The Center for Rural Affairs is hiring General Counsel, a newly created role designed to support the organization’s growth in community-based lending, clean energy finance, housing development finance, as well as organizational-wide legal, contractual, and compliance matters. The position will be based in Lyons, Nebraska; location flexibility may be offered for strong candidates in eastern Nebraska.

This dynamic role will serve as strategic legal advisor and is responsible for a wide range of contracts, loans, and insurance agreements, in addition to tax credit, regulatory, and industry compliance at both the federal and state levels. The General Counsel role requires industry knowledge, analytical skills, and the ability to build and maintain a diverse set of skills across multiple practice areas.

The Center for Rural Affairs is an intermediary lender for the Small Business Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and hosts an affiliated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the Department of Treasury. The organization has $22 million in loans outstanding today and projects that the total loans outstanding will grow to more than $50 million within the next few years.

The General Counsel role includes experience in one or more of the following practice areas: legal research and writing, regulatory compliance, clean energy law, secured transactions and lending, real property law and conveyancing, nonprofit law, insurance, and administrative law.

Who we are

The Center for Rural Affairs is a dynamic, energetic non-profit organization working to build a better rural future for all. We’ve done this work for more than 50 years and we do it from rural places with a flexible work environment. Our work creates opportunities for beginning farmers, new business owners, and first-time advocates. The Center’s work is rooted in principles of diversity and inclusion. We believe that a diversity of people and ideas strengthens our work, our workplace, and our communities. We celebrate this diversity and are committed to advancing practices that create an equitable and inclusive workplace. We take equal opportunity seriously and we welcome and support all applicants and team members. Additional information can be found at www.cfra.org. Check to see if our Mission and Values match yours, and read about our work demonstrating how awesome the Center is!

What you’ll do

The General Counsel reports to the Executive Director and will receive significant work direction from the Chief Financial Officer, and collaborate deeply with the Solar for All Director, Chief Lending Officer, and other leadership team members. This role is responsible for the following:

• You will negotiate contracts and procurement agreements, and ensure the Center’s contract, forms, and agreement templates are up to date and following current legal and/or federal requirements.
• You will advise the new Solar for All team on matters related to energy law compliance, renewable energy tax credit compliance, negotiations, and contracts with developers and utilities, contract drafting for subscriber contracts, power purchase agreements, interconnection agreements, and site acquisition and lease agreements, as well as environmental compliance zoning and permitting guidance, compliance with state and federal regulations, and Tribal government program navigation.
• You will advise the lending team in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating loan-related documents and advising on legal matters over the full life cycle of loan agreements.
• You will advise all Center teams on a wide range of agreements, staffing arrangements, vendor/contractor agreements and/or renewals, construction contracts, non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements, and insurance provisions.
• You will prepare and review letters of intent and term sheets for various transactions, legal summaries, and abstracts, and analyze, assess, and advise on legal topics and contract interpretation.
• You will ensure the Center is well protected through effective contract review, appropriate risk management, and legal oversight of the organization's activity.
• You will communicate complex topics by providing legal opinions and memorandums, developing consumer protection policies, offering guidance on state and federal energy regulations, and assisting with high-level strategic legal matters.
• You will stay informed of applicable laws, regulatory compliance, and industry guidance that may impact the organization, including consumer lending law compliance, federal grant compliance, renewable energy tax credit programs, etc.
• You will advise the Chief of Staff and Sr. Human Resources Manager on matters related to employment law and associated personnel policy.
• You will provide guidance on legal and compliance aspects of Center benefits plans including self-funded health plan and 403(b) retirement plan compliance matters.
• You will provide oversight and guidance related to high-level audit compliance requirements.
• You will be a leader in continually incorporating the Center's DEI principles effectively into internal processes, external programming and communications, and work relationships.

