General Counsel

CO-OP Financial Services is bringing digital transformation to the credit union movement. We’re creating innovative technology solutions that help not-for-profit credit unions best serve their members and compete with the big banks. As a result, our world-class team is growing faster than ever! If you’re passionate about technology and want to be part of a purpose-driven organization, this is an exciting opportunity to provide real value and help shape the future of human-centered financial services. We are seeking a talented General Counsel to be responsible for managing the legal activities of the organization. This includes providing executive and senior management with effective advice on company strategies and their implementation, managing the legal and enterprise risk management function, responsibility for Board management and governance, and overseeing the work of outside counsel. This role manages the enterprise wide vendor and client contract process, and is directly involved in complex business transactions in negotiating critical contracts.

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Serves as key lawyer/legal advisor on all major business transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures.Provides legal guidance and interpretation to senior management regarding contracts, state/federal and industry regulatory requirements, intellectual property or trademark protection, and other business affairs, specifically Business Development with various contract negotiations.Manages litigation and judge the merits of major court cases filed against or on behalf of the company, works with the appropriate executive(s) to define a strategic defense and approves settlements of disputes where warranted.Structures and manages the company’s internal legal function and staff.Oversees the selection, retention, management and evaluation of all outside counsel. Advises on legal aspects of the company’s financing, including assessing and advising on current and future business structures and legal entities.Participates in the definition and development of corporate policies, procedures and programs and provides continuing counsel and guidance on legal matters and on legal implications of all matters. Additionally, work with all applicable internal stakeholders to draft and update legal policies, notices, and terms of use for all product offerings, as applicable.Manages enterprise-wide Contract Management Database System and associated processes to improve the archival rational and tracking of contractual obligations, deadlines, and expirations.Assumes responsibility for Board management and governance. Develops standards for vendor and client contracts, including general language and provisions.Develops a centralized and enterprise-wide contract process for both vendor and client contracts.Creates, updates, and modifies standardized templates for legal documents that meet acceptable organizational risk limits.Drafts contractual provisions based on strategy discussions, senior management input, and organizational needs and expectations.Reviews and approves contracts to assure accuracy and appropriateness of contract language and attachments.Manages and negotiates annual corporate insurance policy. Interfaces with insurance companies regarding adequacy of coverage to ensure alignment between contract language and organizational risk tolerance. Acts as liaison between various departments for contracts that have exception items that exceed the organizational risk tolerance, and remediate as appropriate.Collaborates with appropriate stakeholders to develop formal privacy program. Actively supports our CO-OP culture and embraces our core values of Work as Partners, Communicate Openly and Honestly, Demonstrate Excellence and Champion Change in all interactions.

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Graduate of an accredited law school (JD) with 7-10 years of legal practice or corporate in-house work. Admission (and active license) to a state bar (California preferred). Experience reviewing and negotiating complex and critical contracts.Experience working on matters of corporate governance and Board management.Experience managing other attorneys and supervising support staff in a corporation; experience with cost-effective management of outside legal resources.Manage and oversee enterprise-wide Legal team and Enterprise Risk Management. Effectively mentor and coach employees. Show enthusiasm for helping others improve or develop new skills.Ensure that people share information and have access to information they need to perform their tasks effectively.Direct his/her actions and the actions of others toward achieving goals that are critical to the success of the operation.Familiarity with a variety of the field’s concepts, practices, and procedures.Thorough understanding of general insurance provisions and associated risks.Proficient PC knowledge and the use of standard software packages, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.Excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as presentation skills. Effective interpersonal skills, and ability to convey complex information in a way that others can readily follow. Excellent planning and organizational skills, as well as ability to prioritize workload using good judgment, while balancing the need for an immediate response with accuracy and completeness of information. Ability to build strong relationships and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, internally and externally. Detail-oriented with strong problem solving skills and the ability to identify, analyze, and resolve problems, driving solutions to completion. Ability to work under minimal supervision and manage multiple tasks/projects simultaneously, while meeting demanding deadlines. Ability to lead cross-departmental project teams and develop a talented and highly motivated team.Strong leadership, management and people skills.Strong client focus/customer service skills.

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Get ready to be part of the exciting, ever-evolving and growing credit union movement! As a CO-OP employee, you’ll have a chance to directly impact the access of financial opportunities to individuals and communities – and you’ll help drive the future of fintech at an energetic organization where contributions are valued, and innovation is championed. With more than 35 years of industry leadership, CO-OP Financial Services is the largest, most comprehensive credit union service organization in the nation. CO-OP serves as THE credit union technology engine, bringing payments solutions, engagement services and strategic counsel to help credit unions optimize member experiences to consistently provide seamless, personalized multi-channel offerings, while delivering secure, sophisticated fraud mitigation service. CO-OP serves more than 3,000 client credit unions, with 60 million debit and credit cardholders, nearly 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs and more than 5,600 shared branches nationwide. Our vast technological ecosystem facilitates more than 6.5 billion transactions every year and equips credit unions of all sizes to deepen member engagement and prosper in the fast-paced world of fintech.

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Fun, challenging and, collaborative work environment with passionate colleagues that care deeply about the intersection of technology and human-centered financial services.Health benefits – medical, dental, & vision plus wellness programs and gym reimbursements.401K with generous company match.Tuition reimbursement.