Deputy General Counsel, Infrastructure and Operations

Job DescriptionThe NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.DEP’s Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA) works cooperatively with the New York City Law Department (Law Department) to ensure that all of DEP’s legal needs are addressed. Given DEP’s extensive infrastructure and operations, DEP is involved in a significant amount of litigation and claims filed with the Comptroller’s office. BLA’s staff provide critical litigation support to the Law Department attorneys representing the agency and respond to requests for records and information from the Comptroller.BLA is seeking to hire a Deputy General Counsel for our Infrastructure and Operations Unit. The successful candidate, with wide latitude for independent judgment and decision-making, will lead the Infrastructure and Operations Unit of the General Counsel’s Office, a team of approximately ten attorneys and Claims Specialists.The work of this unit includes:Critical property acquisitions and other property access matters related to DEP construction and blue belt projects, water and sewer infrastructure, City-wide resiliency projects and affordable housing and private developments throughout the City;DEP water and sewer regulatory matters;Review and approval of procurement contracts for standard services in support of the operation and maintenance of DEP facilities and infrastructure, and consulting services;Drafting and development of grant agreements, public-private partnerships, interagency agreements and agreements with public benefit corporations, utilities and State and federal governments;Development of contract templates and internal contract review policies and procedures, risk management and counseling for the agency;Litigation support for the litigation matters handled by the Law Department and outside counsel, including water and sewer bill collections, tort and affirmative litigation, and data sharing and confidentiality agreements and other information privacy matters.QualificationsAdmission 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.Additional InformationThe 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.