Vice President, Assistant General Counsel

Vice President, Assistant General Counsel

New York, NY

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination.

And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

The Vice President and Assistant General Counsel role requires an experienced commercial attorney who will act as deputy for the Senior Vice President of the Commercial Business and Legal Affairs (CBLA), provide expert legal and business forward counsel and manage a team of transactional lawyers and legal professionals.

This is a hybrid role based in our New York City headquarters, reporting to the Senior Vice President of the Commercial Business and Legal Affairs (CBLA). You can typically expect to come into the office 3 days per week.

• Serve as the deputy for the Senior Vice President of the CBLA team, providing support on a wide variety of matters, including legal and commercial guidance, senior stakeholder engagement, cross-functional project management, and risk management.
• Work closely with the SVP in coordinating and advising on major legal and regulatory matters, handling special projects and initiatives including project plans, assisting in briefings and meeting preparation, developing and implementing team operations and budgeting improvements, identifying efficiency opportunities and team technology solutions, and helping coordinate compliance activities, policy development, risk assessments processes, and training programs.
• Advise, structure, and negotiate complex and multi-faceted transactions with a variety of counter parties, including major digital and distribution players, for the development, production, licensing, acquisition, distribution, advertising and marketing arrangements—legal strategy, transaction structuring, terms negotiations, and related agreements’ drafting and review.
• Directly manage a part of the CBLA team which includes a group of lawyers and legal professionals who provide commercial legal support for the organization’s business operations, including vendor transactions, marketing, advertising, technology transactions, procurement, real estate, and other areas.
• Stay informed about legal decisions, statutory changes, and market and industry trends, and, in coordination with the team, advise clients and recommend proactive action when necessary.
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

• Undergraduate and J.D. degrees from recognized institutions and a member in good standing of the New York bar.
• At least 15 years’ relevant work experience that includes the handling of a broad range of intellectual property, licensing and commercial transactions, with increasing levels of responsibility.
• Experience negotiating both legal and business terms in complex transactions and with diverse stakeholders and divergent interests.
• Experience managing a team and achieving results in a high-pressure environment.
• Ability to contribute to discussions of general business issues; to work well with a wide range of clients, from senior corporate management to operating personnel; and to work independently as well as to lead a project from conception to completion.
• Ability to analyze complex legal and regulatory material, communicate their implications in clear and simple language, and recommend appropriate courses of action.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to balance competing demands under time pressure.
• General understanding of best practices for legal operations, including contract management.

• Experience acting as deputy or chief of staff for a senior leader is a plus.
• 7+ years of experience working on a fast paced in-house…