Assistant/Associate General Counsel for Risk and Compliance in New York City, New York at Barnard College

Title: Assistant/Associate General Counsel for Risk and Compliance

Location: New York City, NY

Full/Part Time: Full time
Req ID: JR2026105

Description:

If you are a current Barnard College employee, please use the internal career site to apply for this position.

Job:

Assistant/Associate General Counsel for Risk and ComplianceBarnard’s Office of the General Counsel is looking for a proactive and organized attorney to join a high-performing and collaborative team as an Assistant/Associate General Counsel for Risk and Compliance. This position will provide strategic leadership in risk management and legal compliance as well as support the general legal duties of the Office of the General Counsel. This role ensures effective governance, enterprise risk management, and policy development and implementation to mitigate legal and financial risks while advancing institutional priorities. The successful candidate will design compliance programming, recommend compliance initiatives and strategy to senior leadership, and partner with stakeholders across all parts of the College to ensure compliance and ethics standards are met. They will also have the opportunity to work on the wide range of legal work performed by the Office of the General Counsel, from litigation and legal counseling to transactions and policy work.

Job Description:

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:
● Oversee, monitor and advise on the College’s compliance with applicable Federal, State, Local laws, rules, and regulations including reporting requirements.
● Monitor legislative and regulatory actions and court rulings to ensure that the College is meeting any new or modified compliance and risk management requirements.
● Serve as a liaison between the Office of General Counsel, Finance & Operations, and external legal counsel on risk, insurance and compliance matters.
● Further develop and oversee the College’s enterprise risk management program, identifying, assessing, and mitigating institutional risks.
● Provide legal and risk analysis for College policies, contracts, and initiatives to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
● Ensure appropriate insurance coverage and risk mitigation requirements are present in all contracts being entered into by the College.
● Oversee insurance policies, renewals, claims management, and risk transfer strategies, working across all units of the College and in close coordination with the Finance division.
● Manage compliance hotline and conduct/support related investigations.

● Partner with the General Counsel on policy development, governance, regulatory compliance, and institutional risk strategy.
● Work closely with internal stakeholders on disaster recovery planning and business continuity strategies.
● Develop and implement institutional policies and processes to streamline risk, compliance, and operational efficiencies.
● Provide training to various campus constituencies to support compliance.

Secondary Duties & Responsibilities:
● Support and handle litigation, arbitrations, and negotiations.
● Support and handle contract review, negotiation, and execution. This will include the roll out of a new college-wide contract management system (Workday).
● Support and handle internal investigations.
● Perform other tasks as assigned.

Skills, Qualifications & Requirements:

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
● Strong legal and risk management expertise, with the ability to assess and mitigate institutional risks.
● Excellent contract negotiation, compliance, and policy development skills.
● Exceptional strategic, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
● Strong project management and organizational skills.
● Ability to interact and collaborate effectively with senior administrators, trustees, faculty, and external stakeholders.
● High level of integrity, discretion, and ability to handle confidential and sensitive matters.

Qualifications:
● Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree required.
● Admission to the state bar (New York preferred) and in good standing.
● Minimum of 5 years of legal, risk management, or compliance experience, preferably in higher education, nonprofit, or corporate sectors.
● Experience in enterprise risk management, contract negotiation, insurance, and compliance.
● Higher education experience is a plus.
● Assistant/Associate level will depend on experience.

Salary Range: $160,000 – $180,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Company:

Barnard College

Time Type:

Full time

About Us: Barnard is an intellectually stimulating, diverse college community of approximately 800 full- and part-time faculty and staff dedicated to providing an extraordinary educational environment for our 2,600 students.
Whether you are a current or potential Barnard employee, the Office of Human Resources is here to provide you with clear and accurate information and the best possible service. We hope that you find the site useful and will feel free to email any of the HR staff directly with questions or suggestions. We look forward to working with you.