Overview
The organization is seeking applications and nominations for the position of Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel (CLO). This new position reports directly to President Selena M. Grace and serves as the agency’s most senior legal executive, providing legal strategy, oversight, and accountability for legal and regular functions across the organization.
This is a senior leadership role with a remote work arrangement, including periodic travel to Commission meetings, site visits, national conferences, and the organization’s Redmond, WA office. The organization operates on Pacific Time.
Responsibilities
- Directly supervise the Senior Vice President, Legal & Regulatory Affairs.
- Set legal strategy and risk tolerance in partnership with the President and Commission.
- Personally handle or directly oversee the organization’s highest-risk and highest-complexity legal matters.
- Serve as the final quality-control checkpoint for legal work product before it reaches the President, Commissioners, or external parties.
- Provide legal and regulatory risk management and governance support across key areas, including:
- U.S. Department of Education (USDE) recognition
- complaints oversight
- By-Laws, Standards, and Policies (BSP) governance
- Ensure the performance and development of the legal function as a whole.
Ethics, Confidentiality, and Compliance
- Maintain the highest level of confidentiality.
- Maintain attorney-client privilege.
- Handle sensitive institutional information appropriately.
- Demonstrate unwavering integrity in all professional dealings.
- Comply with professional responsibility rules and continuing legal education requirements.
Qualifications
- The role requires the highest level of confidentiality and ethical standards.
- Attorney-client privilege maintenance and appropriate handling of sensitive institutional information.
- Compliance with professional responsibility rules and continuing legal education requirements.
Application Information
Candidates are requested to submit:
- Resume
- Letter of interest addressing how the candidate’s experiences and qualifications connect with required/preferred characteristics and priorities in the leadership profile
- Contact information for five references (to be contacted with candidate’s permission at a later date)
For best consideration, applications should be submitted by October 23, 2026. The search remains open until an appointment is made.
Location
- Remote work arrangement
- Periodic travel to Commission meetings, site visits, national conferences, and the organization’s Redmond, WA office
- Operates on Pacific Time