Description:

Summary:
The Associate Counsel provides legal support across a wide range of matters to ensure legally compliant, forward-looking decisions. This role manages 3rd party legal counsel relationships, conducts complex contract reviews, answers complex legal questions, provides legal opinions, provides regulatory interpretations, and backs up the Shareholder Relations Officer. This role will contribute to enterprise risk management through issue-spotting, research, and clear communication of legal risks. The Associate Counsel will work closely with ENB's Shareholder Relations Officer and work through complex legal questions with guidance available from outside counsel as needed. Success in this role is measured through timely, practical, and business-aligned legal support that strengthens ENB's commitment to quality, compliance, and community impact.

Essential Functions:
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  • Maintain strong 3rd party relationships with outside attorneys to ensure access to specialized expertise.
  • Work with business leaders across the bank to provide legal opinions and legal interpretations when requested.
  • Conduct legal work regarding complex situations; this includes having the discretion to outsource appropriate legal work when applicable.
  • Provide legal assistance to ENB's senior leaders for items including branching, M&A, land purchases/sales, etc.
  • Serve as the primary legal contact for ENB's Human Resources, Wealth Solutions, and Investment Services Departments.
  • Support policy owners with drafting and reviewing policy changes for legal compliance when requested.
  • Monitor pending and emerging state/federal laws that could affect ENB's operations. Report updates and recommend practical actions to ENB's leadership and Board of Directors to maintain compliance and support ENB's strategic objectives.
  • Own the process for all regulatory licensing applications.
  • Engage in shareholder relations as needed.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Competencies:
  • ENB Operational and Functional Competencies.
  • ENB SET Competencies (Strategy, Execution , and Talent).

Required Education and Experience:
  • Juris Doctor Degree from a respected law school and an active license to practice law in U.S.
  • 6-8 years of relevant experience, preferably with a background in banking, real estate, bankruptcy, or estate law.
  • Knowledge of finance, banking, and working knowledge of bank-related legislative and regulatory processes.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in legal writing and legal research.
  • Analytical, logical, and problem-solving skills.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both orally and written.
  • Ability to interact with all levels of management.
  • Ability to complete continuing education to retain credentials (i.e. training, seminars, courses) as assigned and/or applicable.
  • Ability to work with a continuous improvement/lean mindset to build operational excellence.
  • Ability to engage with 3rd parties with timeliness, professionalism, and clarity.

Supervisory Requirements:
This position supervises legal segment staff.

Work Environment:
This job operates in a professional work environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, monitors, mouse, keyboard, phones, printers, scanners, photocopiers, filing cabinets, calculator, and fax machines. Due to physical location of this position, phone ringing, and people conversing, it may be difficult to hear at times and therefore easily distracting.

Physical Demands:
Ephrata National Bank promotes an equal opportunity workplace, which includes reasonable accommodations of otherwise qualified disabled applicants and employees. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision required by the job includes close vision, distance vision, and ability to focus. While this position is primarily sedentary, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects or controls, reach with hands and arms, bend, balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds including standard computer and copy paper boxes, and must be able to open and close filing cabinets and drawers.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:
This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flexibility of schedule to meet business needs is required.

Travel:
This position may require travel.

EEO Statement:
Ephrata National Bank supports a diverse workforce and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of Ephrata National Bank to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other protected characteristic applicable under law. The bank complies with all relevant federal, state, and local laws, as well as, all regulations regarding nondiscrimination.

This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions and position responsibilities. Nothing in this job description restricts management's rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The employee is expected to adhere to all of Ephrata National Bank's procedures and to act as a role model in the adherence to bank polices.

Acknowledgement:
Employee electronic signature constitutes the employee's understanding of the requirements, essential functions and duties of the position.