Assistant/Associate General Counsel

About The American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition.

With over 1,000 employees, the Museum is renowned for its exhibitions and scientific collections, which serve as a field guide to the entire planet and present a panorama of the world's cultures. For more than 150 years, the Museum has energized generations of scientists, from renowned thinkers expanding the horizons of human knowledge to the youngest children intuitively discovering the fundamentals of scientific inquiry. With science underlying so many of today’s most pressing concerns, the Museum plays an essential and leading role as a trusted, accessible source for scientific fact.

Education at the Museum

The Museum’s continuum of structured education programs reaches learners of all ages and levels of inquiry, from preschool to graduate school and beyond. With degree programs, online courses, and internships, the Museum's educational offerings suit a range of interests. In 2006 the Museum established the Richard Gilder Graduate School, which includes a Ph.D. granting program in comparative biology within the Museum, and in 2015 the Museum began granting a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. Students have access to the Museum’s 30+ tenured faculty members, world-renowned collections, and exceptional natural history library of more than 550,000 scientific volumes.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Museum

The American Museum of Natural History is a global institution in one of the most diverse cities in the world. The Museum is committed to building and sustaining a diverse and inclusive community, including addressing barriers to full inclusion of historically underrepresented groups. Recognizing that multiple voices and perspectives enrich our work, we embrace a broad definition of diversity and are dedicated to ensuring an environment where differences are valued and respected and where all members of our community are full and engaged participants in our mission.

To learn more about the museum, please visit amnh.org.

ROLE SUMMARY

The American Museum of Natural History is seeking an experienced attorney to handle employment and labor law for museum. Reporting to the General Counsel, the Assistant/Associate Counsel provides legal counsel in the areas of employment law, labor law, employee benefits, immigration matters, and governance and policy. At times, the Assistant/Associate Counsel will also assist on transactional matters. This individual has the opportunity to join an exceptional and passionate staff in the pursuit of delivering on the museum’s mission.

Principal Responsibilities

• Devote substantial portion of time counseling institutional leaders and Human Resources on employment and labor laws in all aspects of the employee life cycle, such as hiring practices, performance management, proactive training of employees, diversity and inclusion initiatives, affirmative action compliance, employee policies, compensation, wage and hour issues, accommodations and leave issues, terminations, organizational restructuring, employee benefits, and other employment-related matters.
• Partner with Museum colleagues including Human Resources, and managers to build efficient processes to maintain compliance with employment laws and regulations.
• Provide strategic and tactical thought leadership on how best to manage all types of employment-related disputes in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
• Consult on, draft, and maintain employment related documents, policies, and processes.
• Keep current on changes to employment law and communicate changes and potential impact to Human Resources and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate and drive completion of employment-related projects, including privileged internal audits and internal process reviews, new policy rollouts and implementation, and training programs that explain the various employment related risks and focus on reducing a client's exposure to legal claims.
• Provide pre-litigation and litigation support for employee-related disputes.
• Provide legal advice and guidance to Human Resources on a variety of issues including Title VII, FMLA, ADA, and ADEA, and assisting with the development of internal policies and procedures.
• Counsel on and seek resolution to issues related to student and academic affairs.
• Oversee and manage external counsel for major employment litigations, mediations, and labor arbitrations, including strategy and spend.
• May perform other duties including handling a variety of discrete transactional matters as assigned.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal skills, competencies, and characteristics:

• J.D. (from an ABA-accredited law school) and state bar admission in New York or eligibility for immediate membership.
• 5+ years of experience in employment law.
• Contract drafting experience, in addition to labor and employment experience.
• Broad knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations; working knowledge of global labor and employment laws and regulations.
• Experience drafting and negotiating employment-related and personal services agreements.
• Experience conducting employment-related investigations.
• Professional experience providing legal services to non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education or cultural organizations and familiarity with key higher education and non-profit laws and regulations, including Title IX, FERPA, laws and regulations governing reasonable compensation and deferred compensation applicable to non-profit employees, and applicable state laws.
• Ideally will have prior in-house experience in a unionized environment.
• Excellent judgment and the ability to balance legal risks with business strategy.
• Strong team player who works well with others, and has excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to multi-task and manage multiple diverse matters at once, and inspire confidence among colleagues and institutional clients.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The expected salary range for the Assistant/Associate General Counsel is $165,000 - $210,000. The AMNH offers an extensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of our dedicated and diverse community.

Pay will be determined based on several factors. The hiring range for the position at commencement is based on the type of work and the scope of responsibilities. The salary and placement offered is based on a number of individualized factors, including, but not limited to, skills, knowledge, training, education, credentials, areas of specialization and depth and scope of experience.

PROCESS FOR CANDIDACY

Diversified Search Group has been exclusively retained for this engagement. The hiring team will begin reviewing applications immediately. To make recommendations or to express interest in this role please submit your materials here. All nominations and inquiries and will be considered strictly confidential.

For best consideration, please send all nominations and applications to AGC-AMNH@DivSearch.com. Application materials should include a current resume and expression of interest.

Diversified Search Group is committed to providing an accessible search process for all, including individuals living with disabilities. If you need assistance expressing interest online or any aspect of the recruitment process, please email AGC-AMNH@DivSearch.com.

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The American Museum of Natural History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The Museum does not discriminate with respect to employment, or admission or access to Museum facilities, programs or activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, current or former participation in the uniformed services, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin, or on account of any other basis prohibited by applicable City, State, or Federal law. Additional protections are afforded in employment based on arrest or conviction record, status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, unemployment status, and credit history, in each case to the extent provided by law. If special accommodations are needed in applying for a position, please call the Office of Human Resources.

SEARCH TEAM

Sonya Olds Som, Esq.

Global Managing Partner, Legal, Risk, Compliance & Government Affairs

312.237.5787, sonya.som@divsearch.com 

Corina Benitz

Managing Associate

540.680.9915, corina.benitz@divsearch.com 

Schannel Mitchell

Executive Assistant

346.425.1960, schannel.mitchell@divsearch.com

ABOUT DIVERSIFIED SEARCH GROUP

Diversified Search Group is the largest woman-founded and woman-led executive search firm in the world, and for nearly five decades, has been driven by purpose, progress, and performance. Consistently recognized by Forbes as one of the nation’s top retained executive search firms, Diversified Search Group is an industry leader in recruiting diverse, inclusive, and transformational leadership for clients. The firm is deliberately different in its approach and is comprised of a combination of specialty practices with deep industry expertise, that together harness their collective resources to identify new leaders to meet the needs of our changing world: Diversified Search, Alta Associates, BioQuest, Koya Partners, Grant Cooper, and Storbeck Search. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, the Diversified Search Group operates in over a dozen offices nationwide and offers global services as the exclusive U.S. partner of AltoPartners, the international alliance of independent executive search firms. For more information, visit diversifiedsearchgroup.com.