Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:
1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change

Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world . The Contracts Unit within the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at the DOHMH provides legal support to the agency and its many public health programs that serve more than 8 million New Yorkers.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

OGC is seeking an experienced attorney to review, negotiate and draft contracts. Under the supervision of the Deputy General Counsel and the Executive Agency Counsel, the attorney will:

Duties:

Interact regularly with internal stakeholders/clients and external entities, ensuring that all contracting processes are followed, including obtaining and documenting all necessary approvals required in connection with each contract.

Work with the Office of the Agency Chief Contracting Officer (ACCO) and Health Department Procurement staff to ensure that all publicly funded contracts follow proper processes, including the Procurement Policy Board Rules and PASSPort, the City's new contract review portal.

Facilitate the resolution of business and legal issues; formulating recommendations using analysis and creativity.

Assess, develop and negotiate contract terms, including but not limited to insurance, intellectual/real property and privacy for all DOHMH agreements.

Ensure consistency of contract terms with DOHMH policies, procedures and goals.

Review and negotiate contracts with a focus on risk reduction and protection of confidential information.

Review, negotiate and draft Memoranda of Understanding between DOHMH and other federal, state and municipal entities.

1. Admission to the New York State Bar; and either "2" or "3" below.
2. One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar; or
3. Six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Interne (30086).
Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.
In addition to meeting the minimum Qualification Requirements:
To be assigned to Assignment Level (AL) II, candidates must have one year of experience at Assignment Level I or two years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment. To be assigned to AL III candidates must have two years of experience in Assignment Levels I and/or II or three years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment.

Excellent communication (verbal & written) and interpersonal skills. Experience drafting contracts for municipalities. Expertise in complex legal negotiation. Strong research, analysis, problem-solving and decision-making skills Strong work ethic and attention to detail. Strong analytical skills and ability to manage and report complex information. Preferred 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. Experience conducting legal research through Westlaw Fluency in Westlaw, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

New York City residency is not required for this title **

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.