Director of Legal, Governance and Compliance

Job Description:
A non-profit is seeking a Director of Legal, Governance and Compliance. The Director will lead the organization’s legal coordination, corporate governance and enterprise compliance functions, serving as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director, senior leadership team and Board of Directors on matters related to legal risk, regulatory obligations and governance best practices. The Director acts as the organization’s primary internal legal and governance resource, working closely with internal legal counsel and outside counsel to address issues impacting the organization’s liabilities, contracts, litigation exposure and strategic initiatives, while also partnering with claims leadership to provide legal insight on complex or high-exposure claim matters. The Director oversees Board governance processes and documentation to ensure alignment with statutory and fiduciary requirements, while designing and administering the organization’s compliance and ethics program to promote a culture of transparency, accountability and regulatory adherence. Additionally, the Director leads and develops attorneys and/or supporting staff within the legal, governance and compliance function, and collaborates cross-functionally with operations, finance, claims, IT and HR to proactively identify risk and embed governance and compliance considerations into day-to-day business processes across the organization. This is a retained search.

Responsibilities:

• Claims Legal Consultation and Risk Collaboration - Partner with claims leadership and operations to provide legal insight on complex or high-exposure claim matters, support defensible decision-making, and coordinate with internal and outside counsel on litigation or regulatory proceedings impacting the organization’s liabilities.

• Legal Advisory and Outside Counsel Coordination - Serve as the primary internal legal resource by identifying legal risks, facilitating timely review with internal and outside counsel, managing external legal relationships and spend, and advising leadership and the Board on legal considerations tied to strategy, contracts, regulatory obligations and organizational exposure.

• Compliance and Ethics Program Oversight - Design, implement, and maintain the organization’s compliance and ethics framework, including policy development, regulatory monitoring, training, reporting and coordination of audits, examinations and information requests to ensure adherence to applicable laws and internal standards.

• Governance and Board Affairs - Support the Executive Director and Board of Directors in maintaining effective governance practices by overseeing bylaws, charters, resolutions, committee processes and governance documentation aligned with statutory and fiduciary requirements.

• People Leadership and Cross-Functional Risk Partnership - Lead and develop legal, governance and compliance staff while collaborating with finance, operations, IT, HR and claims to proactively identify risk and embed governance and compliance considerations into business processes.

Requirements:

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school

• Active license to practice law in Michigan (or ability to obtain)

• Significant corporate legal experience, which may include in-house counsel roles

• 10+ years of experience in legal, compliance or governance roles, preferably in regulated environments such as insurance, government or nonprofit organizations

• Strong understanding of governance frameworks, regulatory compliance and risk management (preferred)

• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including leading and developing professional staff

• 10+ years of experience with No-Fault law, preferably in the state of Michigan