Assistant General Counsel

Company overview:
With an annual budget of $2.3 billion and more than 7,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We're tackling a broad range of public health issues with innovative policies and programs and getting exceptional results, but our work is never finished. The breadth of our innovative programs provides the widest range of choices for every member of our team.

With grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DOHMH is undertaking a new initiative that will meet critical infrastructure needs and make possible strategic investments that will have lasting effects on public health. Investments and improvements through this initiative will help modernize DOHMH’s foundational capabilities and data infrastructure, enabling it to partner in complex health and health care environments and, in turn, support better public health outcomes, including COVID-19. This initiative supports larger efforts to rebalance investments in public health and more equitably serve communities and populations.

The selected candidate will be an employee of Public Health Solutions, a nonprofit organization which is the fiscal and administrative manager of the grant but will work be supervised by DOHMH. This is a grant-funded position ending in November 2027.

Job description:

Legal Affairs within the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the DOHMH provides legal support to the agency and its many public health programs. DOHMH has an opening for an Assistant General Counsel.

Duties:

Under the direct supervision of the Supervising Associate General Counsel, the Assistant General Counsel will provide support as needed on an array of public health legal and policy issues, and may be requested to:

• Conduct legal research and draft written analyses as needed, often on time-sensitive basis.
• Provide recommendations on questions of law and public health and/or administrative policy.
• Represent the Health Department in litigation matters.
• Work collaboratively with the program staff and other attorneys to prepare for and litigate such matters.
• Address concerns related to (but not limited to) enforcement of NYC Health Code, Freedom of Information Law requests, privacy issues, and environmental health.
• Maintain sensitive and confidential information.
• Manage and distribute information accurately and appropriately.
• Establish positive working relationships with co-workers and programs.
• Perform other additional duties as needed.

Qualifications:

• Admission to the New York State Bar and remain in good standing.
• One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to any state bar.
• Previous experience in litigation.
• Capacity and willingness to learn or have experience with WESTLAW.
• The ideal candidate for this position must be a pro-active and self-motivated individual with the ability to work in teams and in a highly dynamic environment with multiple stakeholders and timelines.
• Salary - 75,000 - 75,000

Additional Desired Qualities:

• Experience with stakeholder engagement and project management.
• Excellent communication (verbal & written) and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to manage and report complex information.
• Experience with data collection, analysis and interpretation.
• Desire to grow professionally, develop new skills and willingness to work outside of comfort zone.
• Experience working with the public health sector and coordinating projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize and work in fast-paced environment with hard deadlines.
• Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Additional Information:

• This is a temporary grant-funded position ending in November 2027.
• This individual must reside in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) by their confirmed start date.
• Preference may be given to individuals residing in New York City (5 boroughs) or surrounding New York State counties.
• This individual will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies.

PHS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, and veterans.

These should be based on equivalent civil service title and are requirements, not preferences/desired qualities