Massachusetts Community Colleges - General Counsel

Academic Career & Executive Search; Bedford (MA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Academic Career & Executive Search is seeking a seasoned General Counsel for Massachusetts Community Colleges. The role guides a statewide in-house team of seven attorneys and professional staff, advising fifteen presidents and senior leaders on labor, governance, policy, contracts, and risk management.

The GC reports to the Chair of the Council of Community College Presidents from the Bedford Campus and leads a dynamic, mission‑driven legal office dedicated to public higher education across the

Qualifications

• The successful candidate will combine exceptional legal judgment with outstanding leadership and management skills.
• They will lead and develop an experienced legal team across fifteen colleges and provide strategic legal counsel to presidents and senior administrators.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the chief legal advisor to the Massachusetts Community Colleges and provide strategic counsel to presidents, boards of trustees, and senior administrators.
• Oversee budgeting, strategic planning, and delivery of high‑quality legal services across all fifteen colleges.
• Advise on employment, labor relations, governance, compliance, contracts, litigation, and risk management.
• Develop and implement legal strategies that advance the system's mission while mitigating institutional risk.

Job description

Massachusetts Community Colleges General Counsel

Lead one of the Commonwealth's most distinctive in-house legal offices, guiding an experienced team of attorneys and serving as the trusted legal advisor to the Massachusetts Community Colleges.

The next General Counsel for the Massachusetts Community Colleges will lead a highly respected legal office serving all fifteen public community colleges and provide legal advice to presidents on issues including labor, governance, and policy shaping higher education across the Commonwealth. Unlike a traditional campus General Counsel position, this role offers the rare opportunity to provide impactful legal strategy across a statewide system while assisting presidents, boards of trustees, and senior leaders to navigate some of public higher education's most complex challenges. Each of the fifteen colleges brings its own leadership, culture, and priorities, making this one of the most varied, intellectually engaging, and purpose-driven legal practices in public higher education.

The successful candidate will combine exceptional legal judgment with outstanding leadership and management skills. Beyond serving as the chief legal advisor, the next General Counsel will lead and develop an experienced legal team, strengthen the systems that support the delivery of legal services across a complex statewide organization, and serve as a trusted advisor to fifteen college presidents. The ideal candidate will value the mission of community colleges and the transformative impact they have on students, families, and communities. They will communicate complex legal issues with clarity and concision, provide thoughtful options rather than simple answers, exercise sound judgment under pressure, respond with urgency, and build collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholders while thriving in a fast‑paced environment where no two days are alike.

This position reports to the Chair of the Council of Community College Presidents and leads the General Counsel's Office, located on the Bedford Campus of Middlesex Community College. The Office includes a team of seven attorneys as well as professional staff serving all fifteen Massachusetts Community Colleges.

The salary range for this position is $225,000–$275,000, commensurate with experience.

About the Massachusetts Community Colleges

The Massachusetts Community Colleges comprise the largest segment of the Commonwealth's public higher education system, serving students across its fifteen community colleges committed to affordable access, workforce development, transfer opportunities, and economic mobility. Today, the colleges are at the forefront of statewide efforts to expand educational opportunities through initiatives such as MassEducate, positioning the system for continued growth and innovation. Driven by a mission of access, opportunity, and student success, the colleges transform the lives of students, families, and communities while strengthening the Commonwealth's workforce and economy.

Learn more:

• Massachusetts Public Higher Education System
• Free Community College in Massachusetts (MassEducate)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Legal Leadership

• Serve as the chief legal advisor to the Massachusetts Community Colleges, providing strategic legal counsel to presidents, boards of trustees, and senior administrators.
• Advise the colleges, individually and collectively, on applicable state and federal laws, regulations, governance, accreditation, employment and labor law, collective bargaining, student affairs, compliance, contracts, litigation, and institutional risk management.
• Develop legal strategies to support policies and objectives that mitigate institutional risk while supporting the mission and priorities of the Massachusetts Community Colleges.
• Collaborate with institutional leaders to ensure initiatives, policies, and operations comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Leadership & Operations

• Lead, supervise, mentor, and develop the attorneys and professional staff within the General Counsel's Office, fostering a collaborative, high-performing legal team.
• Oversee the operations of the General Counsel's Office, including budgeting, strategic planning, reporting, and the consistent delivery of high-quality legal services across all fifteen community colleges.
• Build and strengthen the systems, processes, and workflows that enable the General Counsel's Office to efficiently prioritize work, deliver exceptional legal services, and support the evolving needs of the Massachusetts Community Colleges.
• Promote operational excellence through effective leadership, accountability, continuous improvement, and sound management practices.

Labor, Employment & Litigation

• Advise the colleges on employment law, labor relations, collective bargaining, discrimination matters, and related legal issues for both non-unit personnel and unionized employees.
• Represent the community colleges, or coordinate representation, in litigation, arbitration, mediation, and proceedings before state and federal courts, commissions, and administrative agencies.
• Provide leadership and oversight for attorneys engaged in collective bargaining and labor matters.

Governance, Policy & External Relations

• Advise on development and review