Associate General Counsel

Job Description: The Associate General Counsel provides expert legal counsel in a fast-paced and collaborative environment supporting the mission and strategic goals of the University. Reporting to the General Counsel the Associate General Counsel offers proactive practical and solution-oriented legal advice to a wide range of university stakeholders ensuring institutional compliance and minimizing legal risk. This role requires a forward-thinking approach to emerging legal challenges in higher education. The office of General Counsel consists of the General Counsel the Associate General Counsel the Assistant General Counsel and support staff. This position may require working outside of standard business hours including evenings and weekends as business needs require. Key benefits include tuition remission retirement contributions and a hybrid work policy (subject to business needs and mutual agreement).

Location: Glenside

Key Responsibilities:

Legal Counsel and Compliance:

• Provide independent high-level legal advice to faculty administrators and staff on a broad spectrum of legal matters including contracts regulatory compliance employment law civil rights data privacy cybersecurity and international legal issues.
• Advise on compliance with applicable federal state and local laws including but not limited to Title VI Title VII Title IX ADA Section 504 FERPA state privacy laws as applicable GDPR for international applications and other higher education regulations.
• Stay current on emerging laws and regulations affecting higher education and ensure appropriate communication and training for campus stakeholders.
• Develop and manage a University-wide compliance matrix to track and support adherence to regulatory requirements.
• Develop proactive compliance strategies for emerging regulatory frameworks including federal and state AI regulations biometric privacy laws and climate disclosure requirements.

Contract and Document Management:

• Draft review negotiate and manage a wide variety of legal agreements including but not limited to:
  • Academic and affiliation agreements.
  • Employment and HR-related contracts including remote and hybrid work arrangements and separation agreements.
  • Real estate documents (leases sales agreements).
  • Construction donor and research agreements.
  • Dual enrollment and international agreements.
  • Technology agreements including SaaS cloud services AI/ML licensing and data processing agreements.
  • Cybersecurity and information security contracts.
  • Digital accessibility and compliance agreements.
  • Environmental Social and Governance (ESG)-related partnerships and contracts.
  • Vendor and procurement agreements with enhanced data protection clauses.
• Review and respond to public records and discovery requests ensuring compliance with applicable confidentiality laws.

Civil Rights and Title IX:

• Provide legal support on matters involving Title IX discrimination harassment disability accommodations religious accommodations LGBTQ rights and related investigations.
• Advise Title IX Coordinators and other officials on case resolution procedures policy development training and emerging civil rights challenges.
• Represent the University in responses to investigations or inquiries from regulatory agencies (e.g. OCR).
• Collaborate with Human Resources Student Affairs and other units on conduct matters grievances and equity-related issues.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution:

• Represent the University in legal proceedings and manage litigation in coordination with outside counsel as appropriate.
• Support internal dispute resolution processes including student conduct cases employee grievances union matters and terminations.
• Respond to subpoenas and coordinate document production ensuring compliance with legal and confidentiality standards.
• Manage crisis response and legal aspects of incident management including data breaches and cybersecurity events.

Governance and Policy:

• Serve as Chair of the Universitys Policy Advisory Committee and facilitate the development and delivery of training on University policies and legal obligations.
• Provide expert-level support to the General Counsel in their role as Secretary of the University including advising on governance matters strategic planning enterprise risk management and board compliance.
• Serving on and leading University committees as assigned or approved by the General Counsel.

Technology and Data Governance:

• Advise on artificial intelligence governance algorithmic accountability and responsible AI implementation in educational settings.
• Support data governance initiatives privacy impact assessments and cross-border data transfer compliance.
• Collaborate with IT on vendor security risk assessments and legal aspects of digital transformation and technology adoption.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
  
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant legal experience (higher education or nonprofit experience preferred).
  
• Experience with board governance or serving as counsel to boards.
  
• Active license to practice law in Pennsylvania.
  
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas: contracts labor and employment real estate compliance data privacy and intellectual property.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Exceptional legal research analytical writing and oral communication skills.
  
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines independently in both traditional and hybrid work environments.
  
• High ethical standards professional integrity and enthusiasm for the work.
  
• Be a solutions-oriented consummate team player with the ability to build strong collaborative relationships across diverse university constituencies.
  
• Advanced legal knowledge across a wide range of practice areas with adaptability to learn emerging legal frameworks quickly.
  
• Effective supervision and mentoring of legal support staff.
  
• Demonstrated ability to identify emerging legal issues before they impact the institution and develop preventative strategies.
  
• Capacity to anticipate and solve problems creatively and strategically.
  
• Understanding of higher education trends including digital transformation hybrid learning models and evolving student and employee expectations.
  
• Familiarity with contemporary risk management approaches and crisis response protocols.
  
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams on complex compliance initiatives.

Application Instructions:

• Applications must be submitted online through Arcadias Human Resources portal to receive full consideration. Please do not email application materials to the hiring manager. Due to the volume of applications received communication will generally be limited to candidates selected for additional consideration.
• Application review will begin immediately. Posting will be removed from the website once weve established a sufficient talent pool for consideration.

Arcadia University is a top-ranked private University in Greater Philadelphia that provides a values-based authentic educational experience by placing students at the center. The Institute of International Education has consistently ranked Arcadia first in the nation for study abroad and the Princeton Review has ranked Arcadia among the Best in the Northeast for 10 consecutive years. The Universitys graduate programs in Physical Therapy Physician Assistant Education and Public Health are nationally ranked in their respective categories by U.S. News & World Report which cites Arcadia for being among the top study abroad programs and a top performer for social mobility. Arcadia is home to a close-knit and welcoming community that supports students throughout their journey. Arcadias quality academic programs unique approach to a liberal arts education and supportive community guide students toward degree completion and career success. Learn more about our vibrant community at .

We welcome candidates who can contribute to the excellence of our community. The successful candidate will demonstrate examples of ways they will incorporate our values in their work.

At Arcadia University our Lived Values are the foundation of our highly regarded values-based learning community which reflects the world in which we want to live. As such Arcadia actively seeks and welcomes candidates who embrace those values. Arcadia prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of ethnicity national origin ancestry race color religion creed sex gender marital status affectional or sexual orientation age gender identity military or military veteran status disability family medical or genetic information or any other legally protected characteristic. All offers of employment are conditional based on the successful completion of a background check. Employment may not begin until the University accepts the results of the background check.

Arcadia offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare generous tuition benefits for employees and their families retirement benefits health and wellness programs and resources and much more.

Position Code: AC139F