Who you are & keys to success (the must-haves)

To be successful in this job, you will excel in five areas:

• Relationship-building: You develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with team members in the program, across the organization, and with a diverse group of stakeholders. You know how to build alliances with marginalized communities, such as people of color, people with disabilities, low-income families, military veterans, and immigrants, and find points of collaboration even when there are competing interests.
• Drive to achieve results: You have a track record of accomplishing ambitious goals and getting results even when there are obstacles. You set a high bar and meet it because you think three (or 30) steps ahead to anticipate hurdles and come up with pragmatic solutions. You plan backward and involve stakeholders appropriately.
• Inclusive leadership and management: You approach leadership with a collaborative mindset of “power with” rather than “power over” and regularly include others in decision-making. You seek out those who have the experience to guide, advise, and plan how you approach the work. You possess a strong passion for, understanding of, and commitment to the Center’s mission, vision, and values. In addition, be a fearless advocate, who is confident and resilient to drive capital into low-income communities and works well with diverse constituencies.
• Setting and managing priorities: You have experience managing multiple projects and keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. You use resources wisely and can provide clear direction to staff, partners, consultants, and volunteers to leverage time and talent for impact.
• Commitment to racial equity and social justice: You recognize the role of race, income, age, immigration status, and other identities in addressing disparities, and you consistently amplify community voices to advocate for more equitable policy solutions. You recognize how your own identities show up in the work, and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye toward continuous learning about race, ability, and other lines of difference. In addition, be a fearless advocate, who is confident and resilient to drive capital into low-income communities and works well with diverse constituencies.

If you were here right now, you would be:

• Assisting the Solar for All team to develop and implement new and innovative strategies to deploy solar energy in ways that benefit low-income residents while leveraging tax credits, as well as building new internal systems to support all relevant compliance.
• Assisting the Chief Lending Officer and other members of the lending team with document creation, review, and enforcement, including in new areas of lending in Climate, Food Systems, and Housing.
• Collaborating with human resources to ensure compliance with employment laws, mitigate legal risks, and resolve workplace issues. This includes ensuring company policies comply with federal, state, and local regulations, and working with HR to develop and update the handbook and operating manual, policies, and procedures to align with evolving legal standards.

You have experience with the following:

• You have a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school, active membership in good standing with the Nebraska State Bar (or ability to become), the ability to register as an in-house counsel in the state of Nebraska, and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.
• You have experience in one or more of the following practice areas: corporate defense, legal research and writing, regulatory compliance, clean energy law, secured transactions and lending, real property law and conveyancing, nonprofit law, insurance, and administrative law.
• You commit to ongoing professional development and the capacity to adapt and learn new areas of practice over time to meet evolving and dynamic needs.
• You have strong organizational decision-making skills with experience working collaboratively with executive leadership, and interpersonal skills to work across all levels of the organization both internally and externally.
• You are a quick seeker of knowledge who can think strategically, creatively, and tactically to analyze results and provide practical recommendations to executive and program leadership.
• You have a strong reputation for integrity and the ability to balance partnership needs with the need to exercise good independent judgment to handle and raise potentially sensitive issues in a timely and constructive manner.
• You possess a successful track record working in a fast-paced, opportunity-rich growth organization and environment that includes excellent organizational and time management skills required to independently manage multiple tasks, and prioritize work on diverse assignments with strong attention to detail in a fast-paced setting effectively and efficiently.
• You can work effectively with diverse groups of individuals and value differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socioeconomic circumstances.
• You are an effective communicator who conveys an image consistent with effective leadership and the organization’s values.
• You possess high initiative and self-starting capabilities; the demonstrated ability to identify and seize opportunities for impact in sometimes messy, uncertain contexts without direction or oversight.
• You have outstanding written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, as well as superior customer service and relationship-building skills.
• You are willing and able to travel to various sites across Nebraska as needed.

About Center for Rural Affairs

We are unapologetically rural. We stand up for rural America—the small family farmer and rancher, new business owner, and rural communities. Since 1973, we've been a leading force engaging people to build a better rural future. Our policy work spans the nation and is focused in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Our on-the-ground work with communities and farmers takes place in Iowa and Nebraska. We lend to small businesses and homeowners in Nebraska. As long as rural advocates are needed for sustainable agriculture, clean energy, and community development, you can bet we’ll be in the front lines, building a bright rural future. The Center for Rural Affairs is a nonprofit, mission-driven lender focusing on underserved communities, primarily to rural, Latino, Native, and other communities that mainstream finance doesn’t traditionally reach. We are a Community Development Financial Institute, certified by the U.S. Treasury.

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