Legal Counsel

Overview

The organization is seeking a Legal Counsel to join its legal team and serve as a contracts-focused attorney. This role is responsible for the drafting, negotiation, implementation, and lifecycle management of commercial agreements that support EPR programs and the organization’s mission to reduce waste and promote a circular economy.

Reporting to the General Counsel, the Legal Counsel will lead a wide range of contract negotiation and management activities.

Responsibilities

Contract Support

• Support and scale a high-volume contracting environment with a focus on efficiency.
• Lead end-to-end contract lifecycle activities, including intake, drafting, negotiation, execution, amendment, and termination for a wide variety of contracts (e.g., service provider agreements, consulting agreements, program agreements, NDAs, etc.).
• Lead development and continuous improvement of contract templates, fallback positions, and playbooks.
• Identify and mitigate key commercial risks (including indemnity, liability caps, data rights, termination rights, and regulatory obligations) and lead negotiation of risk allocation positions with counterparties.
• Continue implementation and provide ongoing support of a contract lifecycle management (CLM) system, including workflows, processes, metadata, and reporting.
• Track and report on contract metrics (cycle time, volume, risk trends).
• Serve as a primary legal advisor to business teams on contract strategy, risk allocation, and negotiation positions.
• Own contract compliance processes and governance, including recordkeeping and audit readiness.

Legal & Regulatory Research

• Provide targeted legal analysis on regulatory requirements as they directly impact contract terms, obligations, and program implementation.
• Draft legal memoranda and summaries to inform internal decision making.
• Assist in ensuring organizational compliance with applicable law, regulations, and contract commitments.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited U.S. law school.
• Active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state.
• 5+ years of experience with a primary focus on commercial contract drafting and negotiation (law firm or in-house).
• Strong legal research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating complex commercial agreements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CLM systems is strongly preferred (ideally, Ironclad).
• Mission-driven and passionate about sustainability.
• Highly detail oriented with precision in drafting and issue spotting within complex agreements, along with strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communicator with a proven ability to translate legal concepts to non-legal stakeholders.
• Proactive, collaborative, and eager to learn from and support business leaders.
• Comfort working in a lean, entrepreneurial, mission-driven organization.
• Team-oriented, adaptable, and proactive.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay rate: Based on a variety of factors in accordance with applicable law, including the successful candidate’s relevant experience, skills, and knowledge.

Location

• Remote in U.S., with preference for Milwaukee, WI.
• Occasional travel to meetings or stakeholder engagement as needed.
• Future work location may be determined.