First General Counsel - AI Safety Nonprofit (Hybrid)

MATS Program; Berkeley (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Catered lunches and dinners on work-?d

Staff trips and conferences

Professional development funding

Medical, dental, vision, and life ins.

US 401(k) options with Roth/Trad

Job summary

MATS Program in Berkeley, CA seeks a General Counsel to build and run the legal function for a growing nonprofit. You will own contracts, governance, employment law across US/UK, IP and data privacy, and risk management, working closely with the CEO and COO on high-stakes matters.

You will develop processes, templates, and playbooks to scale, manage outside counsel, and support board reviews, while ensuring compliance and responsible governance for a mission-driven organization.

Qualifications

• J.D. and active California Bar membership.
• 5-7 years of relevant legal experience as in-house corporate counsel or nonprofit General Counsel.
• Experience with nonprofit or tax-exempt organizations and governance is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate grant agreements, donor agreements, vendor contracts, fellowship agreements, and MOUs.
• Maintain 501(c)(3) compliance and advise on board governance and filings.
• Advise on hiring, contractor classification, and employment matters in US and UK.
• Manage IP questions around research outputs and oversee data privacy (GDPR/CCPA).
• Identify and mitigate legal and reputational risk across programs and international operations.
• Prepare materials for board review on legal and compliance topics.
• Build templates, playbooks, and lightweight processes for self-service legal questions.
• Engage and manage outside counsel for specialized matters (immigration, international tax, litigation).
• Help navigate immigration situations for fellows and employees.

Skills

Legal advisory

Contract negotiation

Employment law

IP & data privacy

Governance & compliance

Cross-border exposure

Board support

Risk management

Education

J.D.

California Bar admission

Job description

MATS Program in Berkeley, CA seeks a General Counsel to build and run the legal function for a growing nonprofit. You will own contracts, governance, employment law across US/UK, IP and data privacy, and risk management, working closely with the CEO and COO on high-stakes matters.

You will develop processes, templates, and playbooks to scale, manage outside counsel, and support board reviews, while ensuring compliance and responsible governance for a mission-driven organization.