Job Details

General Counsel and Secretary

Position Number: 6387792
Location: Albany, NY
Position Type: Legal Affairs

General Counsel and Secretary

Category:Administrative and Professional
Department:Office of General Counsel
Locations:Albany, NY
Posted:Jul 16, 2025
Closes:Open Until Filled
Type:Exempt
PositionID:190454

About The Research Foundation for SUNY:
The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (RF) is the largest comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country.

Our mission is to provide talent, services, and technology that empower SUNY to research, innovate, and transfer discoveries that transform the world's knowledge economy.

Our vision is to make SUNY the best place for faculty, students, and staff to research, innovate and solve the world's most pressing problems.

The RF serves SUNY by providing essential administrative services that enable faculty to focus their efforts on educating students and performing life-changing research across a wide range of disciplines including Artificial Intelligence, Clean Energy, Biotechnology, Longevity, Substance Addiction, Nextgen Quantum Computing, Environmental Health, and Resiliency. We work with the academic and business leadership of SUNY campuses to facilitate research and discovery by administering sponsored projects and delivering intellectual property and technology transfer services that fuel innovation and move ideas and inventions to the marketplace.

The RF is committed to diversity, inclusion, and a working environment that enhances productivity creates personal and professional opportunities, unleashes everyone's full potential, and fuels innovation. We hold the organization and each other to the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and ethical behavior.
Visitwww.rfsuny.organd connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Learn about SUNY atwww.suny.edu.

Job Description:
Function and Scope:
The General Counsel and Secretary reports to the RF President and, as an officer of the corporation to the RF Board of Directors. The General Counsel is responsible for the corporation's legal operations and complex transactional issues including legal aspects of the RF and SUNY's intellectual property strategy. The General Counsel also serves as the Secretary to the RF Board of Directors and works closely with the RF's Chief Operating Officer.

Key Responsibilities/Duties:

Serve as chief legal advisor to the RF and RF senior management, providing timely legal advice on a wide variety of legal issues, including tax-exempt and non-profit administration, government and industry sponsorship of academic research, management and licensing of intellectual property, labor and employment matters, new business formation, strategic alliances, RF benefit and retirement plans, and real estate and commercial matters.
The General Counsel shall serve as the Corporation's Chief Legal Officer and legal advisor to the Corporation, the Board of Directors, and committees, except as otherwise directed by the Board or President. The General Counsel shall provide legal advice and opinions, prepare legal documents, also represent the Board of Directors and the Corporation in all legal matters.
The Secretary shall maintain records of proceedings, keep, and retain the minutes, also affix the corporate seal to sign such instruments as required. In addition, the Secretary shall properly perform other duties pertaining to the office as assigned.
Manage and oversee all litigation and legal aspects of all investigations affecting the corporation.
Provide management, strategic direction, and leadership of the Office of General Counsel operations, including oversight of staff, budget, and outside counsel.
Provide legal interface with RF operations managers also the academic and business leadership at operating locations.
Lead the legal function to provide proactive legal advice to support the RF Strategic Plan.
Implement strategies and tools to achieve efficiencies and derive meaningful metrics and data in providing legal services to clients.
Manage regular communications and check ins with SUNY System Administration and campus stakeholders.
Integrate the legal staff with the central office and campus staff to provide timely day to day legal support while encouraging legal staff to develop solid working relationships with Campus Presidents, Research Foundation Operation Managers, and central office management.
Represent the organization with significant internal and external constituencies, including federal and New York State government agencies, corporations, campus presidents, executives, outside consultants and advisors.
Monitor developments in case law, legislation, and regulatory matters for effects on the activities of the corporation.

Requirements:
Education & Experience
Minimum Qualifications: JD, admission to the NYS Bar, or prompt eligibility for such admission within six months. At least ten or more years of progressively more complex technical and managerial experience in the practice of law, plus five years of experience in positions of similar scope and responsibility, reporting to the organizational President and Board of Directors. Experience in non-profit, research, and higher education settings is preferred.

Special Skills

Credibility, judgment, and flexibility to determine, manage, and mitigate risk.
Experience, confidence, leadership, and diplomacy to interact with all levels of the RF operations, SUNY, partners in business and industry, lastly the federal and New York State government.
Diverse and sophisticated legal experience including negotiating, drafting complex transactions and agreements, advising on regulatory compliance, labor, and employment, in addition to business matters.
Experience in managing complex litigation, investigations, and dispute resolution.
Experience in managing a legal department, including the supervision of senior attorneys budgeting, procurement, and management of outside counsel, lastly, mentor and develop junior attorneys.
Ability to prioritize and accomplish tasks in a timely manner in a complex, rapidly evolving, and regulated environment with varied constituencies.
Familiarity with legal issues relating to academic sponsored research and intellectual property.
Creative, strategic, and poised when facing constant challenge and change.
Demonstrated political awareness and business acumen.

Compensation for this position:Thecompensation for this role is between $275,000 - $325,000. Thepay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, and certification.

Additional Information:
As an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer, The Research Foundation for SUNY will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy-related conditions, reproductive health decisions, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, familial status, citizenship, physical and mental disability, prior arrest or conviction record, genetic characteristics/genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, military status or service, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under federal, state or local law. The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.
The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York operates under a contract with The State University of New York and receives no directly appropriated state funding

Application Instructions:
Applicants interested in applying MUST submit the following documents:
1. Resume/Cv
2. Cover Letter

After submitting your resume/CV, the subsequent pages enable you to upload your cover letter and additional documents.

Returning Applicants - Login to your RF SUNY Careers Account to review your application.

To apply, visit: https://rfsuny.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=190454