Executive Vice President, General Counsel

The Executive Vice President, General Counsel manages the legal and compliance affairs of DCS Corporation, a government contractor delivering advanced engineering and technical services in support of national security.  Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, DCS is a mid-tier, privately held company with over 2,000 employees and 17 offices throughout the U.S.  The General Counsel is expected to lead and manage a strategic, proactive, efficient, business-focused, and service-oriented legal function, demonstrating a mindset and practice that is both consultative and solutions-driven.

Essential Job Functions :

The General Counsel is responsible for contracts, bid protests, litigation, employment, ethics and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, office lease review and negotiation and export control.  The General Counsel advises the Board of Directors and its committees on corporate governance and leads board-level initiatives.  The Contracts, Purchasing and Corporate Security departments all report to the General Counsel. The General Counsel is also responsible for the development, review, approval and oversight of company policies and procedures.  The Company’s risk insurance program and stock incentive plan are also managed by the General Counsel.  The General Counsel serves as the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer responsible for ethics and compliance training and other initiatives.  The General Counsel reports to the Chairman and CEO and is a senior member of the company’s executive leadership team.

The General Counsel’s office includes one attorney, the Employee Relations Manager and  a Compliance Analyst.

The General Counsel also serves as Corporate Secretary whose duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following :

• Monitors corporate governance developments and advises company directors in adopting appropriate governance practices
• Attends and prepares minutes of Board meetings
• Prepares corporate resolutions for consideration and potential adoption by the Board
• Advises Board on its roles and responsibilities, including fiduciary obligations
• Manages processes involving preparation and conduct of the annual shareholder meeting

As the company’s Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, the General Counsel selects and manages external service providers as appropriate.  In this capacity, the General Counsel oversees the DCS Ethics Helpline and takes appropriate action in response to Helpline communications.  The General Counsel regularly informs the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors about substantive ethics and compliance issues.

Additionally, the General Counsel advises on actual and potential disputes and the potential risks of business decisions.  The General Counsel selects, engages and manages outside counsel as appropriate.

The General Counsel advises Human Resources on employment law and employee benefit matters, conducts or manages internal investigations of employee relations issues and responds to charges and complaints filed with the EEOC, U.S. Department of Labor, and other federal, state, and local agencies.  Additionally, the General Counsel advises the company and Board of  Trustees of the DCS Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust (ESOP) on matters relating to the ESOP Plan and compliance with applicable federal laws and regulations.

Required Skills :

Due to the sensitivity of customer related requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required.

An active DoD Secret Security clearance preferred; must be able to obtain clearance.

Minimum of 15 years of experience in corporate law departments and / or regional / national law firms providing services directly to corporate clients, including :

Law degree with license to practice law in a U.S. jurisdiction with eligibility to be admitted as Corporate Counsel in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Experience in defense engineering and technical services industry is strongly preferred.

Deep experience in all aspects of government contracting

Experience with export regulations and compliance law.

Prior in-house legal experience preferred.

Comfortable advising on complex and sensitive employee matters with due regard for employment law considerations.

Mergers and acquisitions experience.

Key Leadership Behaviors :

Highly motivated to drive and promote quality results.

Forward-thinking, anticipates risks and develops responsive strategies.

Comfortable and motivated working in highly dynamic environments.

Experience balancing the needs of an organization that is looking to grow and scale.

Self-motivated and driven; strong business acumen and a roll-up-the-sleeves approach.

Ability to persuasively communicate complex concepts and programs into concise and credible messages.

Executive presence and strong verbal, written and public speaking and presentation skills.

Strong critical thinking and analytical skills, effectively analyzing and assessing opportunities and threats, analyzing and anticipating developments as well as emerging trends, threats, and opportunities.

Demonstrated track record of working with and earning the trust and confidence of corporate leaders, board members and industry executives.

Other Information :

The individual in this position will report to the Company’s headquarters location in Alexandria, VA.  At present, this position requires in-office presence approximately two days per week.