General Counsel

Massachusetts Community Colleges

General
Counsel

Academic Career & Executive
Search is pleased to assist Massachusetts Community
Colleges in its search for General Counsel.

For full
consideration, please apply by
September 11, 2026.

Lead one of the Commonwealth’s most distinctive in-house
legal
offices, guiding an experienced team of attorneys and serving as the trusted legal advisor to the Massachusetts Community
Colleges.

The next General Counsel for the Massachusetts
Community Colleges will
lead a highly respected legal office serving all fifteen public community colleges and provide legal advice to
presidents on issues
including labor, governance, and policy shaping higher education across the Commonwealth. Unlike a traditional campus
General Counsel
position, this role offers the rare opportunity to provide impactful legal strategy across a statewide system while
assisting presidents,
boards of trustees, and senior leaders to navigate some of public higher education’s most complex challenges. Each of
the fifteen colleges
brings its own leadership, culture, and priorities, making this one of the most varied, intellectually engaging, and
purpose-driven legal
practices in public higher education.

The successful candidate will combine
exceptional legal judgment with outstanding leadership
and management skills. Beyond serving as the chief legal advisor, the next General
Counsel will lead and develop an experienced legal team,
strengthen the systems that support the delivery of legal services across a complex
statewide organization, and serve as a trusted advisor
to fifteen college presidents. The ideal candidate will value the mission of
community colleges and the transformative impact they have on
students, families, and communities. They will communicate complex legal
issues with clarity and concision, provide thoughtful options
rather than simple answers, exercise sound judgment under pressure, respond
with urgency, and build collaborative relationships across
diverse stakeholders while thriving in a fast-paced environment where no two days
are alike.

This position reports to the Chair of
the Council of Community College Presidents and leads the
General Counsel’s Office, located on the Bedford Campus of Middlesex Community
College. The Office includes a team of seven attorneys as
well as professional staff serving all fifteen Massachusetts Community
Colleges.

The salary range for this
position is $225,000–$275,000, commensurate with experience.

About the
Massachusetts Community Colleges

The Massachusetts Community Colleges comprise the largest segment
of
the Commonwealth’s public higher education system, serving students across its fifteen community colleges committed to affordable access,
workforce development, transfer opportunities, and economic mobility. Today, the colleges are at the forefront of statewide efforts to
expand educational opportunities through initiatives such as MassEducate, positioning the system for continued growth and innovation. Driven
by a mission of access, opportunity, and student success, the colleges transform the lives of students, families, and communities while
strengthening the Commonwealth’s workforce and economy.

Learn more:

• Massachusetts Public Higher Education System
• Free Community College in Massachusetts (MassEducate)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Legal
Leadership

• Serve as the chief legal advisor to
  the Massachusetts Community Colleges, providing strategic legal counsel
  to presidents, boards of trustees, and senior administrators.
• Advise the colleges, individually and collectively, on applicable
  state and federal laws, regulations, governance, accreditation,
  employment and labor law, collective bargaining, student affairs,
  compliance, contracts, litigation, and institutional risk management.
• Develop legal strategies to support policies and objectives
  that mitigate institutional risk while supporting the mission and priorities
  of the Massachusetts Community Colleges.
• Collaborate
  with institutional leaders to ensure initiatives, policies, and operations
  comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Leadership & Operations

• Lead,
  supervise, mentor, and develop the attorneys
  and professional staff within the General Counsel’s Office, fostering a collaborative,
  high-performing legal team.
• Oversee the
  operations of the General Counsel’s Office, including budgeting, strategic planning,
  reporting, and the consistent delivery of high-quality
  legal services across all fifteen community colleges.
• Build and strengthen
  the systems, processes, and workflows that enable the
  General Counsel’s Office to efficiently prioritize work, deliver exceptional legal
  services, and support the evolving needs of the
  Massachusetts Community Colleges.
• Promote operational excellence through effective
  leadership, accountability, continuous
  improvement, and sound management practices.

Labor, Employment &
Litigation

• Advise the colleges on employment law, labor relations, collective bargaining, discrimination matters, and
  related legal issues for
  both non-unit personnel and unionized employees.
• Represent the community colleges, or coordinate
  representation, in litigation,
  arbitration, mediation, and proceedings before state and federal courts, commissions, and administrative
  agencies.
• Provide
  leadership and oversight for attorneys engaged in collective bargaining and labor matters.

