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About the Role

The Office of the Chief Counsel is seeking a Legal Director of Civil and Human Rights to oversee compliance with a Federal Court Settlement Order, enhancing emergency preparedness and response for vulnerable populations. This role involves legal advice, transactional work, and coordination with various legal counsels.

Responsibilities

Coordinate with DAFN staff and NYCEM units for compliance with local, state, and federal civil and human rights mandates.
Ensure continued legal compliance with the terms of the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) Settlement Order.
Work with NYCEM units, City Agencies, and partners to ensure timely implementation of remediation measures in legal accord with the BCID Settlement Order and other legal requirements.
Liaise with the Corporation Counsel’s Office as needed, in coordination with senior Civil and Human Rights Unit staff.
Research and review materials related to emergency planning and response for Disability and Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) populations.
Collect progress data from NYCEM bureaus, units, and other agency DAFN staff.
Assist the Agency Disability Services Facilitator (DSF) with ADA and other civil and human rights mandates and resolve received ADA Grievances.
Coordinate Disability Community Advisory Council and Disability Community Stakeholder Briefings.
Provide legal support to the Legal Affairs Unit as needed.
Participate on an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team, potentially working evenings, weekends, holidays, or extended shifts during emergency activations.
Volunteer to assist with three Ready NY emergency preparedness presentations per year.
Be on call for EOC teams for three weeks at a time, with six weeks off in between.
Perform other duties as directed by the Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel.

Requirements

Must remain a member of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of employment.
Admission to the New York State Bar.
Four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar.
Eighteen months of experience in the supervision of other attorneys, in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity, or performing highly complex and significant legal work.
Must be authorized to work in the United States without employer support.
Must be in person in the office location three days per week, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances.

Skills

Knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and related State and local civil and human rights laws and regulations pertaining to people with disabilities, the elderly and other protected classes.
Knowledge of concerns of other potentially vulnerable or marginalized populations.
Knowledge of employment, human rights and labor law.
Experience interpreting and applying federal civil rights laws, administrative enforcement, compliance, litigation support, or related legal practice.
Prior experience making presentations to stakeholders and leadership, either virtually or in person.
Relevant experience in compliance with various mandates (federal, state and local legal authorities).
Excellent writing and interpersonal skills.
Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
Familiarity with Power BI, Westlaw, or Lexis is preferred.
An informed perspective on applying an equity lens regarding all protected classes in policymaking.
Knowledge – possesses appropriate subject matter expertise.
Work Ethic and Productivity – produces consistently high quality, accurate, and on-time deliverables; takes responsibility, is dependable, and accountable, and follows through; is responsive to requests from leadership.
Strategic Problem Solving and Innovation – is thoughtful and deliberate in approach to solving problems; demonstrates innovation and creative thinking.
Effective Communication – communication is clear, precise, and timely; understands their audience and display confidence in delivering their message.
Teamwork – encourage collaboration and motivate others; is able to both lead and follow when necessary; is an active listener and consider a broad range of perspectives.
Strategic Planning – creates a strategic vision and plan for the unit and communicates a path toward it; ensures unit activities contribute to the articulated vision; aligns the unit’s goals with the broader HCM and agency goals.
Decision Making – demonstrates confidence, decisiveness, adaptability, and good judgement; brings solutions not problems; makes informed, equitable, and sometimes difficult decisions.
Relationship Building – values and seeks diverse perspectives by demonstrating awareness, sensitivity, and acceptance of cultural differences.
Giving and Receiving Feedback – delivers specific and growth-centered feedback whenever the opportunity presents; listens and receives honest and open feedback without defensiveness; provides actionable and constructive suggestions, resources, and guidance on how to improve, enhance, or expand efforts.
Communication {to unit} – Regularly communicates the alignment of individual work with unit and agency goals and how it connects to the broader mission of the agency; creates deliverables that are clear, well-written, appropriate to the topic, and targeted to the audience; models integrity and communicates truthfully and transparently, even when difficult or uncomfortable to do so.
Coaching – Uses coaching techniques to support staff, helping them develop and enhance skills by demonstrating and working together; encourages staff professional development, working with staff to develop goals and recommending resources for learning; stays connected on tracking progress; recognizes individual strengths, challenges, and styles, and determines how best to support each person with these in mind; creates environment in which staff members feel open to seeking help, guidance, and support from colleagues or managers as needed.
Team Management – Writes and conducts annual evaluations that include specific examples that demonstrate each individual’s progress toward attainment of goals as well as areas for continued growth; monitors and supports staff progress without micro-managing; mediates conflict among staff, negotiating compromises and solutions when conflicts arise; monitors workload and stress levels among staff members, makes efforts to reduce stress levels through flexible work schedules , listening, and redirecting workflows as possible; is well-versed in all agency policies and procedures; seeks guidance to support team members necessary.

Location

New York City

Work Type

Hybrid
Full-time

Experience Level

Managerial
Executive
Supervisory

Education Level

Member of the New York State Bar

Salary/Compensations

USD 109538 - USD 115919
$100,000 to $125,000

About the Company

New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies through preparedness, education, and response.
NYCEM is responsible for coordinating citywide emergency planning and response for all types and scales of emergencies.
NYCEM is staffed by more than 200 dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including individuals assigned from other City agencies.
The Office of the Chief Counsel provides legal advice to NYCEM executives and staff regarding critical, strategic, legal and policy issues facing the agency.
The Office of Chief Counsel engages in transactional work in support of the NYCEM mission and coordinates with the NYC Law Department, Office of the Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall, and other local, state and federal counsels regarding various legal issues ranging from emergency events to litigation, which impact the agency.
The Office of Chief Counsel is comprised of the Legal Affairs Unit, the Civil and Human Rights Unit formerly known as the Disability, Access and Functional Needs Unit (DAFN), and the Records Management Unit.
The Civil and Human Rights unit within the Office of Chief Counsel oversees compliance with all applicable civil and human rights and equity mandates in order to effectuate equal treatment of populations that may be more vulnerable than the general public throughout Emergency Management operations, programs and activities.

Equal Opportunity

NYCEM is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the application and hiring process for qualified applicants with disabilities.
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.