Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees

ABOUT SIMMONS

Located in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons University has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons was founded for equality 125 years ago as one of the first higher education institutions dedicated to helping women become leaders. Today, our university continues to grow and evolve and now offers Boston’s only women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all. 

You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as we continue to innovate for the future. Simmons recently launched a six-school academic structure that leverages our expert faculty and longstanding expertise in professions that make our communities stronger. In addition, we continue to highlight our high-value education proposition that is delivering greater ROI to students and putting them on the fast track to career growth and success. You’ll find that people who work here truly believe in our mission of preparing students to become social justice-oriented leaders who excel in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace.

As a university that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees serves as a trusted confidential advisor to the President, senior University administrators and members of the Board of Trustees. Responsible for advising and representing the University on a broad range of business, academic, regulatory and statutory issues, while supporting University leaders and Trustees in their strategic goals and initiatives.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

General Counsel

• ​Provide counsel on a wide array of legal matters including but not limited to employment law; litigation; shared governance; data privacy; real estate; transactional matters; intellectual property;  free speech and academic freedom; non-profit law, and employee and labor relations;

• Review, draft, and negotiate institutional contracts, agreements, leases, and other documents for execution by the University President and other senior leaders; 

• Provide advice to School and Student Life Deans regarding a wide range of student matters including disability and religious accommodations, Title IX, FERPA, and behavioral/code of conduct issues;

• Provide advice to Human Resources regarding a range of employee matters including accommodations; hiring practices; disciplinary actions; terminations; threats of litigation; employee benefits; reductions in force; retirement and severance agreements.

• Assist with policy and procedure interpretation, review, and revisions, and create new policies and procedures as needed;

• Represent Simmons before administrative and governmental agencies; 

• Support the University in building a culture of compliance and work closely and collaboratively with the Office of the Provost, Human Resources, Student Engagement, Success, and Diversity, Finance, Advancement and other University departments that manage risk and compliance;

• Hire and manage outside counsel where appropriate and assist with legal and litigation strategy;

Secretary to the Board of Trustees

•  Serve as counsel to the Board of Trustees and its standing committees, draft and review board resolutions and prepare reports for the Board;

• Oversee board operations, thrice-yearly full Board meetings, and special meetings and Committee meetings, and advise on compliance with Board policies and By-laws;

• Assist with the identification and recruitment of new Trustees and their onboarding;  

• Draft revisions to governance documents and oversee amendment process;