Technology and Corporate Counsel

About the Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invests in creative thinkers and problem solvers working to ensure that people communities and the planet can flourish. Together with our partners we are harnessing societys collective capacity to solve our toughest problems from the existential threat of climate change to persistent and pervasive inequities to attacks on democracy itself. A nonpartisan philanthropy the Hewlett Foundation has made grants in the U.S. and globally for nearly six decades based on an approach that emphasizes long-term support collaboration and trust.

Globally we make grants to address both longstanding and emerging challenges like our efforts to advance gender equity and governance reimagine the economy and society and reduce the growing threat of climate change. Our U.S. efforts prioritize strengthening democracy advancing education for all and supporting community-led the San Francisco Bay Area we call home we make grants to support meaningful artistic experiences in local communities and support regional foundations working on critical issues such as housing. All of our grantmaking also invests in advancing racial justice and in strengthening the effectiveness of our grantees and of philanthropy itself. The Hewlett Foundations assets are approximately $13.9 billion with annual awards of grants totaling more than $600 million. More information about the Hewlett Foundation is available at:

The foundation has approximately 130 employees in programmatic operational and investment roles located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Across the organization our employees are challenged with meaningful work have the resources for ongoing professional development and learning and contribute to a collegial and engaging environment where they can thrive. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion as part of our guiding principles and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

About the General Counsels Office

The General Counsels Office is responsible for providing timely coordinated and thoughtful legal advice that is grounded in applicable laws and tailored to the foundations programmatic needs enhancing its ability to achieve its charitable goals. Legal staff counsel internal clients on a wide variety of regulatory compliance and risk-management matters. The office currently comprises seven individuals: the General Counsel; two associate general counsels; two counsels; a legal and compliance officer; and an executive assistant. We are looking to add an additional lawyer. View the bios for the General Counsels team here.

About the Position

This full-time employee reports to an Associate General Counsel and will provide legal advice and support to the Foundation focusing on corporate and technology-related matters including data privacy intellectual property cybersecurity artificial intelligence (AI) contracts and general corporate governance. This will include reviewing and negotiating technology contracts; serving as the primary legal partner for the Information Technology (IT) and Facilities Operations departments; supporting technology projects to improve the processing of grants and contracts; providing thought leadership within the Foundation and within the nonprofit sector on legal issues related to technology particularly AI; and leading/advising on projects to keep the Foundations policies and procedures up to date with the law and best practices.

This lawyer should have corporate transactional experience at law firm(s) and specific experience advising on data privacy intellectual property cyber security and/or AI. Experience with the nonprofit sector is preferred and experience working in-house is desirable but not required. Strong interpersonal communications and client service skills are extremely important as are abilities to prioritize and balance projects with differing issue areas and stakeholders. Title and compensation are dependent on years of applicable experience.

Responsibilities

Support for IT and Facilities Operations

A core responsibility of this position is to act as primary counsel to the foundations IT and Facilities Operations teams providing day-to-day legal counsel on technology procurement cloud and software agreements licensing and internal policies and procedures. It is anticipated that this set of responsibilities will take approximately 45 percent of the lawyers time. Specific duties include:

• Advising on data privacy cybersecurity AI and incident response readiness.
• Partnering with IT and Facilities Operations to strengthen risk management frameworks.
• Guiding the responsible use of artificial intelligence tools internally and externally including evaluating vendors establishing AI governance frameworks and developing related policies to create efficiency and optimization.
• Managing intellectual property issues including copyright trademark and open-source compliance.
• Contributing to documentation user guides and system design testing to embed legal considerations into platform development.
• Helping draft review and update policies on data governance and retention and acceptable use of technology.
• Advising reviewing and negotiating on facilities and technology-related contracts.
• Engaging with and managing outside counsel.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

The other core responsibility of this position is to act as counsel collaborating with other members of the legal team on technology contracts software utility and enhancements grants processing and related compliance matters. It is anticipated that these responsibilities will take approximately 40 percent of the lawyers time. Specific duties include:

• HR: Support compliance in HR systems (ADP Everfi online training platforms).
• Finance: Advise on financial systems (Concur Stampli) and contracts.
• Grants Management: Partner on Salesforce/Grants Management System DocuSign and data integrity.
• Contracts: Support workflow design and compliance documentation.
• Programs: Advise on grants pertaining to artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

Other Departmental Responsibilities and Support for Administrative Teams

This employee will assist the General Counsel and other members of the legal team on a variety of Foundation projects such as improving compliance systems or developing training materials. It is anticipated that these responsibilities will take approximately 15 percent of the lawyers time. These duties may include:

• Keeping abreast of changes in technology law and regulations to ensure the Foundation remains compliant and knowledgeable about changes in the legal landscape and can anticipate future opportunities and challenges.

• Developing and implementing user-friendly policies and procedures working in conjunction with the General Counsel legal team and other departments.

• Designing and conducting training sessions and process guides for the General Counsels Office and other Foundation staff.
• Working on technology projects to streamline grants and contracts processing

Requirements

• J.D. with a minimum of three years of relevant legal experience. The ideal candidate should have law firm experience doing a range of technology transactional work. Nonprofit/exempt organization experience is preferred and in-house experience is desirable but not required.
• Candidate must be a team player flexible and enjoy working in a collaborative environment. Ability to work well independently and as part of a team.
• Experience adapting complex legal advice to create practical processes and guidance materials for clients including in-house users.
• Experience negotiating and drafting technology-related agreements including software services (including AI-related products and services) licensing and data privacy agreements.

• Ability to understand the foundations goals and to counsel staff on how to achieve them efficiently while appropriately factoring in legal risks and compatibility with the foundations systems and policies.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and a strong ability to deliver quality training experiences to small and large groups.
• Project management experience with developing and implementing policies and procedures.
• A license to practice law in California or eligibility for such admission at the time of hiring. Registered In-House Counsel status is acceptable.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The position is based in Menlo Park California. Staff are working in a hybrid environment and are expected to work from the Hewlett Foundation office at least 2-3 times per week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays are required in-office days) with a minimum of 10 in-office days per month. While performing the duties of this position the employee is required to spend extended periods of time at a computer.

Compensation and Benefits

The Hewlett Foundation is committed to providing compensation that is competitive within the philanthropic sector. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits and includes an employer-assisted housing program. The salary range for this role is $210000-$230000. Offers are based on the candidates years of experience and our practice of maintaining salary equity within the foundation.

To Apply

Interested qualified attorneys should submit an electronic copy of their letter of interest and their resume to the following search consultants:

Steve John Partner

John and Snyder LLC

Jason Snyder Partner

John and Snyder LLC

All inquiries and/or application materials sent directly to the foundation will be redirected to John and Snyder LLC for review which may cause significant delay in evaluation and response.

On behalf of the Hewlett Foundation we thank you for your interest in the Technology and Corporate Counsel opportunity.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation embraces the importance of diversity equity and inclusion both internally in our hiring process and organizational culture and externally in our grantmaking and related practices. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds cultures and experiences.