Head of Legal

About Niche

Niche is the leader in school search. Our mission is to make researching and enrolling in schools easy, transparent, and free. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search tools, we help millions of people find the right school for them. We also help thousands of schools recruit more best-fit students, by highlighting what makes them great and making it easier to visit and apply.

Niche is all about finding where you belong, and that mission inspires how we operate every day. We want Niche to be a place where people truly enjoy working and can thrive professionally.

About The Role

Niche is looking for a Head of Legal who will play a key role in supporting Niche’s growth as we continue to scale and streamline.  The ideal candidate will be a generalist in the areas of corporate governance, privacy, product and advertising counsel and employment law.  This role will report directly to the CFO and have one direct report, in-house counsel who supports commercial contracts and privacy compliance.  The Head of Legal will oversee all legal activities at Niche with the assistance of outside counsel and in-house counsel.

What You Will Do

Drive our legal strategy to align with our business strategy and objectives. Provide counsel and support on all legal, regulatory, and compliance questions for all stakeholders (e.g. Product, Engineering, Marketing, Data, etc.). Strategic partner with our People team to navigate issues relating to employment law and employee legal matters. Strong cross-functional partner with our sales organization to keep a strong pace of deal flow, prioritization and urgency. Continue to improve and innovate current vendor management processes, workflow and documentation to support internal operations. Draft, negotiate and review high impact and high value agreements in assistance to Corporate Counsel, as needed. Manage and resolve all legal disputes, including regulatory compliance issues. Manage and liaise with outside counsel on all matters

During the 1st Month:

• Successful completion of onboarding courses
• Learn Niche’s business, products & revenue streams
• Review and assess Niche’s Legal Department Processes 
  

Within 3 Months:

• Become lead attorney for all legal matters at Niche with the exception of standard commercial contracts
• Provide proactive and reactive legal guidance to the People, Marketing, Advertising, Product, Engineering and Security teams at Niche
• Assess when outside legal counsel is necessary and make recommendations to CFO as applicable
  

Within 6 Months:

• Implement any required or desired changes to the Legal team processes as determined in conjunction with the CFO 
  

Within 12 Months:

• Fully onboarded and integrated into org, providing strategic legal counsel to the organization’s various business units
• Assist with spear-heading additional G&A initiatives as directed by CFO 

What We Are Looking For

• JD from an accredited law school
• 10+ years of overall professional experience practicing law and must have in-house counsel experience, law firm experience is desired but not required
• Proven ability to make sound judgments and decisions
• Preferred experience in a hyper-growth, fast-paced environment
• Ability to stay agile and pivot based on company strategy and vision

Are you excited about the position and its responsibilities, but hesitant because your experience doesn't align 100% with the posted requirements? We believe you are more than a resume, so go for it! You won’t want to miss the opportunity to play a part in helping students find where they belong.

Compensation 

Our national target base salary range is $200,000-$225,000, plus participation in our Annual Bonus and Stock Option Program. Base compensation will be commensurate with experience and skills.

At Niche, our Total Rewards Philosophy is centered around creating a workplace environment that attracts, motivates, and retains top talent by providing a comprehensive and competitive rewards package.  This philosophy is built on the principles of performance-based compensation, best-in-class benefits and work-life balance, and employee well-being.

Interview Process

Candidate experience is a top priority for our talent and hiring teams.  We believe in providing a transparent, authentic and comprehensive interview process where you have the opportunity to learn about us while we get to know you and your experience.  The interview process is outlined here:

• Phone Screen with Talent Acquisition Partner - 30 Minutes

• Video Interview with Hiring Manager - 30-45 mins 

• Team Interview (2 to 3 people) - 45 Minutes

• Leadership Interview - 45 Minutes

Why Niche?

• We are a fully flexible workforce empowering our employees to choose to work remotely, in our Pittsburgh office or whatever combination suits you
• Full time, salaried position with competitive compensation in a fast-growing company
• Best-in-class 100% paid employee health plan, including vision and dental and supplemental coverage
• Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
• Stipend that allows you to build your work from home office in a style and function that suits your personal preferences
• Parental leave for all employees (12 weeks fully paid) in addition to short term disability for birthing parents
• Meaningful 401(k) with employer match
• Your ideas and work will make an immediate impact on our company and millions of users
• You will join a team that cares about you, our mission, our work - and celebrates our wins together!

Niche will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for this opening.  

We are currently hiring in states where we currently have employees: AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, DC, WV.

Candidates only.  No recruiters or agencies, please. Sorry, we do not offer relocation assistance.

Niche is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. Therefore, we provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

All interviews are being held remotely. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.