About Climate Lead
Climate Lead empowers philanthropic leaders everywhere to take immediate and far-reaching climate action. By serving as an impartial guide, Climate Lead equips new climate philanthropists with the information and insights they need to drive transformative solutions. We cut through the complexity by curating roadmaps, in partnership with a diverse network of experts, to help philanthropists make a bold impact on climate from day one.
Summary
Climate Lead is seeking an interim Counsel to build and lead a centralized legal and risk management function. This role is critical to supporting our organizational growth, reducing risk, and embedding legal strategy across operations. The ideal candidate is both a strategic thinker and hands-on doer who can provide proactive, tailored legal guidance. This position will play a key role in increasing internal capacity, enabling faster decision-making, and strengthening long-term organizational resilience.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
In-house counsel will address general and specific legal risks, including:
- Developing a centralized risk management function
- Conducting a confidential data assessment and creating a framework for internal and external data sharing
- Providing ongoing guidance on document retention, including legal hold procedures, especially as new policies and infrastructure are introduced
- Facilitating ongoing training for staff
- Ensuring compliance and tracking of NDA, contracts & grants, including making sure the contract process is efficient and compliant
- Advising on donor-related legal issues – new offerings (e.g. impact investing, geographies, etc.)
- Provide guidance on 501c(3) rules
Success Criteria
Legal and Risk Leadership – Successfully establishes and leads a centralized legal and risk management function that is proactive, strategic, and integrated into Climate Lead’s operations.
Operational Enablement – Reduces the legal and compliance burden on leadership, enabling faster and more effective decision-making.
Capacity Building and Training- Embeds legal awareness and training across teams, increasing internal understanding of risk and compliance. Promotes a culture of ownership, ethics, and informed decision-making throughout the organization.
Systemic Thinking and Infrastructure Development – builds durable systems and frameworks that strengthen internal capacity, improve compliance, and reduce long-term reliance on external counsel, ultimately signaling organizational maturity and readiness for sustained growth.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
- Strong knowledge of corporate law, risk management, and legal operations.
- Excellent drafting and negotiation skills.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate legal complexity into practical, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
- High emotional intelligence and ability to navigate organizational dynamics.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Self-starter with the ability to build systems from scratch.
- Deep commitment to equity, accountability, and the organization’s mission.
Education and Experience
Required
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school required.
- Active membership in good standing with a state bar (preferably in the organization’s primary operating jurisdiction of California).
- Minimum 10 years of relevant legal experience, including:
- At least 3–5 years in an in-house legal role or serving nonprofit clients in a law firm setting.
- Demonstrated experience advising on nonprofit governance, compliance, and donor-related legal issues (including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) regulations).
- Experience developing or overseeing legal and risk management frameworks in complex organizations.
- Familiarity with contracts, NDAs, data privacy, and intellectual property in nonprofit or social impact contexts.
Preferred
- Experience in both law firm and in-house settings; nonprofit or climate-focused sector experience.
- Additional certifications in risk management, data privacy (e.g., CIPP/US or CIPP/E), or nonprofit governance are a plus.
- Experience with legal considerations related to new philanthropic strategies such as impact investing, donor-advised funds, or program-related investments is strongly preferred.
Compensation & Benefits Summary
Climate Lead has established the compensation band for this role, which is $275,000 – $325,000. In addition to base compensation for this temporary hire, Climate Lead will provide the full suite of benefits typical of a full-time hire.
Work Environment
This role is based at Climate Lead’s headquarters in San Francisco, CA, which operates in a hybrid in-office environment. Staff in the San Francisco Bay Area currently work in the downtown office Tuesday through Thursday each week and typically work from a home location on the other days.
At the Climate Lead, we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of or traits historically associated with race, color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.
To Apply
Interested, qualified professionals 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 steve@johnandsnyder.com (415) 505-6685 | Jason Snyder Partner John and Snyder, LLC jason@johnandsnyder.com (415) 505-6687 |
All inquiries and/or application materials sent directly to Climate Lead will be redirected to John and Snyder, LLC for review, which may cause significant delay in evaluation and response.
On behalf of Climate Lead, we appreciate your interest in the Interim Counsel opportunity.
