Sr. Director Program Counsel, Programs: Contracts and Corporate/Tax

Casey-Family-Programs; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

12 days annual leave

12 days sick leave

10 paid holidays per year

Personal holiday each calendar year

Parental leave up to 8 weeks

Job summary

Casey Family Programs is seeking a Sr. Director Program Counsel in Seattle to lead legal guidance for contracts, corporate and tax matters, and IP issues. The role oversees contract management, advises on program relationships, and ensures compliance with nonprofit requirements.

Strong leadership and in-house experience are essential for this high-impact position. The role requires a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, Washington State Bar admission, and a track record of supervising legal

Qualifications

• J.D. from ABA-accredited law school with 10 years of relevant corporate and contract experience.
• Experience in nonprofit foundations and child welfare a plus.
• Supervisory experience required.

Responsibilities

• Provide general legal advice across contracts, privacy, corporate issues, and IP.
• Oversee all organizational contracts and contract management system.
• Review, draft, and negotiate with outside counsel on diverse contracts.
• Advise on tax-exempt requirements and private foundation issues.
• Design and document initiatives contracts and provide compliance guidance.
• Ensure compliance with laws and internal policies; train personnel.
• Lead, mentor, and supervise legal department staff.
• Perform risk analyses and develop policies.

Skills

Contract management

Legal advisory to leadership

Staff mentoring

Policy training

Education

J.D. from ABA-accredited law school

Admitted to Washington State Bar

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Sr. Director Program Counsel, Programs: Contracts and Corporate/Tax

Job Category: Non-Field Office

Requisition Number: SRDIR002077

• Posted : September 3, 2026
• Full-Time
• On-site

Locations

Showing 1 location

Description

Casey Family Programs, an Equal Opportunity Employer, is the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care and building Communities of Hope for children and families across America. Founded in 1966, Casey Family Programs works in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, two territories, and tribal nations to influence long-lasting improvements to the safety and success of children, families and the communities where they live. Casey Family Programs values diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and respect for individuals in the workplace. We encourage candidates with diverse lived experience and perspectives to apply.

Job Summary:

Assists the Managing Director, Senior Program Counsel in providing legal guidance and advice to Casey Family Programs (CFP) leaders, management and staff on a variety of legal, business, and operational issues to support programmatic and operational goals. While this position works with other program counsel and provides coverage on all legal areas of work as needed, the focus of this position is assisting to oversee all organizational contracts and contract management at the organization, support and advise on programmatic relationships and external work, address general corporate and business matters, assist with the organization’s tax-exempt requirements, and intellectual property (IP) issues.

• With oversight from the Managing Director, provide general legal advice and support for all program and operational departments, including advising CFP leaders, management and staff on a variety of matters, including contracts, information privacy, corporate and private foundation issues, employment matters, accreditation and licensing, programmatic (e.g., direct service, consulting, research, advocacy and education) issues, insurance matters, litigation, subpoenas and records management issues, and intellectual property. Coordinate with peers in developing resolutions to issues.
• Primary responsibility will be to assist the Managing Director to lead all legal advice on how to properly structure contracts, grants, and program investments and other collaborations, and oversee all organizational contracts as well as the contract management system.
• Responsible for the review, drafting, and legal negotiations with other counsel (e.g., state attorneys general) of the organization’s various contractual agreements. This includes: (1) Child Welfare Participation Agreements, (2) Vendor Agreements, (3) Grants, (4) Jurisdiction Agreements, (5) Collaborations, and (6) other unique contract agreements.
• Assists the Managing Director to provide organizational legal advice and counsel regarding the laws applicable to tax-exempt organizations and on technical tax issues applicable to private foundations.
• Act as a legal advisor and/or partner for programmatic initiatives, including the designing and documentation (contracting) for such initiatives. Advise on other tax compliance matters, such as advocacy related activities, compliance with self-dealing rules, grantee tax status and government official related expenses.
• Assist in ensuring organizational compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws, as well as internal policies and procedures, including but not limited to private foundation requirements and organization
  registrations.
• Participate in projects at the department level as well as cross-functionally. Attend meetings to ensure awareness and understanding of program activities and collaborations/partnerships. Train and educate foundation personnel regarding applicable laws and best practices. Proactively collaborate with foundation divisions and teams to create and incorporate processes into legal advice and compliance strategies that are calibrated to the foundation’s risk management.
• Perform risk, and legal analyses, resolve issues and review, revise, and develop policies and guidelines related to CFP programs as requested by the Senior Program Counsel.
• Develop and provide training and educational programs on legal requirements and organizational policies to CFP leaders, management, and staff.
• Mentor and supervise legal department staff. Provide leadership opportunities for employees that enable growth and encourage leadership development with the position. Ensure that employees receive the appropriate training, feedback, performance evaluations, and planning documents as provided under the Human Resource Systems.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from A.B.A. accredited law school and 10 years of relevant corporate and contract experience, preferably with in-house. Experience in the areas of non-profit law (specifically foundations) as well as child welfare programming a plus. A history of progressively increasing responsibility in supervision/management.
• Admitted to practice to Washington State Bar.
• Proven ability to provide technical expertise to all levels of management and staff regarding agreements and contracts to ensure efficient contracting.
• Demonstrated efficient, persistent and meticulous attention to detail.
• Proven ability to work independently with excellent judgment, diplomacy, and professionalism and able to prioritize requests and manage multiple requests simultaneously.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to explain complex legal issues clearly and concisely to non-lawyer colleagues.
• Ability to interface, collaborate, and be a resource for all levels of management and staff, and with outside counsel, vendors and entities. Ability to collaborate with other Legal Services team members to deliver quality advice and work product.
• Ability to interface with and manage outside counsel, vendors and entities.
• Comfortable balancing multiple, competing priorities and changes in scope/direction.
• Ability to evaluate and weigh legal and business issues effectively and practically.
• Demonstrated skills as a regular user, of software, technology, and online resources including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook including calendaring, task, etc).
• Ability to perform effectively in high pressure and stressful work environment. Ability to manage stress and self-care.
• Ability to work onsite full-time to meet the collaborative responsibilities that are essential for position. Regular and reliable attendance is required.
• Physical requirements include the ability to lift and reach for light objects; ability to type and work at a computer for extended periods of time as a primary job function.
• Ability to protect the confidentiality of sensitive information by learning and following all relevant policies and protocols and using sound judgment in the handling and sharing of that information.
• Local travel as well as occasional out of town travel may be required. Driving on Casey business may require use of personal vehicle; adherence to vehicle safety guidelines and qualification for insurance is require.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The typical hiring range for this position in Seattle, WA is $170,000 to $200,000. The full salary range for the role is $170,000 to $230,000. As a mission-driven organization, Casey strives to balance competitive pay with our mission. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Casey Family Programs offers comprehensive benefits including medical, dental and vision coverage, accrual of 12 days of annual leave, 12 days of sick leave,10 paid holidays per year, and each employee receives one personal holiday to use each calendar year. Employees that meet certain tenure qualifiers are eligible for up to eight weeks of parental leave for the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care. After the completion of 10 years of continuous, full-time regular employment, employees in good standing are permitted for a three-month sabbatical with pay. CFP also offers many opportunities for continued learning, training, and development.

This position will remain open until the needs are met and is subject to closure at any time without notice. It is to your advantage to file your application early as you will not be able to apply once the position has closed.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.