability to explain complex legal concepts to non-lawyers.
• Excellent judgment, diplomacy, and problem-solving; influence without authority.
• Business or financial acumen.
• Demonstrated interest in CACTX's mission.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely legal advice to CEO and executive team on governance, contracts, and risk.
• Assess implications of strategic initiatives and propose mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with CACTX leaders to achieve goals while managing risk.
• Review, draft, negotiate contracts; develop contract management framework.
• Review grant agreements and funder compliance requirements.
• Support compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Foster a culture of ethical behavior and risk awareness.
• Identify and mitigate legal and operational risks across programs.
• Advise on subpoenas, open records requests, and government inquiries.
• Design scalable legal resources for local CACs; templates, FAQs.
• Manage outside counsel relationships and budgets.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Governance

Risk management

Communication skills

Executive advising

Financial acumen

Mission alignment

Education

Juris Doctor

Texas Bar license

Job description

The General Counsel at Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, Inc. will serve as the chief legal officer, guiding governance, contracts, regulatory compliance, and risk management for CACTX and its 70 local CACs. This is a high-impact, strategic role reporting to the CEO.

The position requires a JD, active Texas Bar, 10+ years in nonprofit or corporate law, and experience advising executives. A collaborative leader with strong negotiation skills will partner across teams to advance CACTX’s