The Executive Office consists of the President and CEO, five Managing Directors, the Chief of Institutional Alignment, and the General Counsel and their support teams. We ensure smooth running of the Institute, excellence in governance and decision making and effective interactions with all our stakeholders, internal and external, towards achieving WRI's mission. The Office of the General Counsel, located in the Executive Office, is responsible for managing the Institute’s legal matters and advising on legal risks. In addition, the General Counsel provides legal and strategic advisory to WRI’s Management Team and Board of Directors
Reporting to General Counsel, you will support the administration and team coordination for the Office of the General Counsel. You will partner with the General Counsel on efficient calendar management and prioritization, travel coordination, legal document management and preparation, research and provision of senior administrative support. You have an administrative and legal background and enjoy working both independently and as part of a team. WRI’s Office of the General Counsel is a growing department and you will have the opportunity to take the initiative in implementing administrative improvements. You will integrate equity into your work.
Legal Administrative Management :
Manage the General Counsel’s calendar, scheduling appointments with internal colleagues and external partners in line with operational priorities
Proactively ensure that the Office of the General Counsel team members are informed of and included in internal meetings and external meetings relevant to their respective roles
Create agendas for internal and external meetings, capturing detailed meeting minutes, tracking and following up on action items
Keep up with General Counsel’s work blocks and monitor important deadlines and due dates
Create and manage a case management system, monitoring and disseminating departmental performance data to analyze engagement
Support General Counsel in cadence and tracking recurring meetings and outcomes to ensure timely follow-up and execution
Attend meetings alongside lawyers and paralegals to capture accurate notes
Identify and implement administrative improvements including archiving key legal documents and records
Monitor and manage legal department specific tasks such as department budget, invoice management, document translation, country registrations, and other work to support paralegals
Prepare and monitor expense reports and timesheets to ensure timely submission and approval
Update web and intranet sites and review for out-of-date information
Keep the General Counsel abreast of WRI’s performance management process, benefit’s enrolment process, and other administrative processes for staff
Support ongoing efforts to improve the Office of the General Counsel’s administrative systems and processes, including coordinating closely with fellow team members to help the office run smoothly, avoiding duplication of efforts
Additional programmatic and administrative duties as needed including preparation of briefing materials, writing, proofreading and editing legal documents
Operational Support :
Work with the Executive Office Assistants to share best practices, support organizational habits and structures that lead to a thriving institute
Assist paralegals in collecting materials for legal research, analysis and interpretation of information, problems and proposals to ensure objective and complete information is provided to the General Counsel for decision making
Participate in administrative and operational communities of practices/institutional meetings to represent the Office of the General Counsel
Event Management :
Help arrange and participate in WRI all-staff events in partnership with the Executive Office
Plan, prepare, and execute team-building events including offsite retreats, team lunches and celebrations
Partner with paralegals and lawyers to support creation, execution and management of trainings led by the Office of the General Counsel.
What will you need:
Education: You have a completed bachelor’s degree. Relevant work experience in lieu of degree is accepted
Experience: You have 5+ years of full-time professional experience in a related field including experience assisting one or more executives
Demonstrated knowledge of legal terminology and procedures
Demonstrated judgment and problem-solving skills
Experience managing projects with competing deadlines and needs
Experience working with internal and external stakeholders to manage expectations
You are willing to attend meetings outside of regular, local business hours (with notice) to accommodate colleagues in other time zones
Experience working with a geographically dispersed team
Experience with project management skills using internal applications (such as Asana and Workday)
Experience using MS Office (e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), and web-based communications (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom)
Experience as a Legal Assistant or Administrative Assistant in a legal office is desirable
Languages:
You are proficient in verbal and written English. Additional language skills are desirable
