General Counsel - Fractional with Path to Full Time

About Pursuit

Pursuit is a social impact organization building the future of economic mobility in the age of AI.

For over a decade, we've transformed lives through immersive training programs that propel adults from low-income backgrounds — often without college degrees — into high-growth tech careers. Our graduates have already generated nearly $1 billion in lifetime wage gains. We've also pioneered the Pursuit Bond, an innovative outcomes-based financing model that aligns investor returns with long-term economic mobility, allowing us to scale impact in a financially sustainable way.

Now, as AI reshapes every industry, Pursuit is evolving into an AI-native organization. We're training AI-native talent, embedding AI into our operations, and building scalable software to extend our impact. From grassroots partnerships to national policy, we're not just filling jobs — we're rethinking how economic opportunity works at scale.

About the Role

Pursuit is hiring a General Counsel to own our legal strategy and function — protecting the organization while clearing the path for our next phase of growth.

Reporting to the CEO, you'll be Pursuit's in-house legal lead, backed by a bench of outside pro bono support that you'll help build and fully manage. You'll advise the CEO, executive team, and board across everything from governance and compliance to contracts and complex financial transactions and guide the legal side of our mission-driven organization All of it sits on top of a hybrid dual-entity structure (a 501(c)(3) and a public benefit corporation) and innovative financing like the Pursuit Good Jobs Agreement.  We are looking for an individual who can innovate and problem solve a complex legal landscape. 

The ideal candidate is a business savvy lawyer who also understands the nuance of the non profit space and can move from strategy to execution, and who sees great legal work as a way to help the mission scale, not slow it down.

Key Responsibilities

• Build, refine, and oversee Pursuit's legal strategy in partnership with senior leadership, the board of directors, and outside counsel — and provide strategic legal advice to the CEO, executive team, and board that balances legal needs with our values and objectives.
• Build a lean, high-leverage legal function anchored by managing world-class elite pro bono legal counsel and top-tier firms for high-stakes, specialized work. You'll build and fully own this bench while managing paid outside counsel when warranted.
• Guide Pursuit through the legal elements of key initiatives including the AI Jobs Institute and our pilots in new regions and revenue streams — from entity and partnership structures to contracts and regulatory questions.
• Drive execution across governance, contracts, and policy, and ensure Pursuit complies with all federal, state, and local regulatory requirements — including managing any litigation and arbitration matters.
• Manage the interactions among our 501(c)(3), public benefit corporation, and other legal entities.
• Manage and execute Pursuit's financial transactions, including the Pursuit Good Jobs Agreement, charitable donations, recoverable grants, fee-for-service contracts, and other impact investment financing.
• Serve as Pursuit’s in-house counsel for intellectual property and technology matters, advising on ownership, licensing, and use of our curriculum, software, data, and AI tools.
• Shape our commercial structures and translate business requirements into sound partnership contracts with vendors, sponsors, employment partners, funders, and donors.
• Create and manage agreements, contracts, and policies with staff, Builders, volunteers, and other community stakeholders.
• Provide legal advice on Employee and Employment Relations issues.
• Use AI to multiply a lean legal function — contract review and redlining, first drafts, clause libraries and templates, compliance tracking — and help set practical guardrails for how Pursuit uses AI responsibly.

About You

• 8+ years of corporate legal experience, including leading legal in-house at a small or midsize organization through a period of growth. Deep transactional expertise — contract law is your sweet spot.
• You've built legal and compliance processes from scratch, and your proactive, pragmatic counsel has helped the business innovate and scale.
• You've defined, shaped, and scaled revenue partnerships.
• You're equal parts strategic and tactical — happy to wear many hats and roll up your sleeves, switching from organization-level strategy to day-to-day execution without losing the thread.
• Solutions-oriented: you find the path that manages risk without slowing the organization down.
• You're excited to take on a critical leadership role, partnering with senior leadership on our most important cross-functional priorities in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.
• Comfort using AI tools to draft, analyze, and move work forward quickly, and an informed perspective on the legal questions AI raises.
• You're in good standing with the New York Bar, or have the ability to immediately qualify for Registered In-House Counsel (RIHC) status.
• Deep alignment with Pursuit's mission and genuine interest in the intersection of technology, AI, and economic mobility.

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of 501(c)(3)s and benefit corporations.
• Experience in the tech industry.
• Experience with regulatory agencies and matters at the federal and state level.

Where You'll Work

This role offers a flexible, outcome-driven schedule equivalent to ~3 days/week, following our hybrid pattern with on-site work in Long Island City on core days and work-from-anywhere flexibility.

Compensation & Benefits

The compensation for this fractional role (~3 days/week equivalent) is $135,000–$150,000, including full benefits and a clear path to full-time as the organization scales.

The compensation range above reflects the expectations laid out in this job description; however, we're often open to a wide variety of profiles and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than posted. If that's the case, the updated salary range will be communicated to you as a candidate.

Pursuit Offers

• An opportunity to work at the intersection of tech and social impact, and make a direct impact on the communities we serve
• Competitive compensation in base, plus bonus and a full benefits package
• 401k match
• Unlimited PTO and an all-Pursuit summer break the last week of August, plus a week-long holiday the last week of December
• Hybrid schedule: Tuesday–Thursday on-site in Long Island City, Monday and Friday work-from-anywhere
• Catered lunches once a week and delicious snacks
• Dedicated time to build in AI and hone your AI skills

Pursuit Values Diversity

Our team has a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and we value the richness that diversity brings to our organization. We welcome new perspectives and affirm that all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, familial or marital status, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuit is an equal opportunity employer.