JOB DESCRIPTION

DCAS’s mission is to make city government work for all New Yorkers. From managing New York City’s most iconic courthouses and municipal buildings, to purchasing over $1 billion annually in goods and services for more than 80 City agencies what we do ensures that all agencies can deliver on their mission. Our reach touches every facet of city government and is instrumental to the successful day-to-day operations of the City of New York.

Our commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides our work providing City agencies with the critical resources and support needed to succeed, including:

• Recruiting, hiring, and training City employees.
• Managing 55 public buildings.
• Acquiring, selling, and leasing City property.
• Purchasing over $1 billion in goods and services for City agencies.
• Overseeing the greenest municipal vehicle fleet in the country.
• Leading the City’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from government operations.

When you work at DCAS, you’re not just working for one agency, but in service of them all. It’s an opportunity to provide impactful support, quality customer service, and help protect the future of New York City for generations to come. Visit our website at nyc.gov/dcas to learn more about the work we do.
The Office of General Counsel (OGC) serves as legal counsel for the 12 lines of service, or units, that comprise DCAS. Accordingly, OGC has a broad and diverse legal portfolio, with most attorneys concentrating on one of the following subject matter areas: Human Capital (Civil Service and Employment Law); Procurement; Real Estate (leasing, acquisitions, and disposals); and Compliance (discipline, labor relations, and audit). OGC’s DCAS and citywide legal support also extends to litigation of landlord-tenant matters, performing legislative review, policy, Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, and providing legal and strategic advice in the areas of fleet administration, energy, and facilities management/construction. Further, OGC works with Corporation Counsel on special matters present before the agency that may require litigation or additional review, pursuant to the City Charter.
OGC seeks a highly motivated attorney and manager to serve as Special Counsel and Chief of Staff to the General Counsel. With latitude for independent judgment, the Special Counsel and Chief of Staff will play a critical role in advising the General Counsel and managing OGC, including working with senior leadership within OGC and across the agency. Accordingly, they must exercise excellent judgment from an organizational, strategic, and legal perspective in a fast-paced environment while juggling multiple priorities. The successful candidate must be a highly organized, proactive, and strategic, with strong written and oral communication skills in order to foster a collaborative environment. They must be able to think holistically and creatively, identifying risk while being solutions oriented.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Advising the General Counsel on sensitive matters;
• Managing a staff of 60+ attorneys, investigators, auditors and support staff, including Deputy General Counsels across a number of portfolios;
• Leading OGC’s development and execution of a talent hiring and retention plan;
• Assisting with management of major OGC processes, including risk management, audits, investigations, review of legislation and regulations, and oversight of major litigation;
• Managing information flow between the General Counsel and internal and external parties to eliminate bottlenecks;
• Developing organizational structures and systems that facilitate the work of teams, including cross-functional teams;
• Working with the General Counsel and DCAS executive/senior leadership to ensure that OGC is meeting the needs of the agency;
• Conducting legal research; and
• Handling any other duties or matters as needed.

To Apply:
Please go to www.nyc.gov/careers and search for Job ID #. 711110
For current City employees please go to www.nyc.gov/ess and log into Employee Self Service.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen months of which must have been in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.
Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• 8 years of post-bar legal experience preferred - Experience working at a managerial level within government, with City government experience - Experience organizing and facilitating decision making processes and tracking deliverables for a principal - Ability to independently act on priority projects - Ability to prioritize and complete work assignments in a timely manner and - Ability to exercise critical, analytical, and problem-solving skills under pressure and at times with extreme sensitivity.

• Advising the General Counsel on sensitive matters;
• Managing a staff of 60+ attorneys, investigators, auditors and support staff, including Deputy General Counsels across a number of portfolios;
• Leading OGC’s development and execution of a talent hiring and retention plan;
• Assisting with management of major OGC processes, including risk management, audits, investigations, review of legislation and regulations, and oversight of major litigation;
• Managing information flow between the General Counsel and internal and external parties to eliminate bottlenecks;
• Developing organizational structures and systems that facilitate the work of teams, including cross-functional teams;
• Working with the General Counsel and DCAS executive/senior leadership to ensure that OGC is meeting the needs of the agency;
• Conducting legal research; and
• Handling any other duties or matters as needed