Legal Counsel

ABOUT KHAN ACADEMY

Founded in 2008, we are a nonprofit because we believe education is a human right. Our mission is to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Through our research, we know that to achieve our mission, we must better understand and focus on historically under-resourced (HUR) communities in the US to guide our work. Our focus on providing equitable solutions to HUR communities helps ensure we close gaps in education that benefit all learners.

OUR COMMUNITY 

Our students, teachers, and parents come from all walks of life, and so do we. Our team includes people from academia, traditional/non-traditional education, big tech companies, and tiny startups. We hire great people from diverse backgrounds and experiences because it makes our company stronger. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as necessary to achieve our mission and impact the communities we serve. We know that transforming education starts in-house with learning about ourselves and our colleagues. We strive to be world-class in investing in our people and commit to developing you as a professional.

THE LEGAL TEAM

We’re a small and mighty team passionate about the intersection of education technology (EdTech), responsible tech for good, privacy, and regulations. We joined Khan Academy for the same reason that many of our teammates did: to advance our mission, centered on helping our learners and their families, tutors, teachers, and schools improve learning outcomes. Fundamentally, we care about why and how things get done, and not that they simply get done. We geek out on privacy (and student data privacy specifically) and hope you will too. We’re looking for a teammate that will engage with curiosity, adopt an agile mindset, and help us improve our processes for near term results as well as long term solutions.

THE ROLE

The Legal Counsel will have varied responsibilities across two broad categories of work: privacy compliance and transaction support.  In this role, you will provide critical support for our privacy compliance program, helping us track and scale privacy compliance both domestically and internationally.   You will also provide transactional support across a range of transaction types, including matters such as philanthropic grants, international services agreements, strategic and commercial partnerships, content development agreements and research agreements. A portion of your work will be done in partnership with other legal team members with areas of overlapping or shared responsibility.  You will also have first-line responsibility supporting select internal business partners. This is a remote position well-suited to a motivated self-starter that wants to broaden their skill set in a role that will continue to grow with the business. You will report to our General Counsel. As Legal Counsel, you will:

• Assume a key role in our privacy compliance program, including tracking and reporting on our compliance efforts, coordinating cross-functional initiatives and developing recommendations for improvements.
• Assume responsibility for maintenance of certain aspects of our privacy program.
• Work to develop and improve our compliance documentation.
• Provide transactional support for a wide range of business transactions, as needed.
• Act as the business partner to one or more teams within Khan Academy, providing first-line support for legal and transactional advice.
• Support our international programs, including preparing and reviewing contracts and forms used to provide services outside the US, promoting consistency and scalability in documentation and processes.
• Coordinate with local counsel in international jurisdictions to conduct compliance assessments and obtain transactional advice.
• Assist with review and guidance on matters relating to content development and related intellectual property matters.
• Contribute to foundational improvements, including developing resources such as contract templates, compliance guidance, and training materials.
• Handle other matters as need arises. 

WHAT YOU BRING

• Experience as a practicing lawyer with a JD from an accredited U.S. law school and be an active member in good standing with at least one state bar.
• 4-6 years of legal experience, preferably in-house experience at a Software as a Service (SaaS), EdTech, or other tech organization.  
• Foundational experience in data privacy, coupled with a commitment to develop and maintain a deep understanding of privacy regulations relevant to Khan Academy’s operations.
• Experience reviewing, negotiating, and advising on corporate transactions, with attention to detail, consistency and efficiency.
• Experience researching and analyzing regulatory compliance matters and advising on processes to support ongoing compliance.
• Strong business judgement: you can analyze, assess and communicate business and legal risks, and develop practical solutions to manage risk.
• Experience working independently and knowing when it is appropriate to escalate an issue or seek guidance.
• Experience with building strong relationships and working with teams across a company. 
• Flexibility in pitching in where needed and supporting team members with overflow work if required.
• Ability to manage expectations and make decisions about how to prioritize the needs of various teams.

NICE TO HAVE

• Certification in privacy or data security (CIPP or similar)
• Prior work in privacy compliance programs aligned to major national and international privacy laws (for example, the California CPRA, E.U. GDPR and similar laws)
• Experience interpreting and applying student data privacy regulations (FERPA, COPPA and similar US state laws)
• Experience partnering with data security, product management, and engineering teams.
• A strong interest in our mission, and in making a positive difference in the lives of millions of learners, parents, and teachers.

PERKS AND BENEFITS

We may be a non-profit, but we reward our talented team extremely well!

• Competitive salaries
• Ample paid time off as needed – your well-being is a priority
• Remote-first culture - that caters to your time zone, with open flexibility as needed, at times
• Generous parental leave
• An exceptional team that trusts you and gives you the freedom to do your best
• The chance to put your talents towards a deeply meaningful mission and the opportunity to work on high-impact products that are already defining the future of education
• Opportunities to connect through affinity, ally, and social groups
• And we offer all those other typical benefits as well: 401(k) + 4% matching & comprehensive insurance, including medical, dental, vision, and life

At Khan Academy we are committed to fair and equitable compensation practices, the well-being of our employees, and our Khan community. This belief is why we have built out a robust Total Rewards package that includes competitive base salaries, and extensive benefits and perks to support physical, mental, and financial well-being.

The target salary range for this position is $143k-$170k USD. The pay range for this position is a general guideline only. The salary offered will depend on internal pay equity and the candidate’s relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and job market data. Exceptional performers in this role who make an outsized contribution can make well in excess of this range.  Additional incentives are provided as part of the complete total rewards package in addition to comprehensive medical and other benefits.

• Sal’s TED talk from 2011
• Sal’s TED talk from 2015
• Sal’s TED talk from 2023
• Our team:  http://www.khanacademy.org/about/the-team

Live & breathe learners

We deeply understand and empathize with our users. We leverage user insights, research, and experience to build content, products, services, and experiences that our users trust and love. Our success is defined by the success of our learners and educators.

Take a stand

As a company, we have conviction in our aspirational point of view of how education will evolve. The work we do is in service to moving towards that point of view. However, we also listen, learn and flex in the face of new data, and commit to evolving this point of view as the industry and our users evolve.

Embrace diverse perspectives

We are a diverse community. We seek out and embrace a diversity of voices, perspectives and life experiences leading to stronger, more inclusive teams and better outcomes. As individuals, we are committed to bringing up tough topics and leaning into different points of view with curiosity. We actively listen, learn and collaborate to gain a shared understanding. When a decision is made, we commit to moving forward as a united team.

Work responsibly and sustainably

We understand that achieving our audacious mission is a marathon, so we set realistic timelines and we focus on delivery that also links to the bigger picture. As a non-profit, we are supported by the generosity of donors as well as strategic partners, and understand our responsibility to our finite resources. We spend every dollar as though it were our own. We are responsible for the impact we have on the world and to each other. We ensure our team and company stay healthy and financially sustainable.

Bring out the joy

We are committed to making learning a joyful process. This informs what we build for our users and the culture we co-create with our teammates, partners and donors.

Cultivate learning mindset

We believe in the power of growth for learners and for ourselves. We constantly learn and teach to improve our offerings, ourselves, and our organization. We learn from our mistakes and aren’t afraid to fail. We don't let past failures or successes stop us from taking future bold action and achieving our goals.

Deliver wow

We insist on high standards and deliver delightful, effective end-to-end experiences that our users can rely on. We choose to focus on fewer things — each of which aligns to our ambitious vision — so we can deliver high-quality experiences that accelerate positive measurable learning with our strategic partners.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or Veteran status. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply.

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