The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) keeps New York City healthy, safe, and clean by collecting, recycling, and disposing of waste, cleaning City streets and vacant lots, and clearing snow and ice. DSNY is the nation's largest municipal sanitation agency, with nearly 10,000 employees, 59 district garages, and a fleet of more than 5,000 trucks, cars, and other types of equipment. The Department clears litter, snow, and ice from approximately 6,500 miles of City streets and removes debris from vacant lots as well as abandoned vehicles from City streets.

DSNY seeks an Executive Agency Counsel to serve as the Department Advocate for the Agency. Reporting to the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs, the Department Advocate will manage the Office of Employment and Disciplinary Matters (OEDM) and oversee all disciplinary complaints.

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- Manage OEDM and oversee the calendaring, handling and processing of all disciplinary complaints sent to the Advocate’s Office by field supervisors, the Health Care Facility and others;
- Screen all complaints for legal sufficiency and hold conferences regularly with attorneys from Local 831 and Local 444 in an attempt to resolve the complaints sent to OEDM;
- Evaluate proposals to resolve outstanding disciplinary matters;
- Prepare negotiated plea recommendations for the Commissioner’s review and approval;
- Oversee all disciplinary cases sent to OATH for trials if a resolution cannot be worked out with the Unions pursuant to the conferences held at OEDM, and will include representing the Department at OATH disciplinary hearings;
- Plan, direct, and supervise all administrative investigations and research pertaining to the work of OEDM;
- Direct confidential investigations and assisting the Inspector General’s Office;
- Coordinate with the Law Department when there is a challenge to an OATH decision; and
- Advise DSNY Executive Staff on employment law issues related to disciplinary matters to ensure that affected bureaus are informed.

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.

- Excellent negotiation, research, writing and communication skills. - Ability to exercise discretion and sensitivity in dealing with matters requiring confidentiality. - Demonstrate the ability to manage a team of employees in a legal setting - Ability to interact with other city agencies, and work strategically and collaboratively with inter-departmental units. - Minimum of ten years of recent full-time relevant and satisfactory legal experience is preferred. - MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) proficiency.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/

New York City Residency is not required for this position.

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.