General Counsel - Legal Department

Description:

Who we are:
The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is the seventh largest school district in California, serving more than 49,000 students who speak more than 44 documented languages across 121 schools in the city of San Francisco every year. We aim for every student who attends SFUSD schools to discover his or her spark, along with a strong sense of self and purpose, and that all students graduate from high school ready for college and career, and equipped with the skills, capacities and dispositions outlined in SFUSD's Graduate Profile (http://www.sfusd.edu/en/about-sfusd/vision-2025/the-graduate-profile.html). Every day in our quest to achieve this mission we provide each and every student the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.

What It Means to Work Here
The SFUSD community is unified by our Core Values (https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/our-mission-and-vision/our-core-values):

• Student-centered: We put students' needs first
• Fearless: We persist through challenges
• United: We celebrate and build on each other's strengths
• Social Justice: We stand with those most vulnerable in our community
• Diversity-driven: We respect and seek to understand each person

We are also inspired by Vision, Values and Guardrails (https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/sfusd-news/press-releases/2022-10-27-sf-board-education-approves-goals-guide-sfusds-priorities-next-five-years) which captures our aspirations and vision for the future of public education in San Francisco. Alongside the District's strategic plan. SFUSD is reimagining how public education will change over the next decade to meet the dynamic future of San Francisco. As a CORE district (http://coredistricts.org/why-is-core-needed/core-districts/, SFUSD is also a leader in critical systems change for more comprehensive school accountability and innovations that help strengthen the instructional core, which is the foundation of our strategic plan and Vision 2025.

Who We Want:
We want talented people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, who are inspired by our mission, steeped in equity, and who are motivated to unleash our children's potential. We want people who are strong collaborators, skilled communicators, and problem solvers who are comfortable in a community of continuous learning.

The General Counsel will provide direct, professional legal counsel and representation to the Superintendent, Board of Education, and administrative staff on legal matters affecting the district. The General Counsel will lead the 20-person Legal Division and oversee litigation and administrative law hearings, outside counsel, and the Equity Assurance teams.

The General Counsel will report to the Superintendent and Board of Education and be part of a cabinet that advises the superintendent and makes critical decisions about the district's strategic direction. They will also play a critical role in shepherding the organization through mindset shifts and structural changes to best serve its students.

As with other senior district leaders, the General Counsel will work in person from the district headquarters in San Francisco's Civic Center daily, traveling to other sites as needed.

Essential Duties:
The duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to the job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive or exhaustive list.

As the General Counsel, you will:

• Articulate a compelling vision for the Legal Division, including drawing explicit connections between the contributions of its team members to SFUSD's vision, values, goals, and guardrails.
• Proactively advise and provide technical expertise, information, and assistance to the Board of Education and Superintendent in all district matters with legal implications and in formulating and developing policies, procedures, and programs to support responsible legal management controls or corrective action.
• Direct the day-to-day operations and work processes of the Legal Division and Equity Assurance teams, including the preparation and rendering of legal opinions upon request, reviewing existing and pending legislation related to district procedural guidelines and policies, interpreting, applying, and explaining rules, regulations policies and procedures to a variety of stakeholders, and maintaining accurate reports and documentation related to district legal matters.
• Lead the preparation of litigation and administrative law hearings, including the preparation of pleadings, trial, and appellate briefs, negotiations between parties, the conduct of trials and hearings at the level of original jurisdiction or on appeal, and other court or hearing appearances to effectively represent the interests of the district as interpreted by the Superintendent and Board of Education.
• Spearhead the drafting of state legislation proposed by the district for presentation to the California State Legislature; interpret the impact of legislation on the district's interests as the State legislature is considering legislation.
• Using an equity lens, develop and implement a strong talent strategy for the Legal Division and Equity Assurance teams, including attracting, developing, evaluating, and motivating staff.
• Lead direct reports and other staff members in setting goals, facilitating cross-functional cooperation, and maintaining current knowledge of provisions of applicable federal, state, and district laws, rules, and regulations.
• Strategically build a strong, cohesive, and collaborative Legal Division through strategic team development and regular one-to-one meetings with direct reports to ensure shared decision-making, commitment, and implementation of priorities and to model a healthy and productive adult culture.

The strongest candidates will have:

• Experience in PK-12 education law and policy in California, particularly in areas of labor and employment, contracts, student matters, special education, litigation, tort claims, and risk management.
• Experience in PK-12 school board governance in a large urban school district, including a deep understanding of the Brown Act.
• Strong analytic and systems thinking necessary to inform strategy and adopt or recommend creative, effective courses of action, including the ability to conduct a risk assessment for each action.
• Success leading effective teams and individuals, managing organizational change, and initiating key innovations.
• Experience in providing professional development to school sites as well as direct support to school leaders in order to be both proactive and reactive to legal issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex information to a variety of audiences (e.g., staff meetings, executive briefings, public board meetings).
• Well-developed cultural humility, awareness of their own identity, and understanding of internalized, interpersonal, and systemic racism and other forms of oppression.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor from an American Bar Association accredited institution, AND
• Six years of experience in the practice of law, including substantial responsible experience as Counsel for a large urban public jurisdiction. Directly related school law experience is highly desirable, AND
• Active membership, in good standing, with the California State Bar Association.

What we offer:
SFUSD offers a competitive salary of $219,940 - $309,582/annually commensurate with experience in a similar position. We offer a comprehensive benefits plan including dental and vision plans, a defined benefit pension plan, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options and vacation time. We also offer an inclusive and equity-centered environment where we encourage staff to bring their whole selves to work.

How to Apply:

• Visit https://jobs.sfusd.edu/ and create a new account to begin your application.
• You will be prompted to electronically attach a letter of interest, resume, list of professional references and any applicable credentials or licenses
• Our Human Resources team will then review your entire application to determine your eligibility status and contact you directly should you move forward in the process

Verification
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification from this and future job opportunities with the San Francisco Unified School District.

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