Senior Director, Legal Affairs

POSITION TITLE: Senior Director – Legal Affairs

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Full-Time

DEPARTMENT NAME: Legal

ESTIMATED START DATE: ASAP

POSITION FUNCTION:

The Big 12 Conference is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented and business-minded attorney to serve as Senior Director – Legal Affairs within the Conference's Legal Department. Reporting directly to the General Counsel, the Senior Director – Legal Affairs will focus primarily on drafting, negotiating and managing a wide range of commercial agreements that support the Conference's sponsorship, events, marketing, licensing and operational initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a mid-level transactional attorney who can independently manage routine commercial agreements from intake through execution, identify and escalate complex risk issues, and partner effectively with internal business teams in a fast-paced environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Independently draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including sponsorship and marketing agreements, licensing agreements, event and venue agreements, service agreements, NDAs, independent contractor agreements and related commercial instruments.

• Manage contracts through the full lifecycle, from initial intake and issue spotting through execution and implementation.

• Identify legal and business risks in proposed transactions and provide practical, solution-oriented guidance to internal stakeholders.

• Escalate novel, high-risk or precedent-setting issues to the General Counsel as appropriate.

• Partner cross-functionally with internal departments, including sponsorship, marketing, competition, and finance, to translate business terms into clear and enforceable contractual provisions.

• Support the legal sufficiency of commercial agreements in alignment with applicable NCAA Bylaws and CSC Rules and Regulations, in coordination with the General Counsel.

• Assist the General Counsel with special projects, dispute management, risk mitigation initiatives and other legal matters as assigned.

• Utilize contract management systems and internal processes to maintain organized records and support efficient agreement tracking and administration.

• Contribute to the continued development and refinement of legal templates, processes and internal policies.

• Provide day-to-day coordination and workflow oversight for the Legal Assistant, including delegation of routine tasks and review of work product, in partnership with the General Counsel

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• 3+ years of experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.

• Demonstrated ability to independently manage standard commercial agreements and prioritize competing deadlines.

• Strong understanding of contract law and familiarity with intellectual property concepts.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• High degree of professionalism, sound judgment and discretion.

• Experience in a sports, media, entertainment, hospitality or other consumer-facing industry.

• Familiarity with NCAA Bylaws, governance structure and regulatory frameworks.

• Prior in-house or on-campus legal experience.

EDUCATION:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school, with active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Office environment. Frequent sitting, standing, walking bending, listening, speaking, and use of office equipment. Some requirements for lifting, pushing, or pulling items less than 30 pounds.

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ABOUT THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE:

The Big 12 enters its 30th year as one of the nation's premier conferences in college athletics under the leadership of Commissioner Brett Yormark. Since joining the Conference in August 2022, Yormark has elevated the Big 12 to new heights, emphasizing marketing, brand building and instilling an innovative strategy that has resonated across the college athletics landscape. Starting Aug. 2, 2024, the Conference is composed of 16 universities spanning 10 states and four time zones. The Big 12 members include Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah and West Virginia. The Big 12 began play in 1996 and is the home of 87 team NCAA national championships, and 764 individual national champions. The Big 12 Conference office is located in Irving, Texas.

The Big 12 Conference, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All employees are hired, compensated, promoted, disciplined and evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, status as a qualified individual with a disability, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. The Big 12 Conference, Inc. strictly prohibits any and all discrimination and harassment based upon an individual's race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, status as a qualified individual with a disability, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

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