The Foundation
We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, weโre committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.
The Team\"Guidance, Solutions, Integrity\" describes the Legal divisionโs approach to providing responsive legal guidance supporting pursuit of the foundationโs mission and implementation of the foundation's programmatic and operational strategies. The Legal Team delivers comprehensive legal services by providing efficient and reliable legal guidance, managing legal risk, and supporting the development of solutions to achieve the mission of the foundation and its affiliated entities.
The Legal Team partners with our colleagues across the foundation and its affiliated entities to enable mission-driven work by maintaining an efficient, well-run global organization where employees can thrive and make their best contributions. Doing this well requires effective collaboration, strong alignment, and thoughtful planning across both operational and programmatic teams โ as well as shared accountability for mitigating risk and optimizing the foundationโs operational resources.
Your Role
We seek an individual to serve as Assistant General Counsel, Legal (India Country Office) on the foundationโs Legal Team and collaborate with other Legal Team members to represent the entire foundation and ensure effective coverage, work allocation and communication regarding legal issues across the foundation, all from a โone legal teamโ and โone foundationโ perspective.
The postholder will provide legal advice in support of the foundationโs programmatic activities, while also supporting its operational needs as appropriate. This position requires a strong commitment to the foundationโs mission and an understanding of the legal and regulatory landscape in India, as well as the ability to navigate diverse legal systems and cross-cultural settings. While this role will focus primarily on supporting the Legal Teamโs relationship managers for the foundationโs offices in India to provide legal guidance in furtherance of the foundationโs charitable objectives in India, it will also from time to time support the foundationโs charitable objectives in other geographies. The successful candidate will work closely with internal teams and external partners to help structure legally sound, mission-aligned work in dynamic and evolving environments. This is an exciting opportunity to apply your legal skills to some of the worldโs most pressing challenges. You will be part of a dynamic Legal Team supporting high-impact work that improves lives across the globe.
Our efforts in India focus on key issues that will affect the future of Indiaโs most vulnerable communities: reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition; urban sanitation; agricultural development; gender equality, and digital financial inclusion. With a particular focus on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, we work with partners to develop impactful and sustainable solutions to improve the quality and coverage of key services for the poor and vulnerable.
The postholder will be based at the foundationโs India Country Office in New Delhi, and report to a Director on the Legal Team based in Seattle.
What Youโll Do
Identify and advise on legal issues across a wide range of subject areas related to the foundationโs charitable and tax-exempt programmatic objectives, which will include structuring, negotiating, and drafting grant agreements, a broad spectrum of contracts, collaborations and other arrangements that align with the foundationโs charitable objectives.
Provide support for other legal matters or on foundation policies and issues as needed, including with respect to tax-exempt organizations, global access (making access to technology and products available at an affordable price in low and lower middle-income countries), data/privacy matters, artificial intelligence and intellectual property.
Support the Legal Teamโs relationship managers for the foundationโs offices in India to provide legal guidance in furtherance of the foundationโs charitable objectives, colleagues in India, and understand the objectives and goals of internal client groups and support the development of creative solutions and resolution of issues within the foundationโs risk tolerance framework.
Serve as an active member of the Legal Team, collaborate with other members of the Legal Team and foundation personnel as appropriate and support broader legal team projects and foundation goals and policies as needed.
Demonstrate generalist expertise to identify legal issues and collaborate, where appropriate, with other legal team members to support the resolution of complex and strategic legal issues in India and other relevant geographies, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Provide support to Legal Team colleagues to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements applicable to the foundationโs office in India, as well as help ensure foundation-wide consistency, including developing generalist familiarity and collaborating with other legal team members, on operational matters, including requirements related to tax, business registration, cybersecurity, insurance, records retention, and workplace health and safety.
Manage outside counsel as appropriate.
Contribute to legal process improvements that enhance efficiency and risk management.
Support training and education of foundation staff on legal issues. Keep current on and track relevant applicable new and emerging laws, policy developments and best practices, including those relating to tax-exempt organizations, private foundations, cross-border giving and operational compliance across India.
Travel to the U.S. on a consistent basis; travel to other Foundation offices as appropriate; other travel as required.
Your Experience
Academic: Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from a recognized university required; Masters of Law preferred.
Minimum of 6+ yearsโ experience in the practice of law in India.
A combination of law firm and in-house counsel experience is strongly preferred.
Experience in structuring, drafting and negotiating a wide array of agreements and transactions.
Excellent writing and negotiation abilities.
Skilled in effectively serving a demanding client base in a complex and fast-paced work environment.
Ability to communicate difficult legal concepts clearly, concisely, and non-legalistically to business clients orally and in writing.
Demonstrated ability to learn and apply new areas of law applicable to nascent and evolving technologies, business models, regulatory systems, and investment models.
Direct experience guiding and advising clients on broad and multi-jurisdictional commercial legal and business matters in India.
Comfortable with a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational settings, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people.
Ability to navigate legal and operational challenges in cross-cultural, multilingual, and often politically sensitive environments.
Strong business sense, client focus and ability to build relationships to gain the respect and trust of others.
Proven ability to collaborate across the legal team and with clients
Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy both individually and collaboratively as part of a team effort in a highly matrixed environment.
Capability to adapt engagement to collaborate with personnel at all levels, ranging from senior executives to technical specialists.
Quickly grasp and embrace new and rapidly evolving subject areas, demonstrating intellectual curiosity and excitement to engage proactively and confidently with unfamiliar topics.
Strong interpersonal skills, maturity, sound judgment, and ability to communicate in a clear and compelling manner with internal and external audiences.
Self-motivated and with a strong sense of ownership and urgency.
Passion for the mission and values of the foundation.
Highest standards of ethics and integrity.
Sense of balance, humor, and perspective.
Other Attributes
Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behaviour with a diverse range of people and a deep commitment to development issues and high standards of personal integrity.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally.
*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.
Application deadline: 10 September 2025
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Hiring Requirements
As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
Candidate Accommodations
If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.
Inclusion Statement
We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion โ of voices, ideas, and approaches โ and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.
All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.