General Counsel

About the job

Upward Farms designs and operates complete ecosystems of plants and fish in vertical farms, supplying these organic products to local grocers. We are expanding to a new cutting edge, fully automated facility in Brooklyn, with production beginning at the end of 2020. More and larger farms are in the works. Our mission is to heal the broken food system and reconnect eaters with flavorful and nutritious local food.

In your role as General Counsel, you will report directly to the CEO and work closely with the CFO, COO and Board of Directors to proactively manage the legal, compliance, and regulatory responsibilities and functions associated with the dynamic growth of our vertical farming business.

Success

Your objective is to work as part of our senior leadership team managing risk, advising on governance, improving and developing business processes, and facilitating the transactions in the development of a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Success in this role will be measured by the timely and efficient prediction, analysis, and mitigation of risks relative to the value-creating opportunities that the business pursues. The ultimate responsibilities and contributions of this person will be shaped around the individual we hire and their background. There is tremendous room for growth at our company.

Responsibilities

• • Be the first in-house counsel for the Company.
  • Provide expert and strategic legal advice to the senior leadership team and Board of Directors.
  • Vet, retain, and manage outside counsel and related advisors; develop and maintain budgets for such engagements.
  • Set internal governance policies that reflect our culture and values, anticipate issues, manage ambiguity, and account for external factors.
  • Proactively identify and mitigate risks.
  • Build trusting and compassionate relationships with key stakeholders.
  • Deal with external parties (investors, regulators, external counsel, politicians, customers, etc.).
  • Manage filings and other external regulatory and legal requirements.
  • Draft agreements that minimize risks and maximize legal rights.
  • Meet legal objectives as set by the management team and Board of Directors.
  • Deal with complex, significant matters that cut across legal, strategic, reputational, and related areas.
  • Keep abreast of legislative changes that would impact our business.

Requirements

• • Juris Doctor degree from accredited, top-tier law school.
  • 6+ years practice with an established law firm, with focus on corporate law, with both private and public company clients.
  • Broad legal knowledge (corporate law, tax law, litigation, labor law, etc.)
  • 1+ year in-house legal experience.
  • Experience with public company reporting and compliance.
  • Ability to anticipate legal issues or risks and to “see around the corner.”
  • Ability to develop legal strategy and objectives, with in-depth understanding of how legal issues affect organizations.
  • Business and financial acumen.
  • Excellent judgement and analytical skills.
  • First class interpersonal and relationship management skills.
  • Clear and concise written and oral communication, including scripted and unscripted presentations / public speaking.
  • You are question-driven, curious, open minded, and an attentive listener.
  • You are the first person friends and colleagues turn to for advice — you possess the highest degree of personal and professional ethics, integrity, and gravitas; suspend ego and judgment; and are unflappable.

Preferred skills + experience

• • Experience engineering diverse or complex corporate structures (HoldCos, PropCo/OpCo, etc.) towards specific business outcomes.
  • Project finance transaction experience.
  • Experience advising or managing heterogeneous capital stacks of equity and debt, including different capitalization between parent and subsidiary companies.

Benefits

We offer a dynamic work environment and benefits that include

• • Aetna Medical, Aetna and MetLife Dental, and Aetna Vision insurance; FSA/HSA plans; and HIPAA-compliant health advocates. Upward Farms currently contributes 78-100% of the premium for Medical benefits for employees and their families.
  • Unlimited paid sick time. For extended illness, we offer short term disability.
  • Up to 20 days paid time off per year, depending on experience, in addition to paid holidays.
  • For new parents, an extension of New York State’s paid family leave for up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave. This leave is in addition to Disability leave available to pregnant and postpartum mothers.
  • Commuter benefits, discounted gym memberships, and other perks.
  • Fresh salad, and lots of it!

Working Here

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our needs are unique and varied so we value colleagues with diverse backgrounds. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and/or protected veteran status.