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Posted August 16, 2019

General Counsel

GaDOE
Atlanta, GA Full Time

Under limited supervision, the General Counsel provides legal services to the State Charter Schools Commission and Executive Director. The General...

Under limited supervision, the General Counsel provides legal services to the State Charter Schools Commission and Executive Director. The General Counsel reports directly to the Executive Director and provides legal guidance and counsel in executive and policy decision-making and serves as a member of the Executive Director’s leadership team. The General Counsel provides advice and counsel concerning compliance with federal and state statutes and regulations affecting elementary and secondary schools, governmental entities, and nonprofit organizations. This requires preventative legal services and legal representation in the monitoring and resolving of disputes and intricate matters, including those that may lead to litigation. The General Counsel coordinates with the Attorney General’s Office as necessary and leads all legal matters at the direction of the Commission and Executive Director. Given the unique nature of secondary education in the regulatory environment of state charter schools, a significant portion of the General Counsel’s duties may relate to complex problem-solving to resolve matters that may be an obstacle to state charter school success.
Specific duties of the General Counsel include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Providing advice, counsel, and legal support to the Commission and Executive Director
• Overseeing and directing the Commission’s legal team
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts and agreements
• Maintaining an appropriate framework for internal control to evaluate and protect the agency’s interests and reduce risk
• Developing, administering, and interpreting all policies and procedures
• Overseeing the administration of the agency’s operations for compliance with applicable law
• Providing legal and operational training to key stakeholders, including state charter schools
• Ensuring the agency’s compliance with open meetings and open records obligations
• Serving as the Chief Ethics Officer for the Commission
• Serving as the agency’s liaison to the Office of the Attorney General
• Engaging with stakeholders to promote the agency’s objectives
• Supporting the professional growth and development of Commission’s legal team
• Effectively managing other duties as assigned
Minimum Qualifications: Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university and licensed to practice law in Georgia and eight years of management related legal experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Eight years of experience in educational law, charter schools, contract negotiation, statutory interpretation, and Open Records/Open Meetings Act. Note: An equivalent combination of education and job specific experience that provided the knowledge, experience and competencies required to successfully perform the job at the level listed may be substituted on a year-over-year basis.
• Experience managing or supporting leadership in controversial and high-profile matters
• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with multiple and diverse stakeholders
• Demonstrated commitment and contribution to fostering and advancing high-quality educational programming for students
Salary/Benefits: Pay Grade Q – Annual salary range $75,508.41 to $132,139.72. Hiring salary is commensurate with current employment, relevant education/training and work experience, and available funding. Benefit options include life, disability, dental and health insurance, annual/sick leave, and Employees’ Retirement or Teachers’ Retirement.
Consideration/interviews will begin as soon as a list of applicants has been established.  Resumes/Applications will be evaluated and only those meeting the qualifications will be forwarded to the hiring manager to be considered.  Candidates chosen for interviews will be contacted directly.  Notification will only be sent to applicants selected for interviews.  Due to the large volume of applications received, we cannot provide application status information. 

It is the policy of the Georgia Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, disability, citizenship, gender, pregnancy, childbirth or other related conditions, national origin, religion, military or veteran status, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information or age in its employment practices. 

The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and each associated State School is a registered participant in the federal work authorization program commonly known as E-Verify. The GaDOE utilizes the program to verify employment eligibility of individuals hired on or after July 1, 2007. 

GaDOE Federally-issued User ID#: 46420

This listing expired on Oct 15. Applications are no longer accepted.

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