Deputy General Counsel

Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne or ANL) is seeking a Deputy General Counsel with a strong business partnership mindset for our Legal Department. You will join a team of nine attorneys and five support staff and report to our General Counsel in support of the mission and operation of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratory.  We are seeking a highly experienced and skilled attorney to provide legal advice and counsel concerning a wide range of legal matters, as would be expected of an in-house generalist for a publicly-funded, mission-driven research organization. 

Summary of Accountabilities:

Second to the General Counsel, the Deputy General Counsel (DGC) works closely with the General Counsel to provide primary, proactive legal counsel to the Laboratory senior management on complex, high-visibility, high profile projects of significant importance to the Laboratory’s mission. The incumbent works with a great deal of autonomy, and demonstrates the judgment to seek direction from the General Counsel as needed.  The DGC advises, counsels and can successfully influence key Argonne personnel on compliance matters related to regulations and requirements under Argonne’s Prime Contract with the U.S. Department of Energy in addition to keeping the lab aware of changing requirements to mitigate impact to Laboratory budget and schedule and resolve matters efficiently and effectively. The DGC routinely collaborates with other lab leaders to provide operational and strategic leadership in the development of policies and procedures, as well as broader plans for the laboratory.

• Represents the Laboratory with DOE, other government agencies or other parties, and suppliers or vendors as assigned by the General Counsel.
• Assists in managing litigation and mitigating risk on all matters related to the Laboratory’s mission.
• Supervises all non-attorney staff in the Legal Department; as such the position has responsibility for goal setting, project identification, facilitating development and day-to-day management support and feedback. 
• At the direction and under the supervision of the General Counsel, acts as the Laboratory’s Ethics Officer. As such, plays a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity of the Laboratory and ensuring that the organization adheres to high ethical standards and practices. Day-to-day responsibilities may include policy development, staff training and education, advising and counseling staff on interpretation of policy and regulations, administration of ethics related committees or other bodies, monitoring ethical compliance, conducting investigations as appropriate, reporting and documentation.
• Oversees the development and delivery of education / training on relevant legal topics to components of the Argonne community to minimize Argonne’s risk exposure and costs and to support a culture of compliance and continuous improvement.
• Represents the Department (and routinely, the Laboratory) as principal spokesperson and prime internal and external contact concerning activities, deliverables, and performance as directed by the General Counsel.
• At the direction of the General Counsel, performs the duties and assumes the responsibilities of General Counsel, including the direction of the daily operation of the Legal Department in the absence of the General Counsel.
• Effectively oversees and manages outside counsel as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the General Counsel.

Position Requirements

Minimum Job Requirements:

• Law Degree from an ABA accredited law school
• Admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois or eligible for a limited practice license in Illinois as in-house counsel
• A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant experience in a broad range of practice areas applicable to in-house practice as delineated in the accountabilities above
• Experience with federal regulatory compliance required
• Experience supervising staff
• High degree of demonstrated oral, written, interpersonal communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to acquire and maintain a DOE "Q" level security clearance

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience representing a national laboratory or other federal government contractor or agency strongly preferred
• Familiarity with DOE policies, procedures, and orders pertaining to federally funded entities (particularly national laboratories) preferred
• Broad-based legal experience in a wide variety of practice areas representing publicly funded entities or agencies preferred, including:
  • construction, contracting and procurement, data privacy, environment, governance, intellectual property principles, labor and employment, litigation, prime contract requirements, real estate, records management, regulatory compliance, risk management
• Experience with government ethics statutes and principles applicable to publicly funded entities and/or research organizations preferred
• Experience managing outside counsel preferred
• Ability to guide the development of complex policy and strategy with senior management
• Demonstrated ability to represent the Legal Department and the Laboratory as a whole with key stakeholders, including: laboratory staff, DOE, other funding agencies, the University of Chicago, UChicago Argonne, LLC Board of Governors, private sector research partners, other national laboratories, subcontractors
• Ability to model Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity and Teamwork

Job Family

Professional Administrative (PA)

Job Profile

Legal Counsel Leader 3

Worker Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time

The expected hiring range for this position is $158,716.00 - $250,388.19.

Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.

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As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.