Senior Staff Attorney

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
 

Grade: Professional 313

Pay Range: $123,000.00 - $190,700.00

Job Description

The Senior Staff Attorney will provide a wide range of legal services to a large, technically adept conglomerate of nonprofit entities. The Senior Staff Attorney will manage multiple matters concurrently and work with university leaders to support the University’s mission to improve quality and expand access to post-secondary educational opportunities.

 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Assists senior attorneys in the Office of General Counsel (OGC) with research and analysis on a wide variety of legal issues including intellectual property, student affairs, privacy, employment, regulatory compliance, and other issues impacting the University. 

• Drafts, reviews, and negotiates contracts for a variety of business transactions to align with university standards and business goals.

• Facilitates and manages contract enforcement activities.

• Engages with University leaders to identify and address risk under the supervision of senior attorneys.

• Evaluates and responds to potential legal claims under the supervision of senior attorneys.

• Responds timely to all inquiries.

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Job Description Disclaimer: This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Sound independent judgment and professional integrity.

• Prompt and effective research, analytical, and writing skills.

• Ability to build relationships and influence within the OGC and the University. 

• Ability to accurately prioritize and respond to issues and requests.

• Ability to identify solutions that combine legal considerations with institutional needs.

• Ability to think creatively and offer informed opinions.

• Prompt development of knowledge in a wide range of legal areas.

• Ability to monitor and resolve multiple, concurrent matters.

• Understanding of federal higher education policy and industry trends

• Broad educational and professional interests illustrating a desire to learn.

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate degree from an ABA-accredited law school. 

• 3+ years’ experience in active legal practice or other related experience or a combination of related learning and experience.

• Licensed and in good standing to practice law in Utah, or admissible at the earliest opportunity, and no later than one year from the position start date.

Preferred Qualifications:

• In-house counsel experience

• Experience in higher education or nonprofit organizations.

Travel:

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

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Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.