Assistant General Counsel (Regulatory Research Compliance, Federal Contracts & Litigation)

The mission of the AllenInstitute is to unlock the complexities of bioscience and advance our knowledge to improve human health. Using an open science, multi-scale, team-oriented approach, the AllenInstitute focuses on accelerating foundational research, developing standards and models, and cultivating new ideas to make a broad, transformational impact on science.

The mission of the Allen Institute Administration team is to provide support and structure to the scientific divisions. Coinciding with the team science approach, administration helps facilitate team learning and the institute’s overall mission.

The Allen Institute legal team provides support and structure to the scientific units. This approach is reflected in the legal team vision: We are a dedicated team of trusted advisors committed to providing excellent service through collaborative and inclusive solutions that advance the Allen Institute mission.

A self-starter and curiosity driven with an appetite to learn and take on new projects, the Assistant General Counsel (AGC) (Regulatory Research Compliance, Federal Contracts & Litigation) provides strategic legal, regulatory and business advice and legal services for the benefit of the Allen Institute in a manner consistent with the Allen Institute’s mission, values and strategic objectives. The AGC conducts highly complex and important work and projects critical to the Institute.

The AGC is responsible for managing specific regulatory and research compliance functions, providing expert knowledge in federally funded awards and contracts and supporting claims and litigation. The AGC interacts with the legal team and peer groups daily, supporting inter-team cooperation and standardization of processes and procedures. The AGC ensures service levels are met and work product is consistently of high quality and is expected to collaborate throughout the Institute and works closely with all Science Units, the Office of Sponsored Research, Finance and Science Support.

The Allen Institute believes that team science significantly benefits from the participation of diverse voices, experiences, and backgrounds. High-quality science can only be produced when it includes different perspectives. We are committed to increasing diversity across every team and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role.

Essential Functions

• Research Compliance
  • Develops, manages and oversees specific research-related compliance programs, including research integrity, research security, (financial) conflicts of interest, export controls (EAR), human subjects research and federal grants compliance
  • Provides proactive and timely advice to programs managed by science support (e.g. use of human tissue, biosafety compliance, IACUC)
  • Monitors and advises on applicable statutory and regulatory developments for relevant compliance
  • Provides guidance, scalable processes, robust program management and employee training
• Federal Contracts, Awards and Regulations
  • Provides strong subject matter expertise on federal regulations and procedures (e.g. OMB Uniform Guidance, FAR, agency specific terms) governing the Institute’s federal contracting, awards, research agreements, and other funding and collaboration agreements
  • Provides strategic input, drafting, reviewing, creation of templates and negotiating to ensure contract requirements are adequately defined and documented, including federal government terms
  • Develops and provides training, education and outreach in areas of legal expertise in coordination with other subject matter experts
• Litigation
  • Handles claims with opposing counsel and third parties. Manages outside counsel for investigations, arbitrations and litigation
  • Manages regulatory investigations, audits, internal investigations and collaborates with outside counsel and other experts as needed
  • Provides practical and timely legal advice on claims and litigation with a focus on meeting the Allen Institute’s mission and goals in a legally compliant manner
  • Drafts, reviews and negotiates settlement agreements
• Engaged Lawyer and Team Leader
  • Influences or gain acceptance from others on matters involving multiple functional areas and departments in order to complete work
  • Works with other attorneys and professionals on the legal team to collaborate, achieve common goals and manage workload for the success of the team
  • Proactive, professional and effective communicator (oral and written) on all levels
  • Identifies and communicates risks for projects and ensures team analyzes and addresses risks in their work
  • Manages at least one legal professional, monitoring daily activities and operations, with extensive latitude to make decisions on how to achieve goals
  • Accountable for resources, schedules and goals, developing and implementing controls to manage potential issues
  • Solves problems and/or creates new procedures and/or processes as part of the problem-solving process, with a focus on efficiency

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• J.D. and admission/license to practice law in any State (of the Unites States) in good standing with ability to obtain single client in-house admission to the State of Washington if not already admitted in Washington
• At least 5 years of relevant experience
• Prior experience managing people, including non-lawyers
• Experience handling complex transactions and matters involving regulatory matters, including foreign collaborations, conflicts of interest, export controls (EAR), research security and government contracting in a life sciences company, federal government agency, or university environment

Preferred Education and Experience

• 4-6 years of relevant experience
• In-house experience, tax-exempt experience, federal funding and contracting experience
• Experience with Office 365, SharePoint, Oracle, DocuSign, Conflict of Interest Disclosure Platforms
• Excellent proficiency at organizing and prioritizing work; task focused; works on own initiative to get things done; ability to work under pressure and manage multiple stakeholders
• Takes calculated risks, based on learning and experience, to achieve Allen Institute goals and longer-term results
• Effectively manages change and supports innovation and change to improve both own and legal team's effectiveness and success
• Inspires confidence in own and teams' work product and advice by consistently providing timely, best-in-class work product
• Effectively manages relationships with colleagues and builds trust resulting in early involvement in business matters and an understanding of legal team’s contributions
• Strikes balance between being participative (i.e., involving team members in decisions) and being directive, depending on the needs of the team and the situation, while using team members’ strengths to achieve optimal performance
• Demonstrates agility, welcomes change and challenges; plays active role in designing and implementing novel solutions
• Is open, receptive, nonjudgmental, compassionate, willing to learn, and leaves ego at the door

Physical Demands

• Fine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipment

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• This role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State.

Annualized Salary Range

$124,050 - $181,950*

* Final salary depends on the required education for the role, experience, level of skills relevant to the role, and work location, where applicable.

Benefits

Employees (and their families) are eligible to enroll in benefits per eligibility rules outlined in the Allen Institute’s Benefits Guide. These benefits include medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees are also eligible to enroll in the Allen Institute’s 401k plan. Paid time off is also available as outlined in the Allen Institutes Benefits Guide. Details on the Allen Institute’s benefits offering are located at the following link to the Benefits Guide: https://alleninstitute.org/careers/benefits.

It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, the Allen Institute will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.