Description:

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education. Cengage's portfolio of businesses supports student choice by providing a range of pathways that help learners achieve their goals and lead a choice-filled life.

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/.

Cengage is seeking a pragmatic, business-oriented attorney for the role of Counsel, Business Operations and Regulatory, which will serve as a key legal partner to its growing workforce skills and career training business. This role will partner closely with Cengage Work's leadership, strategy, sales, product, and operations teams to evaluate various business and product delivery models and structure, negotiate, and close complex commercial transactions while navigating the evolving regulatory landscape impacting workforce education and training. This role will also serve as lead counsel on select Cengage-wide regulatory compliance initiatives.

What you'll do here:
Business Partnership

Serve as a trusted advisor to the Cengage Work business, developing a strong understanding of its products, business models, and strategic priorities
Collaborate with product, operations, finance, and go-to-market teams to incorporate legal and regulatory considerations into business decisions
Provide practical, risk-based legal advice that supports business objectives

Regulatory Advisory, Compliance and Risk Management

Advise on federal and state regulatory frameworks that, directly or indirectly, impact Cengage Work, including:
Consumer protection laws and disclosure requirements
Education financing models (e.g., tuition assistance, employer-sponsored funding, public workforce funding)
Postsecondary education laws and regulations
Workforce development and training program regulations (e.g., WIOA and related state programs)
Collaborate with Cengage's government affairs team and advisors to monitor, interpret and advise on changes in postsecondary education, workforce education and skills training related laws and regulations that may impact Cengage Work
Identify legal, regulatory and operational risks across Cengage Work and partner with compliance, legal subject matter experts and the business to develop policies and procedures to mitigate these risks.
As needed, serve as lead counsel on select enterprise-wide regulatory and compliance initiatives.

Commercial Transactions, Process Improvement and M&A Support

Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements supporting Cengage Work offerings, including customer, partner, and institutional arrangements
Provide clear, actionable legal guidance to support transaction strategy and execution
Partner with Legal Operations to set the strategic framework for contracting processes supporting Cengage Work, including templates, standards, and playbooks across multiple business models. Serve as an escalation point for complex, non‑standard contractual matters, providing advisory guidance to the Contract Management team
As needed, support corporate legal team on acquisition and other strategic transactions for Cengage Work.

Skills You Will Need Here:

J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership
4–7 years of relevant legal experience (law firm and/or in-house)
Experience in partnering closely with business teams to advise on complex legal issues in support of strategic objectives
Strong analytical, issue-spotting, and problem-solving skills, with a practical, business-oriented approach to risk
Willingness to learn a new business and capacity to independently develop expertise in unfamiliar areas;
Demonstrated ability to take ownership of complex legal projects and independently manage projects cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders
Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills

Preferred:

Familiarity with federal and state regulatory regimes affecting postsecondary education and workforce and skills training
Experience in technology companies focused on workforce skills, online continuing education, or vocational training
Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at accommodations.ta@cengage.com.