Governance, Policy & External Relations

• Advise on development and review of contracts, policies,
  procedures, legislation, regulations, and other legal documents affecting the Massachusetts Community Colleges.
• Serve as the senior
  legal liaison with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, executive branch agencies including the Department of Higher Education, and
  other public and private organizations.
• Work collaboratively with the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of
  Community Colleges and other stakeholders to support coordinated, systemwide legal services.

Systemwide Engagement
& Legal Guidance

• Build trusted relationships with presidents, boards of trustees,
  senior administrators, and
  campus leaders across all fifteen community colleges.
• Maintain a visible presence throughout the system
  by engaging regularly with
  campuses and providing responsive legal counsel.
• Conduct legal research and prepare legal opinions,
  advisories, and memoranda to
  support institutional decision-making.
• Develop and deliver legal education and training programs that
  strengthen compliance,
  governance, and risk awareness across the colleges.

MINIMUM
QUALIFICATIONS

• Juris Doctor (J.D.)
  from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Member of the Massachusetts Bar, or
  eligible to become a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
• Fifteen (15) years of progressive responsibility in higher education or
  public-sector law, or equivalent combination of education and
  experience.
• Experience or familiarity working in a union environment
  with labor and/or labor litigation ORexperience
  operating in a collective bargaining environment.
• Knowledge of and
  familiarity with applicable regulations, laws and statutes
  governing employment and higher education, including but not limited to Titles
  IV, VI, VII and IX, as well as ADA, FLSA, and FMLA.
• Demonstrated experience supervising and developing attorneys or legal
  professionals within a complex organization.
• Exceptional
  oral, written, research, analytical, organizational, and interpersonal
  skills.
• Demonstrated ability to advise executive leaders,
  exercise sound judgment, manage competing priorities, and address
  complex, multidisciplinary legal issues.
• Ability to build
  collaborative relationships, identify practical solutions to complex
  problems, and foster an environment in which a variety of backgrounds
  and viewpoints are valued.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Current or previous experience in the
  Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Previous work experience with higher education or public sector law with specialization in
  employment law and contract review.
• Demonstrated understanding of the legal issues affecting higher education, including employment
  and labor law, collective bargaining,
  governance, student affairs, compliance, and federal higher education policy.
• Experience
  providing simultaneous counsel to multiple
  clients, departments, or organizations.
• Demonstrated experience leading the
  modernization of legal operations, workflows, and
  technology to improve efficiency and service delivery.

Living in
Bedford and Greater
Boston

Home to the General Counsel’s Office on the Bedford Campus of Middlesex Community College, Bedford is a historic New England
community located just 15 miles northwest of Boston. Known for its highly regarded public schools, abundant conservation land, and
Revolutionary War heritage, Bedford offers the character and convenience of suburban New England with easy access to Boston, Cambridge, and
one of the nation’s premier regions for higher education, healthcare, technology, and innovation. Ideally situated near Interstates 95 and
Route 3, the town provides convenient access throughout Greater Boston, while Logan International Airport and Hanscom Field make regional
and national travel easy. Residents enjoy miles of walking and biking trails, nearby Concord and Lexington, and convenient access to
world-class universities, leading medical centers, museums, professional sports, and year-round cultural and recreational opportunities.
Learn more about the region: Meet Boston.

To
Apply

For
full consideration, please apply by September 11, 2026.

To be viewed by the search firm, you must apply
directly at: https://acesrch.applicantstack.com/x/detail/a21esjyvn4u0

Please apply through the application link and do not email applications.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received
and should include a cover letter and curriculum vita. Ideally cover letters should
not exceed two pages. All applications are treated
confidentially.

Inquiries, referrals, and nominations
are also treated confidentially.

Inquiries and
questions: Please send to MassCCGenCounsel@acesrch.com.

Nominations and
referrals: Please send the nominee’s name, title, and contact information if available to nominations@acesrch.com.

Institutional
Information

The
Massachusetts Community Colleges are affirmative action/equal opportunity
employers and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic
information, gender identity or sexual orientation in its programs
and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of
1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
and other applicable statutes and college policies. The Colleges
prohibit sexual harassment, including sexual violence. Inquiries or
complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, retaliation or sexual
violence shall be referred to the Colleges’ Affirmative Action
and/or Title IX Coordinator, the Massachusetts Commission Against
Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission or the
United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

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