Reporting into the Director and overseeing the legal, crime strategies, and policy units of the Office, the First Deputy Director of MOCJ is an integral member of the Office’s managerial team, and the chief advisor to the Director on operational and policy matters. The First Deputy Director works closely with external government partners within the criminal justice system, including the Office of Court Administration, the District Attorneys’ Offices, indigent defense providers, the Police Department, and the Department of Correction. The First Deputy Director works closely with unit heads to provide guidance and help problem solve to ensure the Office is working together cohesively and furthering the administration’s goals. The First Deputy Director has wide latitude for independent judgment and decision-making and must be able to problem solve and project manage sensitive matters quickly.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
-
Oversight responsibility for the Office’s legal, policy, and crime strategies, directly supervising and supporting the unit heads for each of those areas of work;
-
Facilitating policy and operational conversations/negotiations among the City’s criminal justice agencies, the Office of Court Administration, District Attorney’s Offices, Indigent Defense Providers, and Criminal Justice/Reentry Advocates as needed;
-
Providing recommendations and strategy advice to the Director on policy and operational matters, as informed by the Mayor’s agenda and stakeholder feedback;
-
Policy development and operationalization of sensitive matters and priorities, as well as oversight of policy proposals that require escalation to the Director, Deputy Mayor, and Mayor, as needed;
-
Maintaining close relationships with the institutional criminal justice stakeholders, convening them regularly to discuss policy initiatives, statutory reform impacts on the various stakeholders, and troubleshoot;
Working closely with leadership across the Office to ensure timelines and project milestones are on track;
-
Maintaining a command of the issues and projects across the Office to ensure the teams are all working cohesively and towards a common goal;
-
Serving as a member of MOCJ’s managerial team;
-
Working closely with city partners on the development of the City’s privacy laws, including development of policies to regulate the collection and utilization of biometric data and technologies;
-
Representing the Office as needed before City Council, Community meetings, and in engaging elected officials;
-
Researching, initiating, developing, and executing policy projects and deliverables, both with a team and individually;
-
Assisting and supporting the Director in the execution of their duties as needed.

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.

A JD from an accredited educational institution, plus a minimum of 10 years of full-time relevant professional experience preferred - Experience related to criminal justice issues is preferred - Experience with City procurement preferred - Excellent organizational, time-management, and multi-tasking skills, including the ability to take initiative, problem solve, balance competing priorities, work independently and with teams in a fast-paced environment, pay close attention to detail, meet deadlines, and work well under pressure - Strong oral and written communication skills, including strong public speaking skills and proven ability to present the agency’s position in meetings with high level officials and other governmental and private entities - Proven experience as an effective project and team manager - Capacity for independence and the ability to work cooperatively to advance the goals of the administration - Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of entities from government agencies, other prosecutorial and regulatory bodies, and community organizations - Experience supervising other professionals and - Effective and creative leadership ability with the capacity to work both independently and cooperatively to develop and implement key strategies.

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.