Summary
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the nation’s largest independent foundations. The Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur invests in solving some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., revitalizing local news, expanding who creates, uses, and benefits from artificial intelligence, and strengthening the well-being of Native communities. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. The Foundation also maintains offices in Nigeria and India.
The Office of the General Counsel provides insight, advice and counsel to the Foundation’s President, Staff and Board on a wide variety of policy, governance, programmatic, corporate, investment, and general legal matters. It is led by the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, to whom Associate General Counsels report, and works closely providing input and consulting on numerous issues.
Working with the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, an Associate General Counsel (AGC) provides legal counsel to Foundation Staff colleagues across an integrated portfolio of grantmaking, impact investment, investments, corporate, and operational matters. AGCs serve as embedded strategic partners to their assigned grant program teams, helping to shape legal frameworks from the earliest stages of program design, advising on and documenting risk management across their portfolios, and working with the General Counsel to build the legal infrastructure that the broader organization relies on. The AGC works with program teams and investment and impact investment teams, exercising judgment on complex matters with significant financial, reputational, and mission implications.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The Associate General Counsel may handle matters in the following areas:
- Grantmaking: Serve as primary legal counsel to multiple grantmaking teams, advising on grant structures, legal due diligence, and compliance with private foundation tax rules, and related domestic and international legal requirements. Review and draft grant agreements and related documents. Counsel program staff on legal and reputational risk.
- Investments and impact investments: Review, draft, and negotiate documentation for the Foundation’s traditional investment portfolio, including partnership agreements, subscription documents, and side letters. Advise on PRI and MRI impact investment transactions from term sheet through closing and ongoing compliance.
- Contracts: Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements, including consulting, technology, data privacy, licensing, real property, and vendor agreements.
- Legal systems and operations: Contribute to the development of templates, policies, and playbooks that support consistency and risk management across the Foundation’s legal work. Participate in cross-functional working groups and support knowledge management infrastructure across the department.
- Corporate governance and affiliate matters: Assist with Board and Committee materials, minutes, resolutions, and consents for the Foundation and its affiliates. As assigned, serve as counsel, director, and/or officer to affiliated entities. Support regulatory filings.
- Staff training and legal education: Help design and deliver legal training for Foundation staff. Translate complex legal analysis into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyer audiences.
- External engagement: Represent the Foundation through conference speaking, professional committees, and peer networks. Bring emerging legal developments and best practices back to the team.
- Strategic legal leadership: Contribute to the development of consistent legal frameworks and department-wide practices in a quickly evolving operating environment. Advise on novel and complex legal and risk questions where established precedent may be limited.
Qualifications
Required
- Juris Doctor from an accredited institution with a record of strong academic and professional achievement
- Current admission to the Illinois State Bar, an ability and willingness to sit for the bar exam for admission to Illinois Bar, or eligibility for immediate admission as registered in-house counsel
- At least five years of experience as a practicing lawyer in a firm, organization, or government
Preferred
- Prior in-house experience, ideally with a not-for-profit organization
- Knowledge of private foundation tax law, nonprofit governance, and/or philanthropic sector regulation
- Experience with investment and/or impact investment deals, including equity and debt structures
- Familiarity with international grantmaking compliance, cross-border contracting, and/or OFAC/ATF requirements
- Experience advising on data privacy, technology agreements, and/or AI governance matters
- Experience negotiating and drafting contracts, legal memoranda, investment documents and other agreements
- Experience designing legal systems, templates, and/or cross-functional processes
Competencies
- Experience managing a wide range of multiple projects, clients, and issues simultaneously in a role requiring a broad base of knowledge, being able to respond timely to multiple requests with different priorities and reacting to new ideas and changing strategies
- Ability to think strategically and be solution oriented
- Ability to exercise independent judgment and work autonomously while maintaining strong alignment with department colleagues
- Ability to write and speak clearly and concisely to identify, assess, and resolve legal and business problems and to summarize complex information
- Experience balancing risk management with innovation in a fast-moving legal environment
- Ability willingness to exercise sound, informed judgment, build and maintain positive, collaborative relationships internally, finding consensus among a diversity of perspectives where appropriate
- Critical thinker who enjoys working with passionate and innovative colleagues
- High level of integrity, discretion, and professional judgment
The position is hybrid and based in Chicago, Illinois.
Annual salary for this role will start at $174,800. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and a comprehensive benefits package to support your life, health, and well-being.
Work Environment and Reasonable Accommodations
The work environment is an office setting. Requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered to enable a person with disabilities to perform the job. Reasonable accommodations are also available during the interview process.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
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 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 MacArthur Foundation will be redirected to John and Snyder, LLC for review, which may cause significant delay in evaluation and response.
On behalf of the MacArthur Foundation, we thank you for your interest in the Associate General Counsel opportunity.
