Senior Legal Advisor

The Senior Legal Advisor serves a key role on the Authority’s Legal and Compliance team.  Reporting to the Chief Counsel, the Senior Legal Advisor will lead and manage high-impact, cross-functional special projects initiated by the Chief Counsel and will also serve as a critical resource to the broader legal management team, ensuring alignment of legal strategy with programmatic objectives across the Authority.

Success in this role will require an ability to translate complex legal concepts into clean, actionable strategies that support executive decision-making across a broad spectrum of legal issues. An ability to problem-solve and to quickly grasp new and sometimes novel legal issues, while supporting time-sensitive Authority-wide or division initiatives are critical to success.

This position is ideally suited to an attorney with experience advising senior leadership, whether in a state agency, corporate legal department, or in-house counseling in a complex organization, on cross-functional, high-priority projects and Authority-wide initiatives, with a strong working knowledge of New Jersey specific law governing NJEDA’s operations and strategic initiatives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide dedicated legal analysis, advice, and project management directly to the Chief Counsel on priority matters, ensuring their initiatives are effectively supported and executed;
• Manage and drive high-priority, cross-functional special projects that may not fall neatly into any one department within the division, but that require the Chief Counsel’s immediate attention and input;
• Research, draft, and prepare briefing materials, legal memoranda, and recommendations tailored for the Chief Counsel’s strategic decision-making and communication with the board or senior executives;
• Handle sensitive, confidential legal matters or investigations on behalf of the Chief Counsel that require discretion and direct reporting;
• Act swiftly on urgent legal matters escalated directly to the Chief Counsel, facilitating rapid legal analysis and response;
• Performs legal research and monitors and tracks changes in applicable law, ensuring management and staff are informed of relevant changes;
• Works closely with all the departments’ legal management team within the division to ensure cross-departmental support for NJEDA’s projects, policies, and initiatives;
• Support legal innovation efforts, including legal tech adoption and legal operations improvements, within the division;
• Provides written and/or verbal briefings to NJEDA’s leadership and Board, as well as other state stakeholders such as the Office of the Governor and Department of the Treasury;
• Works with the division’s legal management team to set division-wide goals and objectives;
• Promotes teamwork and communication to encourage an interactive, cooperative, collaborative and customer focused work environment among division, NJEDA staff and external customers;
• Performs other duties and special projects, as assigned; and
• Must complete annual and semiannual self-assessment as required.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to provide timely and effective legal support to Authority programs and leadership on a wide range of legal topics;
• An ability to quickly acquire an understanding of NJEDA’s broader programmatic portfolio and and related industry dynamics;
• An ability to manage the preparation of legal documents, memoranda, and reports;
• Commitment to fostering a collaborative, innovative, and ethical work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex legal information into actionable recommendations.
• A proven ability to communicate at senior levels, including at a Board level;
• Capacity to prioritize workload, must be highly organized, detail-oriented, handle various tasks simultaneously and work independently within limited time constraints with minimal supervision;
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; proficient in grammar, spelling and editing; and foster communications with business professionals and EDA staff;
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality and deal effectively and diplomatically with business professionals and Authority staff;
• Demonstrates respectful behavior and promotes teamwork and communication to encourage an interactive, cooperative, collaborative and customer focused work environment among division, Authority staff and external customers; and
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and online legal research applications (such as LexisNexis and Westlaw), with the ability to learn new software packages.

EDA Leadership Profile

• Acquires and Develops Talent – Acquires and develops talent to meet current and future organizational goals
• Builds and Manages the Team – Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills with the ability to build, coach and lead a team with diverse levels of experience
• Collaborates/Partners Effectively Across Boundaries/Functions – Encourages and facilitates cooperation and collaboration within teams and across organizational boundaries to achieve strategies and objectives
• Drives a Vision – Inspires a sense of shared purpose; drives a vision
• Drives for Results – Demonstrates a commitment to achieving goals; drives for results
• Encourages New Ideas and Opportunities for Change –Encourages new ideas and initiatives; creates opportunities for change
• Motivates and Energizes Others – Influences, motivates and challenges others; encourages contributions
• Thinks Strategically – Makes sound, well-informed and strategic decisions; understands the impact and implications of decisions

Preferred Qualifications

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent experience;
• Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited ABA-approved law school;
• At least ten (10) years of relevant experience, whether within a government setting or private practice.

Advanced degree or industry specific certification may be substituted for 1 year of experience

Additional Information 

• Minimal physical demands and ability to work out normal business hours
• Travel expected when necessary for business operations

Certificates and Licenses Required 

• Staff are required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essentials duties of the position.

Note  

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job description. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed. This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope, general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this job.  This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position. 

Your employment at NJEDA is voluntary and subject to termination by you or NJEDA at will, with or without cause, or with or without notice, at any time.  Nothing in this job description shall be interpreted to conflict, eliminate or modify the employment-at-will status of NJEDA employees.   

This position is considered exempt and is excluded from minimum wage, overtime regulations, and other rights and protections afforded nonexempt workers under the FLSA. 

NJEDA reserves the right to amend/revise this job description as necessary to meet current and changing business needs. 

NJ SAME Program 

 In accordance with P.L. 2021, c. 465 and P.L. 2021, 466, the SAME program was established to enable New Jersey State agencies to hire, promote, retain, and advance qualified individuals whose physical or mental impairments impact their abilities to participate in the hiring and promotion process for non-competitive and unclassified titles within the State workforce.  

The SAME program allows candidates, who identify as having a significant disability, to apply for non-competitive and unclassified positions through a fast track hiring process. This program uses a fast-track process that permits people who are eligible for the program to request that the State appointing authority schedule with them a good faith interview. For more information about the SAME program and the Fast Track Hiring program, please Click Here.  If you have any questions, please email, or call the contact as indicated on the job vacancy announcement. 

This posting open to eligible applicants regardless of SAME eligibility. 

Equal Opportunity Employer 

Position Requirements 

• Foreign degrees/transcripts must be evaluated by a reputable evaluation service at your own expense and must be submitted prior to a start date.  If this cannot be provided within 21 days of an offer the offer will be rescinded.
• Must comply with the “New Jersey First Act” which requires employees hired after September 1, 2011, to reside in New Jersey. Non-New Jersey resident employees must relocate to New Jersey within one year of their date of hire and provide proof of residency to Human Resources.
• Must complete an Outside Activity Questionnaire (disclosure of outside office or employment) on an annual basis. 
• Must review the required NJ State Ethics Guidelines found on the state website.
• Selected candidates must be authorized to work in the United States per the Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations. Note: The State of New Jersey does not provide sponsorship for citizenship to the United States.

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