About Fountain House

Fountain House is a national mental health nonprofit fighting to improve health, increase opportunity, and end social and economic isolation for people living with serious mental illness. Using an innovative model that focuses on the creation of community by and for people with such conditions, Fountain House is committed to not only recovery but thriving for all.

Fountain House takes a public health approach to serious mental illness, addressing both the health and social needs of our members (as Fountain House participants are called) through a nationally recognized approach that has been replicated over 200 times across the US. Social practice, Fountain House's therapeutic model, uses intentional community and the social environment to help advance recovery and engagement most commonly in physical locations referred to as clubhouses. Members reclaim their agency and dignity with access to clinical support, housing, and care management. In addition, Fountain House's policy and advocacy work is shaping a national mental health policy agenda, from the response to mental health emergencies, to addressing systemic barriers that people with serious mental illness face every day.

The majority of our members are people of color and are disproportionately affected by racism and other systemic/structural barriers in addition to stigma against those living with serious mental illness. Even in the face of these challenges, they do better on multiple measures compared to others with serious mental illness, such as rates of hospitalization, homelessness and incarceration. While 40% of Fountain House members have a history of homelessness, more than 99% are stably housed within a year. And from an economic standpoint, a longitudinal study undertaken with NYU shows that Fountain House members have 21% lower Medicaid costs. This success demonstrates the power and relevance of our model at addressing the growing and intersecting crises of homelessness, police involvement and incarceration, and rising mental health needs.

Having inspired the clubhouse movement, Fountain House works closely with other clubhouses around the country and other entities committed to the clubhouse movement, such as Clubhouse International, while at the same time creating a base of members as potential advocates. Such advocacy helps accomplish narrative change and promotes funding structures that advance serious mental health recovery. To drive systems change, Fountain House also invests in innovation, research, metrics, policy analysis and more. The organization currently operates with a $44M budget and anticipates significant growth over the next five years. For more information, please visit: www.fountainhouse.org

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Corporate Counsel will serve as the organization's senior legal advisor, supporting Fountain House's ongoing strategic growth through the development and support of high-quality clubhouses, partnerships to deliver person-centered community-based services, and policy and advocacy while assessing and managing organizational risk. The Corporate Counsel will provide strategic legal advice and oversee all legal matters and services across the organization. The Corporate Counsel will advise executive and senior leadership on governance, contracts, risk management, real estate transactions, litigations, benefits, labor, and employment law issues. The Corporate Counsel will also manage external counsel.

Salary: $175,000 - $185,000

Shift: Monday - Friday 9AM- 5PM with some flexibility as needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Nonprofit Law & Compliance * Work closely with the executive committee, senior leadership, and Board of Directors to ensure organizational compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations; * Develop and implement systems and processes for organizational compliance related to its nonprofit status, public and private funding streams, and contract and grant obligations; * Advise officers of the Board on matters of organizational governance and compliance with governing law; * Guide and advise leadership and staff on compliance related to lobbying and legislative advocacy;

Contract Review & Negotiation * Oversee and advise on contract negotiations with government, philanthropic, and nonprofit partners; once secured, ensure organizational compliance with contracts; * Oversee review and negotiation for a variety of contracts including but not limited to grants and funding contracts, consultant agreements, memoranda of understanding, leases, and data sharing agreements;

Leadership & Strategy * Participate in strategic planning and response; anticipate issues, estimate risks strategically and identify proactive solutions; * Manage partnerships with pro bono and external counsel to support the organization;

People and Culture * Serve as the primary legal advisor to People and Culture, advising on employee disciplinary process and implementation of determinations and outcomes of disciplinary or investigative process, and manage outside employment counsel where necessary; * Manage the organization's Equal Employment Opportunity/Anti-Discrimination functions, including conducting EEO investigations, drafting reports, determining policy and legal violations and coordinating resulting activities with the Sr. Director of People and Culture. * Provide training and education to People and Culture team on various legal matters to promote awareness and mitigate risk.

Policy Review * Serve as primary legal advisor to departments across the organization as policies and practices are developed to ensure legal compliance, manage risk, and adherence.

Litigation * Manage all litigation and serve as a primary point of contact for external counsels (including the selection and retention of external counsel) and other parties involved in litigation; Other relevant duties, as assigned.

Required Skills, Knowledge and Ability

• Palpable passion for Fountain House's mission to improve health, increase opportunity, and end social and economic isolation for people most impacted by mental illness.
• Juris Doctor degree from an ABA Accredited U.S. Law School and admitted to practice law in New York State.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of legal practice, including 3-5 years of experience in nonprofit contract administration, risk management, and/or compliance management leadership role, and experience advising on labor and employment law matters in an in-house or outside counsel environment
• A deep understanding of nonprofit law, nonprofit compliance, and tax regulations.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the intellectual depth and maturity to work with the CEO, EVP, COO, Chief of Staff and other executive leaders, staff and members across the Fountain House community.
• Excellent judgement and discretion, particularly regarding confidential and sensitive matters.
• Strong research, analytical, and critical thinking skills
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Outstanding organizational and project management skills with an overall execution orientation and high attention to detail.
• Experience developing thoughtful change management plans for operationalizing significant organizational changes, communicating with all stakeholders and leading with enthusiasm and optimism.
• Experience managing across teams and external partners, serving as an advisor to management staff in a range of functional areas.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements of the position include the following:

• Extensive computer use, reading, writing, analysis, attention to detail, and concentration;
• Regular, punctual in-person attendance at Fountain House's main headquarters and other business locations;
• Occasional business travel;
• Occasional long hours, including evening or weekend work;
• In the case of work conducted remotely, the position requires reasonable access to phone, email, and video conference and a dedicated place to work that is reasonably free from interruption and where attorney-client confidences are secure against disclosure.

Fountain House is an equal opportunity employer and is prepared to engage in an interactive dialogue with employees or applicants regarding reasonable workplace accommodations to accommodate medical, religious, pregnancy, and other restrictions.