Start Date/Role Type: Immediate /Full-time employee
Travel: Willingness to travel on occasion (~2-4x per year)
Manager: Vanessa Mendoza (COO)
Priority Application Deadline: January 16, 2026

Who We Are

Transcend is a national nonprofit that helps communities reimagine and redesign schools so every young person can thrive in a rapidly changing world. Across the country, communities are recognizing that classrooms built for the industrial age aren’t preparing learners for what’s next. Instead, schools must be designed for continuous evolution: relevant, resilient, and ready for the future. For more than a decade, Transcend has partnered with school and system leaders to build the capacity for bold, lasting change—change led by the people who live it every day. We’ve worked with nearly 500 schools and 200 districts serving over 225,000 students in 35 states. Together, we’ve seen what’s possible when communities lead redesign with proven methods, insight, and support. From that work, we develop and share tools, research, and models that help schools everywhere make the leap to extraordinary learning—for every child, in every community. For more information, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.

The Opportunity

As we mark our 10th anniversary, Transcend is entering an exciting new chapter—and seeking our first in-house General Counsel to help shape it. Over the past decade, we’ve built strong legal, compliance, and governance foundations. Now, we’re ready to build upon those systems for the next decade of growth, innovation, and impact.

As our first dedicated legal strategist, you will design and steward the organization’s overall legal architecture—covering contracts, grant and regulatory compliance, nonprofit governance, employment law, and enterprise risk strategy. This is a rare opportunity to combine both strategic vision with hands-on execution.

In this role, you will serve as both a trusted advisor and educator, making complex legal concepts clear and actionable for a creative, forward-thinking team. You’ll ensure that our ideas and partnerships are built on a strong, resilient legal footing, while cultivating a culture of thoughtful, values-driven risk management across the organization.

In This Role, You Will Lead:

Contracts & Grants (40%): Shape and lead the next generation of our contract and grant management systems.

• Design and implement tailored templates, processes, and tools that meet today’s business needs and anticipate future growth.
• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements with contractors, vendors, funders, and partners.
• Partner with the Finance team to review and manage grant agreements, supporting compliance while empowering staff to deliver confidently.

Labor & Employment Law (20%): Serve as a key advisor on employment and people matters across a multi-state workforce.

• Monitor and interpret legal and regulatory developments affecting employment and HR practices.
• Continuously strengthen policies and procedures in close partnership with key stakeholders to reflect best practices and mitigate risk.
• Serve as a thought partner across a wide range of employment-related topics.

Special Projects, Advisory Support & Capacity Building (20%): Advance priority initiatives that strengthen our legal and risk infrastructure.

• Conduct legal research, conduct overall analysis, and produce strong content to inform and support sound decision-making.
• Serve as a strategic partner to leaders across the organization to embed legal and risk considerations into major organizational decisions.
• Steward teams through legal processes by designing and improving tools that translate legal concepts into accessible, actionable guidance so teams can proactively navigate legal needs.

Nonprofit Governance & Compliance (10%): Support the ongoing health of our nonprofit governance and regulatory frameworks.

• Maintain bylaws, board governance, and nonprofit compliance requirements.
• Manage state, federal, and local filings and registrations (i.e. nonprofit filings, federal and state IP filings, tax-exempt filings, etc.) in partnership with relevant teams and stakeholders.

Insurance & Risk Strategy (10%): Champion a proactive and strategic approach to managing risk.

• Develop and oversee the organization’s insurance strategy and coverage portfolio.
• Anticipate legal and operational risks and craft pragmatic solutions that enable innovation and growth.
• Strengthen enterprise risk management systems to ensure long-term resilience.

To see more of the role in action, check out this day in the life.

Who You Are

Our ideal candidate brings a blend of technical mastery, strategic insight, and a deeply mission-driven, collaborative approach.

Required Experience:

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school and active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (or eligible for in-house counsel registration where applicable).
• 10+ years of legal experience, ideally combining law firm training with in-house work in the nonprofit or education sectors.
• Experience leading in-house work and managing outside counsel as needed.
• Experience drafting and negotiating contracts, including navigating IP and licensing.
• Familiarity with employment law and the biggest areas for ongoing consideration.
• Familiarity with researching and understanding government regulations and compliance requirements across a broad range of sources, including federal and state agencies.
• Demonstrated experience in acquiring and deepening technical expertise across new areas of law.
• A track record of translating complex legal and compliance concepts into clear, practical guidance that empowers non-legal teams.
• Awareness of existing and emerging issues in technology, data privacy (including FERPA in schools), and AI, and ability to integrate those considerations into contracts, policies, and risk strategy.

Skills:

• A strong collaborator who balances expertise with inclusion and operates with the highest degree of discretion while working with a wide variety of stakeholders.
• A strong written and verbal communicator with the ability to bring clarity and nuance to complex issues and translate federal, state, and international legal frameworks into actionable guidance and team capacity-building support.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate risks, assess options, and offer pragmatic solutions that balance legal protection with organizational agility and innovation.
• Utilize analytical fluency to gather, synthesize, and apply complex information to shape organizational strategy.
• Interest in or familiarity with using and integrating legal tools and platforms (e.g., DocuSign) to improve workflows.

Orientations:

• Deep alignment with Transcend’s mission and values, and genuine excitement to contribute to a forward-looking team driving innovation in education.
• Excited to build and shape the next chapter of this function by refining what exists, building what’s needed next, and delivering reliably on daily legal responsibilities.
• Energized by operating at both strategic and executional levels—designing systems while engaging directly in the day-to-day legal work that sustains them.
• Lifelong learner who holds curiosity and humility towards learning about new legal, educational, and social areas and brings this orientation to daily work.
• Relationship-driven leader, grounded in integrity, judgment, and trust.
• Thrives in ambiguity and brings clarity and structure to evolving contexts—able to make sound, timely decisions even when the path isn’t fully defined.
  Culturally attuned and context-aware, able to interpret the nuances of work across a range of communities, funders, and educational environments.
• Excited to build and shape the next chapter of this function by refining what exists, building what’s needed next, and delivering reliably on daily legal responsibilities.

Application & Hiring Process
We review applications on a rolling basis and are committed to a thoughtful and people-centered hiring experience that helps candidates feel what it’s like to work at Transcend. Here’s what you can expect if you are selected to move forward (additional conversations may be incorporated, as needed):

• Initial interview
• 1:1 with the Hiring Manager (Vanessa Mendoza)
• Performance Task
• Panel interview/Task Debrief
• Final Interview
• References/Offer

A Few Nuts & Bolts
We are an experienced team focused on extraordinary learning for all. We welcome candidates who are passionate about ensuring that all students thrive. We are also committed to providing our colleagues with a competitive benefits package and offer medical, dental, and vision coverage options, org-wide holidays, paid time off, paid parental leave, professional development opportunities, and fully remote work. We take pride in our collaborative environment, exceptional team, and shared commitment to principled, impactful work.

*As a national team, we apply a cost-of-labor adjustment by adjusting salaries into 3 geographical bands (geo-band) in order to offer competitive compensation for all employees across the US. These geo-bands help us tailor compensation appropriately based on the specific location of each teammate.

We look forward to learning more about you!