Deputy General Counsel

Job Description

About DCAS
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.

Job Description
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 Deputy General Counsel for Policy and Compliance (DGC) to further develop DCAS’s internal standards, policies, and best practices across the agency’s lines of service. Reporting into the General Counsel with wide latitude for independent judgement and growth, the DGC will work closely with the General Counsel to identify and mitigate risk within the existing legal, operational, and ethical framework applicable to each line of service. This work will build on that already undertaken by the agency’s Audits and Compliance unit as well as the Discipline and Labor Relations unit, which the DGC will directly oversee. Further, the DGC will provide strategic advice on best practices that move the agency forward as a whole and in keeping with DCAS’s mission to make city government work for all New Yorkers.

The successful candidate must exercise excellent judgment from an organizational, strategic, and legal perspective in a fast-paced environment while juggling multiple priorities and maintaining a sense of humor. The DGC must be highly organized, proactive, strategic, and a strong communicator to foster a collaborative environment within OGC and across the agency. They must be able to think holistically and creatively, be curious, have an appetite for learning, and identifying risk while being solutions oriented. The successful candidate must be willing and able to effectively manage a large unit of professionals with diverse training and skill sets. Further, given the sensitive nature of their work, the DGC must be able to work independently as well as in a team, always exercising great care and discretion. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
1. Lead and manage strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening the agency’s legal, ethical and operational framework;
2. Lead and manage a team of more than 30 professionals;
3. Work collaboratively and thoughtfully across the office, and especially with the other three Deputy General Counsels and Special Counsel/Chief of Staff;
4. Collect and organizing information to identify risks and/or vulnerabilities across the agency;
5. Maintain regular and open communication with agency executive/senior leadership about project progress, risk and outcomes, operational challenges and impact, and to align projects with the agency’s goals and mission;
6. Develop short term and long-term solutions for complex issues that have legal, ethical, and political implications;
7. Research best practices and models within the City and in comparable jurisdictions to inform the development of policies and possible legislation;
8. Provide recommendations for the