Assistant General Counsel & Title IX Coordinator (Immediate Opening)

Assistant General Counsel & Title IX Coordinator

Role Mission: The Assistant General Counsel and Title IX Coordinator ensures that IDEA abides by its policies and standard operating procedures to maximize efficiencies and operational capacity internally and externally for legal needs to execute on outcomes, particularly with regards to Contracts.  This role also coordinates and facilitates organization’s compliance to Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Develops and implements training and direct guidance pertaining to discrimination and harassment prevention, ensuring that faculty, staff, and students know their rights and responsibilities according to the law. This role collaborates with campus and district leadership to identify and address systemic problems. The assistant general counsel ensures that all agreements (contracts, grants, memorandums of understanding, RFPs) have been legally approved to mitigate risk to IDEA.  The assistant general counsel also handles complaints and investigations from governmental agencies, such as the United States Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”).  The assistant general counsel role is critical in mitigating risk for the organization in some specific projects. 

What You’ll Do -- Accountabilities

1. Build and manage a team to support general daily operating practices meeting compliance, efficiency, and organizational needs. 

• Recruit, select, onboard and retain knowledgeable, mission-aligned individuals
• Identify internal operating mechanisms, partners, and creating procedures and protocols for engagement
• Create standard operating procedures for legal work to ensure that IDEA operates within requirements while meeting needs for students and staff
• Ensure all contracts are legal and risk management approved prior to execution
• Evaluate performance of team through weekly check-ins and in accordance with organizational staff development cycle
• Proactively resolve problems and motivate team to achieve peak productivity and performance through leading by example.

2.  Assist with managing year-to-year decrease of external legal fee cost across the organization.

• Partner with general counsel to uphold standard operating procedures for routing to internal legal team
• Manage and execute internal training program for building staff capacity and knowledge, reducing questions to external counsel
• Continuously improve knowledge and skills of self and team to ensure that organizational needs are met
• Oversee invoice processing and payment of all external counsel invoices, in partnership with finance team
• Create systems, structures, and templates for contract review such that efficiencies are created, and reviews are prompt
• Manage OCR complaint information gathering and responses

3.  Collaborate on an efficient, high quality contracts process for internal and external stakeholders

• Align and execute alongside business office and risk management team for trainings, templates, and process improvements
• Ensure internal and external availability of common contracting and procurement expectations when working with IDEA
• Ensure all contracts are processed in alignment to policy requirements

4. Champion a culture of compliance across IDEA Public Schools, while not sacrificing the swiftness necessary for student achievement

• Partner with Business Office and Human Resources team on training and development to build understanding of processes
• Create templates, plans and skills to build efficiencies and capacity
• Ensure that individuals and teams know how to access guidance

5. Coordinate and Manage IDEA Title IX student related compliance and monitoring

• Develop a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the federal Title IX
• Serve as the Title IX Coordinator.
• Monitor the overall implementation of Title IX for the school district, with a focus on incidents between students.
• Coordinate IDEA’s overall compliance with Title IX in all areas by the implementing regulations; specifically in the areas of bullying, sexual harassment, child abuse, and discrimination
• Create a routine mechanism with regional leadership ensure Title IX obligations are being met
• Develop, implement, and maintain the district sexual harassment policy, this includes annual review with revisions in existing policies.
• Assist campus leaders in complying with Title IX through monitoring and evaluating practices and making recommendations for any appropriate changes.
• Maintain contact with state education agency Title IX coordinator
• Develop and maintain grievance protocol and procedures for students, parents, and staff to comprehend and follow. 
• Oversee, coordinate and ensures investigations of reports and complaints are adequate, reliable, timely confidential and impartial.
• Provide prompt resolutions to complaints as they occur 
• Manage team of Title IX investigators and clerks for student matters
• Work with HR’s own Title IX team to ensure alignment in legal interpretation and approach.

6.  We look for Team and Family who embody the following values and characteristics: 

• Believes and is committed to our mission and being an agent of change: that all students are capable of getting to and through college  
•  Has demonstrated effective outcomes and results, and wants to be held accountable for them 
• Has a propensity for action, willing to make mistakes by doing to learn and improve quickly 
• Works with urgency and purpose to drive student outcomes 
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial, high-growth environment; is comfortable with ambiguity and change 
• Seeks and responds well to feedback, which is shared often and freely across all levels of the organization 
• Works through silos and forges strong cross-departmental relationships to achieve outcomes 
• We believe in education as a profession and hold ourselves to high level of conduct, professionalism, and behaviors as models for our colleagues and students 

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Manage team of legal specialists/paralegals; matrix managed with departments, as necessary
• Manage team of 5, including two paralegals, two Title IX investigators, and a Title IX clerk.

What You Bring -- Competencies:

• Ability to manage through layers, including managing through influence
• Detail orientation, without getting lost in the weeds
• Setting strategic vision and direction
• Strong written and oral communication

Qualifications:

• Education:  Bachelors degree required; JD required; Experience:  5-7 years similar or relatable experience in education sector; Texas Education Agency requirements knowledge
• License or Certification: active membership in any state bar required (Texas preferred).

Knowledge and Skills:

• Knowledge of Title IX
• Ability to interpret and edit contracts
• Ability to read and interpret policy adequately
• Familiarity with TEA or other authorizers in entities in which IDEA operates

What We Offer

Compensation:  

Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $100,700 and $125,800, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for a performance bonus based on individual and organizational performance and goal attainment.

Other Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits plan, covering most of the employee premium for the base medical plan and subsidizing the majority of costs for a spouse/domestic partner and children. Other benefits include dental and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, com‐muter benefits, referral bonuses, professional development, and a403(b) plan. We also offer an inclusive environment where staff are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work every day. IDEA may offer a relocation stipend to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

To Apply

Please submit your application online through Jobvite. It’s in your best interest to apply as soon as possible. It is recommended that you include a cover letter in your application addressing why you are interested in IDEA and

how your experience has prepared you for this position.