Licensing Coordinator II

This person will work as a member of a small licensing team to obtain and renew licenses and perform other licensing/permitting activities for the organization. These additional activities will include researching and tracking state & local license/renewal requirements tracking license renewal dates and applications facilitating vendor invoice approval and payment and handling entry of licensing and permitting information into License HQ database. S/he will start with owning license renewals and increasingly be assigned to handle the entire lifecycle of certain licenses by either license type business line or region. S/he will need to think strategically to keep all required licenses current and active while helping to create and maintain workflows to drive process improvement and department efficiencies. The ideal candidate is a supremely organized problem-solver motivated to work both independently and with a team.

Key Metrics

1. Timely and accurate filing of license applications and renewals
2. Timely facilitation of vendor payments and other expenses
3. Timely calendaring reporting and tracking to include maintenance of filing spreadsheets and License HQ database
4. Effective compliance problem-solving communication skills and general legal administration

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• License Administration. Increasingly handle entire lifecycle of obtaining maintaining renewing and tracking assigned license types (approximately 4500) in partnership with the Corporate Paralegal/Licensing and Regulatory Compliance as needed to operate within various governmental authorities throughout the United States and Canada for a diverse retail and dining organization including but not limited to the following types of license:
  • General: Business Licenses Health Permits Food Permits Fire Wastewater and Duty-Free Permits
  • Highly Regulated: Alcohol and Tobacco Licenses
  • Miscellaneous: e.g. Grease trap permits live music milk burglar alarm permits lottery permits.
• Training; Audits. Assist with training and troubleshooting to maintain license obligations including responsibility to display along with random audit to ensure compliance at all times.
• LicenseHQ Administration. Own and administer LicenseHQ system and ensure all licenses are properly entered/tracked/maintained to allow for accurate reporting and compliance with all regulatory requirements legal obligations and company policies and practices.
• Gross Receipt Spreadsheet. Develop and maintain Gross Receipt Filings & Deadline Spreadsheet for licensing function and tax professionals.
• Deadline Report. Own preparation and distribution of weekly deadline reports based on available resources (including new store opening calls and construction reports) to ensure proper coordination and all deadlines are timely met.
• Help develop and maintain policies and procedures related to the Licensing Compliance software along with custom Renewal Instructions for internal license personnel within each state/county/city based on independent research of requirements.
• Handle all invoice approvals check requests and vendor/law firm payments ensuring such expense hits the proper profit and loss sheet.
• Assist and interface as company representative with external counsel and governmental agency representative in the areas of highly regulated license.
• Independently coordinate with relevant state county and city offices confirming all necessary documentation & fees required for licensing monitor timing of process and maintain good working relationships with various governmental offices.
• First Line Legal Support. Provide first line support with respect to voluminous inquiries to the legal department from business partners either providing resources/answers directly or providing direction to the appropriate legal resource for support.
• Complete other administrative duties required as part of the licensing process.
• Special Projects. Support and assist staff with various special projects administrative items corporate compliance and reporting.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3 years of experience as a paralegal or licensing professional which may include law firm in house IT procurement or comparable work
• College degree (bachelors or associates) or paralegal certificate preferred
• Proven strength with respect to Corporate Entities / Licensing / Regulatory Compliance / Record Management (familiarity with licensing rules especially liquor licensing is a plus)
• Excellent organizational skills initiative intuitiveness detail orientation responsiveness interpersonal skills sensitivity to confidential information and a can-do attitude
• Superior interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with internal and external parties.
• Demonstrate attention to detail with strong prioritization and organizational skills to maximize efficiency ensuring deadlines are met.
• Strong problem-solving analytical and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrate ability to handle confidential and sensitive information and safeguard the confidentiality of all information disclosed (including personal information of senior officers of the Company)
• Microsoft Office (Word Outlook Excel PowerPoint) Adobe legal research and strong computer skills

Required Experience:

IC