Under executive direction of the Senior Deputy General Counsel of the Homeless Litigation and Program Counseling Unit (HLPCU), and in partnership with the General Counsel and the Agency Chief Contracting Officer, with wide latitude for the exercise of independent -initiative and decision making, the Associate General Counsel provides counseling and litigation support to the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) in its shelter site procurement implementation and in conjunction with the Law Department preparation of defensive litigation related to shelter siting. The Associate General Counsel manages attorney and administrative staff in the daily unit operations.


The office of Legal Affairs is recruiting for an Executive Agency Counsel M-II to function as Associate General Counsel (AGC) M2 for their Homeless Litigation and Program Counseling Unit, who will:

- Interpret laws and regulations and provides counsel to DHS in the procurement and siting of new shelters in accordance with the implementation of the City’s homelessness plan and in consultation with the General Counsel and Senior Deputy General Counsel, and the Law Department. Advises executive and senior leadership on contract and procurement issues related to shelter siting pursuant to the City’s homelessness plan, including selection of preferred procurement methods, the use of existing contracted goods and services, and recommendations for contract amendments.

- Analyze and reviews agency strategy in coordination with external mayoral and non-mayoral city and state agencies and ensures coordination of services related to shelter procurement. Directs drafting of regulatory documents for shelter siting, including fair share documents and environmental assessment statements specific to shelter procurement, siting and compliance. Supervise HLPCU staff attorneys responsible for drafting legal documents and memoranda relevant to shelter siting litigation. Coordinate the review of environmental reviews and engages stakeholders in the interpretation of land use laws and legal analysis related to environmental assessment studies for new shelter sites.

- Advise the Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel on developments and trends related to shelter procurement, high profile and media matters related to DHS’s shelter siting operations. Liaise with the Law Department and other counsel in the review of shelter siting procurement and implementation related litigation. Review and provide documentation for pre-trial preparation and discovery, document disclosure and review, witness preparation, drafting affidavits and other document management. Consults with the senior leadership and the Law Department on high profile, complex and class action lawsuits related to shelter procurement.

- Track and monitors DHS shelter procurement consultation tasks and document review. In concert with, or at the request of the Senior Deputy General Counsel represents DHS at internal/external meetings with external and internal stakeholders.

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.

- Possession of necessary interpersonal skills for the effective supervision attorney staff. - Demonstrated ability to handle varied matters on expedited and often spontaneous basis. - Ability to conduct legal research and write with clarity and understanding. - Good judgment in matters of policy strategy. - Some knowledge of land use, zoning and environmental law preferred.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

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.