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Form of workThe Office of the General Counsel (OGC) for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking a Chief Deputy General Counsel to lead the policy, programmatic, and Litigation efforts within the OGC. As the Chief Deputy General Counsel, you will play a key role in managing, advising, and shaping legal strategies for multiple Programs and regulatory matters, particularly focusing on the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS).
The selected candidate will take the reins in directing and overseeing our OGC's policy, programmatic, litigation, and regulatory practices. Your leadership will extend to managing a team of skilled attorneys responsible for providing crucial legal advice across a diverse spectrum of issues. Your role will be pivotal in setting program priorities, fostering collaboration, and ensuring the effective utilization of resources to advance our department's mission and goals.
Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):
Staff Management
- Directs and oversees the policy, programmatic, litigation, and regulatory practices within OGC: sets annual goals and overall direction.
- Recruits, trains, supervises, and evaluates several attorneys responsible for providing legal advice and counsel to program staff on a wide range of legal issues; makes hiring recommendations.
- Formulates program priorities and goals with input from the General Counsel.
- Provides oversight and direction on development of policies, procedures, and training across a wide range of issues affecting the entire Department.
- Assists in developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure effective utilization of resources.
- Assesses staff workload and delegates appropriate caseload to staff; ensures collaboration across caseloads for staff.
- Ensures that DPH programs can carry out their mission in a manner consistent with the Department's legal authority and the substantive provisions of federal and state law.
Legal/Executive Functions
- Develops procedures and training for all DPH attorneys and staff to promote compliance with state and federal legal requirements.
- Maintains expertise in law related to public records, records retention, open meetings state ethics requirements, and contracts.
- Evaluates and comments on legislative language relevant to programs.
- Drafts and reviews legislation and regulations.
- Collaborates with program directors and staff on policy development to promote compliance with legal guidelines.
- Partners with program directors and staff on internal protocols relating to investigations, contract review and contract compliance.
- Ensures staff satisfies federal grant compliance, particularly in data security and reporting.
- Provides legal guidance and analysis with respect to web-based reporting systems.
- Participates in and provides legal guidance to policy and outside groups.
Legal Counsel for BSAS
- Provides legal advice to the Directors and staff of BSAS.
- Drafts and analyzes legislation, regulations and guidance as needed and to determine whether Department interests have been met.
- Provides legal strategy and guidance and drafts interagency agreements and confidentiality agreements with nongovernmental entities governing privacy, security and use of confidential data.
- Coordinates legal support for licensure enforcement activities, including determination of need for and preparation of cases for administrative hearings and related litigation.
- Provides legal advice and direction on public records requests, federal and state subpoenas and court orders for BSAS records.
- Partners with the Integration Initiative Committee to facilitate and coordinate Department licensure of primary care and behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse) services as a priority for health reform on the state and federal levels.
- Works with the Attorney General as needed in connection with lawsuits that arise out of BSAS's regulatory activities.
General Department Support as requested by General Counsel
- Serves as one of 4 members of senior leadership team and provides litigation support as requested.
- Assists in state budget analysis and legislation analysis.
- Provides tracking of regulations under development by the Department.
- Coordinates and oversees special projects.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Must be a member of the Massachusetts Bar in good standing.
- At least six (6) years of professional experience in the practice of law.
- Familiarity with public health, contract, and administrative law.
- Ability to advise staff to effectively protect and promote the public health and safety of the Commonwealth, within the confines of the individual Programs and applicable legal mandates and restrictions.
- Knowledge of theory, principles and practices of law including methods and ability to conduct legal research and technical report writing.
- Ability to express arguments clearly and logically in oral and written forms.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously and effectively with diverse groups of people and cross-functional project teams.
- Capacity to exercise discretion in safeguarding information through compliance with rules of disclosure.
- Demonstrated understanding and experience in legal research and analysis, oral and written advocacy, and creative problem solving preferably in an in-house or outside counsel to public agencies, private businesses, or other organizations.
- A solid desire to work in a fast-paced and collaborative legal department.
- Aptitude in analyzing, interpreting, applying facts, rules, policies, and decisions while analyzing legal problems and offering legal opinions.
- Strong critical thinking, problem solving with the ability to managing relationships both internally and externally.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
About the Department of Public Health:
The mission of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is to prevent illness, injury, and premature death, to assure access to high quality public health and health care services, and to promote wellness and health equity for all people in the Commonwealth. We envision a Commonwealth in which all people enjoy optimal health. Massachusetts ranks among the healthiest of states according to comparative analyses, but we face numerous challenges, including chronic and infectious disease, substance abuse, violence, preventable hospitalizations, and health disparities.
DPH coordinates Programs and policies to address specific diseases and conditions and offer services to address the needs of vulnerable populations. We also develop, implement, promote, and enforce regulations and policies to assure that the conditions under which people live are most conducive to health and enable people to make healthy choices for themselves and their families. We license health professionals, healthcare facilities and a variety of businesses that impact public health. We operate the state laboratory and four public health hospitals. We monitor health status and manage vital records including births, marriages and deaths. We educate people about public health issues and work closely with local boards of health and community partners to identify and solve public health problems.
Learn more about our important work: http://www.mass.gov/dph
Pre-Offer Process:
A tax & background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Human Resources Division prior to the candidate being hired.
Education, licensure and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division's Hiring Guidelines.
Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be published on the Commonwealth's website.
If you require assistance with the application/interview process and would like to request an ADA accommodation, please click on the link and complete the Reasonable Accommodation Online Request Form
For questions regarding this requisition, please contact the Executive Office of Health and Human Services Human Resources at 1-800- 510-4122 Ext. #4
MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must have at least (A) six (6) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least two (2) years must have been in a supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.
Substitutions:
I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.
II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.
III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.
IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.
Comprehensive Benefits
When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.
Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!
COVID Vaccine: As a condition of employment, depending on job assignment and location, employees may be required to have received COVID-19 vaccination and/or other vaccinations, or to have been approved for a vaccination exemption prior to their start date. Details relating to demonstrating compliance with this requirement will be provided to applicants selected for employment.
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.
