Job Summary
The Senior Corporate Paralegal plays a critical role in supporting the Legal Department and the broader organization through management of corporate governance activities, SEC reporting support, contract administration, entity management, and legal operations. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, this position serves as a trusted partner to internal stakeholders and external advisors while helping ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and public company governance requirements. The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and experienced in supporting a publicly traded company environment. This role provides significant exposure to executive leadership, Board governance activities, commercial contracting, SEC disclosure processes, and strategic business initiatives.
Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities
The essential functions in this job description are not all-inclusive of this position’s duties and responsibilities. Reliable and dependable attendance is required.
Corporate Governance & Public Company Compliance
- Assist with preparation, coordination, and filing of SEC reports and supporting documents, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, proxy statements, Section 16 filings, and annual meeting materials
- Maintain minute books, resolutions, governance records, and official corporate records
- Support annual shareholder meeting preparation and execution
- Assist with administration of insider trading compliance processes, annual D&O questionnaires, certifications, and governance-related reporting
- Manage corporate entities, annual reports, foreign qualifications, and related state filings
Contract Lifecycle Management
- Serve as primary administrator of the Company's contract lifecycle management process and contract repository
- Coordinate intake, routing, approval, execution, retention, and renewal tracking of contracts
- Review and revise contracts, amendments, nondisclosure agreements, and commercial agreements under attorney supervision
- Monitor contract obligations, deadlines, renewals, and reporting requirements
- Facilitate contract review workflows among Legal, Accounting, FP&A, Information Technology, Human Resources, Supply Chain, Marketing, Operations, and other business groups
- Maintain contract templates and related documentation
Legal Department Operations
- Support litigation management, subpoenas, regulatory inquiries, and discovery matters
- Coordinate activities with outside counsel and maintain related records
- Assist with intellectual property filings and portfolio maintenance
- Conduct legal and business research
- Manage department records, reporting, invoices, and administrative processes
- Support compliance initiatives and legal training programs
Cross-Functional Partnership
- Partner closely with Accounting regarding disclosure support, audit requests, and financial reporting matters
- Support strategic transactions, acquisitions, financing activities, and due diligence projects
- Collaborate with internal business partners to address legal and contractual matters
- Support special projects and other legal department initiatives
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Seven (7) or more years of progressive paralegal experience supporting corporate legal matters for a publicly traded company
- Experience supporting Board governance activities, SEC reporting processes, and corporate entity management
- Strong experience administering commercial contracts and legal documentation processes
- Exceptional organizational, communication, and project management skills
- Certified Paralegal (CP), Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP), Certified Legal Manager (CLM), or similar professional credential from an ABA-approved program, preferred
- Experience in the restaurant, hospitality, retail, franchise, or other multi-unit operating environment, preferred
- Experience with Workiva, Diligent, Boardvantage, Concord, Ironclad, DocuSign CLM, or similar governance and contract management platforms, preferred
- Experience with Copilot, Harvey or other similar AI tools preferred
- Public notary qualification preferred
Who We Are
First Watch is the leading Daytime Dining concept serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch using the freshest ingredients available. Guided by its “Follow the Sun” culinary philosophy, First Watch’s chef-driven menu rotates multiple times per year to feature the highest-quality flavors at their peak, offering elevated executions of classic favorites, fresh juices like the Kale Tonic, and fan favorites such as the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Quinoa Power Bowl and signature Million Dollar Bacon. For every kid’s meal served, First Watch proudly donates a portion to organizations and causes making a positive impact in our communities – raising approximately $2.3 million to date. A recipient of many “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” awards, First Watch was voted #1 Best Breakfast by Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards in 2025, and also named 2025 and 2024’s #1 Most Loved Workplace® in America by the Best Practice Institute – an accolade most recently featured in The Wall Street Journal – after appearing on the list in 2022 and 2023, as well. With a commitment to quality, hospitality and community, First Watch is redefining Daytime Dining across more than 680 restaurants in 33 states. For more information, visit www.firstwatch.com.
First Watch is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, First Watch will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.