Corporate Paralegal & Executive Liaison, Advancement

LSU New Orleans; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

LSU New Orleans Foundation is seeking a Corporate Paralegal & Executive Liaison to support board governance, corporate records, and entity compliance. The role provides contract and gift agreement oversight and serves as the executive liaison to the President/CEO.

Responsibilities include coordinating board meetings, maintaining bylaws, supporting budgets with Finance, and ensuring confidential handling of privileged information across legal, governance, and executive priorities.

Qualifications

• Paralegal certification or degree required.
• Three+ years corporate, transactional, or governance paralegal experience.
• Experience drafting and managing contracts and legal documents.
• Notary commission in Louisiana or ability to obtain within six months.
• Strong organizational skills and discretion with confidential matters.
• Ability to work with budgets and expense documentation with a finance team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work independently and manage priorities.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and staff Foundation board meetings and committees.
• Maintain corporate records, governance calendars, bylaws, and policies.
• Serve as executive liaison to the President/CEO and staff.
• Monitor budgets and expense documentation with Finance.
• Support regulatory compliance and restricted-fund documentation.

Skills

Contract drafting

Governance experience

Budget awareness

Discretion/confidentiality

Communication

Independent work

Education

Paralegal certificate or degree

Louisiana notary knowledge or ability

Tools

Microsoft 365

Document management systems

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Job description

Thank you for your interest in LSU New Orleans. Once you start the application process, you will not be able to save your work, so you should collect all required information before you begin. The required information is listed below in the job posting. You must complete all required portions of the application and attach the required documents in order to be considered for employment.

Department: University Advancement

Job Summary Working under the supervision of the Executive Director of University Advancement, who also serves as President & CEO of the LSU New Orleans Foundation, the Corporate Paralegal & Executive Liaison provides corporate and transactional paralegal support; leads board governance, corporate records, and entity compliance; supports the Foundation's finance and budget oversight functions; and serves as the executive liaison to the President/CEO. This position serves as the Foundation's primary internal resource for contracts, gift agreements, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and board administration. The role is responsible for coordinating and staffing the LSU New Orleans Foundation Board of Directors and its committees, maintaining official corporate records, ensuring organizational compliance with applicable laws and governing documents, and supporting executive-level strategic initiatives and special projects. The role requires exceptional discretion with privileged and confidential material and the judgment to work independently across legal, governance, finance, and executive priorities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• 25% Corporate and transactional paralegal work: drafts, reviews, routes, and manages contracts, memoranda of understanding, nondisclosure and vendor agreements, and gift agreements; coordinates with the LSU System and outside counsel; and maintains legal files, templates, and the contract lifecycle, including approvals and signatures.
• 25% Board governance and operations: serves as the primary staff resource to the LSU New Orleans Foundation boards and their committees, including scheduling, agendas, materials, minutes, and resolutions, and maintains bylaws, policies, conflict-of-interest processes, and governance calendars.
• 25% Executive liaison to the President/CEO: manages the President/CEO's priorities, correspondence, scheduling, meeting preparation, and follow-up; coordinates confidential projects and communications; and serves as a trusted point of contact among the President/CEO, the boards, staff, and external stakeholders.
• 15% Budget monitoring and expense oversight: in coordination with Finance, monitors Foundation budgets against the chart of accounts, tracks spending to ensure the Foundation and its departments remain on budget, and flags variances. Reviews Foundation account activity and advancement team expenses to confirm each is properly coded and supported by complete documentation sufficient for approval, in partnership with the Advancement Operations & Events Manager, who handles transactional processing and reconciliation.
• 10% Corporate records, compliance, and entity management: maintains corporate records; 501(c)(3) compliance; supports gift-agreement execution and restricted-fund documentation.
• 5% Performs other responsibilities as assigned in support of the goals and objectives of the Foundation and the University.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Paralegal certificate or degree from an accredited program, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Three or more years of corporate, transactional, or governance paralegal experience
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and managing contracts and legal documents
• Louisiana notary public commission, or the ability to obtain one within six months of hire
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to handle privileged, sensitive, and confidential matters with discretion and sound judgment
• Comfort working with budgets, account coding, and expense documentation in coordination with a finance team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability to work independently and to manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and with document and records management

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience supporting a nonprofit, foundation, or higher education board and its committees
• Experience as a corporate secretary or in board governance
• Executive support or chief-of-staff experience to a president, CEO, or senior executive
• Familiarity with nonprofit budgets, chart-of-accounts structures, and expense and grant compliance
• Familiarity with nonprofit governance, charitable-solicitation registration, and 501(c)(3) compliance
• Familiarity with gift agreements, restricted funds, and endowment documentation
• Familiarity with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Posting Close Date

This position will remain open until filled.

Note to Applicant:

Applicants should fully describe their qualifications and experience with specific reference to each of the minimum and preferred qualifications in their cover letter. The search committee will use this information during the initial review of application materials. References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.

This position may require a criminal background check to be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire. As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions at LSU New Orleans may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks. LSU New Orleans seeks to recruit a highly productive workforce and will provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and prospective employees. Employment decisions shall be based strictly on merit and without regard to religious or political beliefs, sex, race, or any other non-merit factor.