Cooperative Legal Advisor (In-House)

A Unique Opportunity

This is a very unique opportunity at BrightWork where you can work as a full-time, permanent In-House Legal Advisor with the option to work as our Cooperative Coordinator. You will play a critical role in providing legal advice and support to the organization with key areas primarily in contract management, procurement and data protection, and cooperative operations. This role would ideally suit a solicitor or barrister who wants to work in-house or to progress his/her in-house career. The successful candidate will gain valuable experience in Irish, U.S., and international commercial and regulatory law, as well as cooperative governance and coordination.

 

About BrightWork

BrightWork, whose clients include global companies like Amazon and United States Postal Service, has been a software product development company focusing on project and portfolio management solutions for almost 30 years. BrightWork is an award-winning and long-time Microsoft ISV (Independent Software Vendor) Partner with teams in the United States and Ireland.

BrightWork creates software products to help organizations achieve successful collaborative project and portfolio management using a combination of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft SharePoint. Using the philosophy of ‘Start-Evolve’, we help our customers to gain immediate visibility into the status of projects and gradually evolve project management maturity in their own time.

BrightWork is proud to operate as a worker-owned cooperative. We are committed to a collaborative and democratic way of working. Our mission is to empower our team with the tools and work environment so that we may look after ourselves, our customers, and our wider community. Two core principles we strive to live by are: ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you’ and ‘Be the change that you wish to see in the world.’

 

In-House Legal Responsibilities – 80% of the Role

  • Provide strategic advice and support on a range of legal, data privacy, corporate governance, employment, human resources, and compliance matters across Ireland and the U.S.
  • Draft, revise, and negotiate a variety of commercial contracts including software license and service agreements (EULA), reseller and deployment partner agreements, proposals and
    purchase orders, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, and terms and conditions.
  • Ensure data privacy compliance across the organization and maintain, update, and expand upon BrightWork privacy and IT policies and procedures; monitor and advise on evolving
    privacy legislation globally.
  • Support the Sales team with drafting and coordinating responses to customer privacy and security concerns and questionnaires, communicating BrightWork privacy compliance and
    safeguards, and negotiating data protection terms within customer contracts.
  • Maintain and manage company secretarial books, cooperative legal documents (Constitutions, ByLaws, Code), draft minutes and resolutions, and file applicable forms with the Companies Registration Office (CRO) as needed.
  • Facilitate our annual reporting requirements and our cooperative governance leadership meetings, i.e., with Directors and Trustees.
  • Advise the Finance team regarding insurance, benefits, and vendor terms and conditions.

 

Cooperative Governance and Coordination Responsibilities – 20% of Role

  • Work with our Co-Owners to review and evolve our Cooperative Framework provisions, policies, practices, and procedures to ensure alignment with cooperative development and
    growth, and also to ensure we comply with local employment laws in the US and Ireland.
  • Support the implementation and adoption of our Cooperative Framework, including our people processes (e.g., recruitment, bonus/salary adjustments, benefits research) and
    professional development.
  • Facilitate our cooperative communications program, including monthly and annual Co-Owner meetings.

 

Candidate Profile

  • Qualified Solicitor or Barrister in Ireland with experience in a procurement environment and commercial contracts including drafting and negotiating software and services agreements.
  • Knowledge and understanding of data protection legislation both in Ireland, the U.S., and internationally and intellectual property (IP) concepts.
  • Prior experience with company secretarial matters (preferred but not required).
  • Ability to work independently and take initiative; spot legal issues and risks that may arise; and provide advice to the business about the same.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication as well as negotiation skills.
  • Team player, organized, and good at time management, with great attention to detail.
  • Enthusiastic to learn about Cooperatives as a way of working.
  • Be a proactive person, who is equally comfortable working well independently as well as with our teams.

 

Location

You will be physically based in or close to Galway City, Ireland. You will be very welcome to work with the team out of our fabulous office in Galway, Ireland. You will also be welcome to work
remotely. There will be some office days required – not scheduled every week – but as will make the collaborative work easier We want you to live and work where you can live your best life and do your best work. Note: BrightWork does not provide a relocation package.

 

Full-Time / Part-Time Options

The combination of Legal Advisor and Cooperative Coordinator makes this a full-time role. For candidates who wish to take the Legal Advisor role only and not the Cooperative Coordinator
responsibilities, the Legal Advisor role can be part-time and delivered over five shorter working days.

 

IMPORTANT! How to Apply

Please apply on Indeed with your curriculum vitae (resume) and be sure to make clear your compensation requirements. BrightWork is an Equal Opportunities Employer