Associate General Counsel (Research, Technology, and Privacy)

• Support the university’s strategic goals, in particular with respect to research, technology, and privacy-related matters.
• Protect the university’s short- and long-term interests by ensuring that actions taken by or on the behalf of the university comply with university policies and federal, state, and local laws or regulations.
• Work independently and as part of a team to effectively manage multiple highly sensitive and urgent legal matters with competing and overlapping deadlines, and timely communicate matter status and updates to Vice Chancellors and their teams. 
• Proactively analyze and recommend corrective action and training to ameliorate risk as needed.
• Utilize creative problem-solving techniques and excellent oral and written communication skills to contribute to the highly collaborative working environment within the Office of the General Counsel and across the university. 
• Provides regulatory compliance support and legal counsel to university offices that oversee and manage the conduct of research and technology commercialization;
• Is knowledgeable of and maintains awareness of new legal and regulatory developments at the international, federal, state, and local level to provide counsel on the shifting legal and regulatory landscape; 
• Prepares comments on proposed federal, state, and local legislation and regulations that may affect the university;
• Serves as counsel to several university research- and information technology-focused committees, on topics including conflict of interest, research integrity & compliance, technology review committee, information security, IT risk, and data governance;
• Advises principal investigators, research teams, and senior leadership regarding a variety of regulatory matters, such as federal funding agency (NIH, NSF, DoD) policies and compliance;
• Advises on international research, “foreign influence,” and research security;
• Supports the research contracts and grants offices on contracts, research compliance matters, and FOIA responses;
• Provides advice on data privacy, research, and institutional data governance; 
• Advises the chief information security officer related to data security and breach response; 
• Collaborates with other university offices, including UCS and Risk & Insurance Management, on investigations, instances of noncompliance, and corrective actions; 
• Collaborate with university officials, offices, and departments to develop and provide legal education and support to the Vanderbilt community;
• Pursue professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, and professional affiliations to keep abreast of latest developments in college and university law and in other related matters; and
• Perform similar or related duties as assigned or required in an evolving environment. 

• A juris doctorate is required, and the Associate General Counsel must be licensed in the State of Tennessee or eligible for licensure within twelve months of hire. 
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the practice of law and a demonstrated ability to function independently in relevant subject matters.
• The ability to identify, analyze, and explain legal issues in a clear, timely, and thorough way to senior university administrators;
• Advanced oral and written communications skills and the ability to work with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community;
• Experience with sponsored programs, government contracts, and/or an institution of higher education; 
• A willingness to learn new areas of law, or to apply prior legal practice to a higher education environment;
• Experience in regulatory analysis; 
• A demonstrated ability to navigate a large, complex organization, including excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills;
• Strong critical thinking skills, sound judgment, and strategic ability; and
• Proficiency with common technology for document creation and management.