Deputy General Counsel

Maximize mission impact through expert legal guidance

The Good Food Institute (GFI) is a nonprofit think tank working to make the global food system better for the planet, people, and animals. Alongside scientists, businesses, and policymakers, GFI’s teams focus on making plant-based, fermentation-enabled, and cultivated meat delicious, affordable, and accessible. Powered by philanthropy, GFI is an international network of organizations advancing alternative proteins as an essential solution needed to meet the world’s climate, global health, food security, and biodiversity goals.

How you will make a difference

In this position, you will provide broad in-house legal counsel across the organization to enable programmatic and operational effectiveness while ensuring compliance with applicable legal and regulatory frameworks. The Deputy General Counsel will serve as a legal advisor to GFI employees on a broad range of legal matters, serving as the primary point of contact and primary lead for many day-to-day legal inquiries. You will be responsible for triaging, prioritizing, and independently resolving the majority of routine legal requests, while working in close collaboration with the General Counsel, and you will also play a key role in maintaining the continuity and integrity of legal operations in response to evolving organizational needs or capacity shifts. The Deputy General Counsel will be responsible for:

• Providing legal counsel across a wide range of issues, including but not limited to: contract negotiation and review, nonprofit and tax-exempt law, legal risk management, intellectual property law, charitable registrations and fundraising, antitrust law, lobbying and election law compliance, employment law, and SEC regulations.
• Maintaining a deep understanding of GFI’s programs and initiatives in order to assess and communicate legal risk, partnering with relevant teams to implement appropriate risk mitigation strategies and internal controls, and providing clear, practical recommendations that balance mission impact, compliance, and risk tolerance.
• Serving as a strategic partner to the General Counsel, with independent ownership over day-to-day legal guidance and support on low/moderate-risk issues, and executing additional responsibilities as delegated by the General Counsel, including when needed to ensure continuity of legal operations.
• Exercising strong judgment regarding attorney-client privilege, confidentiality, and sensitivity, and recognizing when matters require heightened discretion or escalation to the General Counsel.
• Proactively identifying recurring legal issues, operational friction points, and compliance risks, and collaborating with the General Counsel to develop and implement practical solutions and improvements. This includes enhancing the Legal department’s intake, triage, and workflow processes; streamlining contract review; developing playbooks and standardized templates; and, improving responsiveness, consistency, and predictability for internal clients.
• Overseeing the full contract lifecycle for GFI’s U.S.-based teams, including intake, prioritization, drafting, review, negotiation, and risk assessment, with attention to mission impact, strategic alignment, efficiency, and risk management.
• Drafting, reviewing, and revising policies, legal memoranda, and formal correspondence to support consistent, efficient, and compliant organizational practices.
• Partnering with the General Counsel to develop and deliver employee trainings on compliance topics, organizational policies, and legal best practices, as well as to conduct legal onboarding sessions for new team members.
• Conducting legal research on federal, state, and local laws, cross-border compliance requirements, and various other issues related to GFI’s ongoing nonprofit operations and future strategic initiatives.
• Contributing to a healthy organizational culture through active participation in leadership conversations and the promotion of equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Performing other legal or strategic duties as assigned, in alignment with the evolving needs of a dynamic, mission-driven nonprofit.

Who we’re looking for

An ideal candidate for the Deputy General Counsel position will have experience that reflects the following:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school and admission to the bar (in good standing) in at least one U.S. state is required.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant legal experience, with prior in-house or nonprofit counsel experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in nonprofit compliance and risk mitigation, especially in the context of international and multistate operations, is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in contract drafting, negotiation, and management best practices.
• Demonstrated expertise with trademark and copyright law is required; some familiarity with patent law basics is preferred.
• A proven ability to provide strategic legal advice on a wide range of topics, from contracts and risk management to intellectual property and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent judgement, strong ethics, and a highly proactive approach to identifying and solving problems. While the Deputy General Counsel will collaborate closely with the General Counsel, this position is expected to exercise sound independent judgment and to determine when escalation or consultation is warranted.
• A collaborative working style and the ability to communicate complex legal concepts to non-legal audiences clearly and effectively.
• A commitment to fostering a work environment that is respectful, supportive, fair, and welcoming to all.
• Comfort working remotely in a collaborative, caring, and high-performing culture that values inclusion and innovation.
• Strong support for GFI’s philosophy and mission; demonstrated interest in plant-based & other alternative proteins, public health, environmentalism, climate change, animal protection, or hunger relief.
• A commitment to GFI’s values: believe change is possible, do the most good we can, share knowledge freely, act on evidence, and invite everyone to the table.

The fine print

• Terms of employment: Full-time, exempt
• Reports to: Sarah Hanneken, General Counsel
• Location: Remote; United States
• Travel: Up to two weeks per year for organization retreats (reasonable accommodations for and exemptions from organization retreats considered on a case-by-case basis).
• Benefits: Working from home; paid employee base medical coverage; dental, vision, and other medical insurance options; a 401(k) plan with employer match; 17 paid holidays; personal, sick, and vacation time; paid family/parental and medical leave; lifestyle spending account; opportunity for advancement; and, respectful and collaborative culture. More information here: https://tinyurl.com/GFIBenefits.
• This is a U.S.-based position: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work for any employer in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. At this time, GFI's policy is not to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas.
• Salary: $155,741.82 - $163,529.08 (depending on experience and qualifications)

Key skills/competency

• Nonprofit Law
• Contract Management
• Legal Risk Management
• Intellectual Property
• Regulatory Compliance
• Antitrust Law
• Employment Law
• Legal Research
• Strategic Legal Advice
• Stakeholder Communication