Associate Corporate & Compliance Counsel

Position Title: Associate Corporate and Compliance Counsel

Department: Legal

Join our Team! At IHDA we strive to create and maintain a work environment that promotes diversity, recognition and inclusion. IHDA is committed to hiring and investing in individuals of diverse talents and backgrounds to ensure a range of perspectives and experiences inform and guide our work of financing affordable housing in the state of Illinois.

Who we are: The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is one of the Nation’s preeminent Housing Finance Agencies and one of the State’s ten largest financial institutions. Our mission is to finance the creation and preservation of affordable housing across the state. IHDA oversees more than 20 federal and state programs on behalf of the state of Illinois and serves as one of the state’s primary resources for housing policy and program administration. For over 50 years, IHDA has led the state in financing and supporting affordable housing.

Summary: Under the guidance of the Deputy General Counsel, this position is responsible for advising Authority staff on issues arising under administrative law areas, including, but not limited to ethics, freedom of information, procurement, and open meetings. This position is responsible for providing well researched and sound legal advice to ensure the Authority’s operational and transactional activities are in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations and that the Authority’s internal policies and procedures are being followed. This position is responsible for drafting and negotiating various legal contracts, including information technology related contracts, procurement contracts and other various legal agreements. This position will assist with the Authority’s non real estate transactional work, corporate governance, and ongoing compliance initiatives and other state-wide and Authority specific regulatory initiatives. This position will review, identify, and map applicable regulatory change to keep applicable Authority staff abreast of important changes in law. This position may serve as the Authority’s FOIA Officer and/or Ethics Officer.

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for advising Authority staff on issues arising under administrative law areas, including, but not limited to, freedom of information, procurement, ethics, open meetings, rule makings and other and administrative procedures.
• Works across multiple business units to provide legal advice on a variety of legal matters including in the areas of: (i) various contracts and legal agreements, including those related to information technology, (ii) corporate governance, (iii) administrative law and regulatory compliance, and (iv) procurement.
• Provide advice regarding best practice governance and compliance principles and processes.
• Help maintain compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations impacting the Authority.
• Work on state-wide and Authority specific regulatory reform initiatives.
• Develop expertise in various housing areas to advise internal Authority staff on issues as they arise.
• Primary person working on the creation and updating of Authority Policies and procedures.
• Works closely with the Authority’s procurement professionals on a variety of matters.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• B.A. or B.S., or equivalent, and a J.D. Must be an attorney licensed to practice law and in good standing in the State of Illinois.
• Minimum of 4-5 years of experience in general corporate law, contract law, administrative law, and compliance law.
• Experience in affordable housing, information technology, state appropriations laws, procurement/acquisition law and interagency agreements is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to provide timely, accurate and practical legal advice.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate pertinent facts; research, analyze and apply laws, rules, and regulations; and execute legal strategy.
• Ability to learn new subject areas quickly and competently.
• Comfortable with taking the initiative but capable of recognizing complex problems and feels comfortable bringing questions to management.
• Advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish credibility and foster excellent working relationships with internal and external senior stakeholders.
• Must have at least two years of supervisory experience or experience working as a project leader on small teams/groups.

Physical Requirements: Alternating between sitting, standing, and walking. Ascending and descending stairs. Crouching and stooping. Pushing and pulling. Reaching overhead or below. Repetitive tasks movements (filing, keyboarding, copying). Lifting, carrying, and moving objects of up to 10 -15 pounds.

What We Offer:

• Paid time off, plus paid holidays
• Currently in a hybrid work arrangement, but candidates must reside in Illinois at time of hire.
• Medical/dental/vision/life insurance plans
• Short/long term disability
• Tuition reimbursement
• Flex spending
• 401K plan – immediate vesting
• IHDA employees may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs.

Must be a resident of Illinois or willing to relocate. Flexible scheduling is available, upon completion of a six-month probationary period.

EOE