NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Beijing; Chicago; New Delhi; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; and Washington, D.C.

NRDC is seeking a Contracts Paralegal to work with the Office of General Counsel team in any of our US offices.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Office of General Counsel (“OGC”) is the in-house legal function for NRDC, the NRDC Action Fund, and the Beijing Representative Office.  OGC also advises NRDC’s affiliate, NRDC India Private Limited.  It consists of 11 attorneys and administrators and represents the client organizations noted above in the following areas: corporate governance, operations, and advocacy.  This involves legal practice across numerous subject areas, including nonprofit, corporate, lobbying and political law, and labor and employment.

The Contracts Paralegal provides critical support to NRDC’s Contract Lifecycle Management (“CLM”) system.  The CLM system is the combination of the SaaS platform (Agiloft) and internal policies governing contract intake, legal review, execution, storage, and integration with accounts payable systems.  The Contracts Paralegal will manage intake of contracts submitted for legal review, initiate execution of contracts after legal review, and answer questions from colleagues who submit contracts into the CLM system.  The Contracts Paralegal will also undertake legal review of the contracts themselves and maintain OGC contract templates and language banks.  The Contracts Paralegal reports to the Senior Associate General Counsel (Contracts) and works closely with other Contracts Paralegals and the Senior Contracts Paralegal.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:

• Contract Review Duties (at least 70%):
• Under supervision of and with training from OGC Attorneys, the OGC Administrator, and the Senior Contracts Paralegal:

• • Format, proofread, fact-check, revise, and assist with negotiation of contractual documents being processed in the CLM system.
  • Technical implementation of CLM system and associated NRDC systems that integrate with it, including work within OGC, outside OGC at NRDC, and with the CLM vendor.
  • Arrange regulatory filings involving federal/state/local requirements for lobbying, charitable solicitation, tax exemption, business registration, etc.
  • Research and summarize legal ethics rules.
  • Proofread legal correspondence, such as cover letters and notices.
  • Manage and maintain up-to-date CLM system files and create filesharing drives for users outside OGC.
  • Compute and calendar regulatory deadlines.
  • Conduct factual research to advance CLM-related projects and summarize findings in written memoranda.
  • Participate in and take notes during conference calls and meetings.
• CLM and Other Administrative support duties (up to 30%):
  • Process invoices and expense reports and produce reports on OGC expenses.
  • Assist with hiring and orienting new OGC staff and interns.
  • Schedule meetings, book travel and associated logistics, and assist with organizing retreats.
  • Support office-specific administrative work, including mail distribution and occasional event planning and logistics support.
  • Contribute to OGC non-CLM support processes, such as maintaining teamwide files and trackers, etc.
  • Additional non-CLM-related administrative support as needed.

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

Minimum Education & Experience:  

• Bachelor’s degree
• 1 year of previous legal support or paralegal experience
• 2-4 years related experience in administrative support role

Skills, Abilities, Competencies

• Ability and eagerness to learn paralegal skills and processes.
• Competence with and commitment to diversity and inclusion; ability to be an effective partner with a diverse range of colleagues, leaders and partners.
• Demonstrated ability to perform or quickly learn new tasks, systems, and technology, including artificial intelligence.
• Ability to prioritize and efficiently execute multiple tasks, follow institutional procedures, meet deadlines, and work independently with meticulous attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) and Westlaw. Experience with contract management systems is highly preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Strong editing, research, and data synthesis skills.
• Strong research and analytical skills, including ability to understand technical, scientific, political, economic, and policy issues and synthesize this knowledge in a coherent and non-technical fashion.
• Commitment to accuracy and rigor.
• Willingness and flexibility to work paid overtime, when needed.
• Aptitude for working with a broad range of people on different projects.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with others in teams.
• Strict adherence to confidentiality requirements and discretion with sensitive information.
• Strong sense of teamwork, work ethic, and humility; a growth mindset; the ability to maintain composure and sense of humor under deadline pressure.
• CA-based paralegals will need to comply with Continuing Legal Education requirements
• Ability to travel as needed to NRDC U.S. based offices.
• Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices, up to approximately 10-15% annually
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $75,500 to $82,000.

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Employees are required to come to the office 8 days per month. We offer NRDCers flexibility, and we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues. We call this purposeful presence. 

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs.

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422.

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.