Privacy & Data Security Attorney

Company overview:
With an annual budget of $2.3 billion and more than 7,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We're tackling a broad range of public health issues with innovative policies and programs and getting exceptional results, but our work is never finished. The breadth of our innovative programs provides the widest range of choices for every member of our team.   

With grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DOHMH is undertaking a new initiative that will meet critical infrastructure needs and make possible strategic investments that will have lasting effects on public health. Investments and improvements through this initiative will help modernize DOHMH’s foundational capabilities and data infrastructure, enabling it to partner in complex health and health care environments and, in turn, support better public health outcomes, including COVID-19. This initiative supports larger efforts to rebalance investments in public health and more equitably serve communities and populations.

The selected candidate will be an employee of Public Health Solutions, a nonprofit organization which is the fiscal and administrative manager of the grant but will work be supervised by DOHMH.  This is a grant-funded position ending in November 2027.

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice and assistance to the entire agency.   Specifically, OGC works to ensure that the innovative programs and initiatives of DOHMH are supported by a dedicated legal team.  The OGC team is comprised of attorneys who work in a variety of areas including legal affairs (legal and policy analysis; health code enforcement; records access), contracts, privacy, and employment law.  OGC also houses the Institutional Review Board and attorneys working in the Assisted Outpatient Treatment program.

Summary of Position:

DOHMH has an opening for one attorney to serve as an Assistant General Counsel/Privacy and Data Security Attorney. The Assistant General Counsel will be a key member of the Privacy unit within Legal Affairs to provide counsel and support on legal matters related to privacy and data security.  The attorney will be under the direction of the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO),

Specifically, the Assistant General Counsel/Privacy and Data Security Attorney will:

• Draft, review and negotiate data privacy and security agreements (such as cloud security agreements, end user license agreements, terms of service, privacy policies, and others).
• Draft, review, and negotiate various contracts with vendors procured by the agency.
• Provide support to the DOHMH CPO to develop and implement policies for data privacy and security.
• Support the CPO with investigations of security incidents and notifications to impacted individuals.
• Provide practical, timely, strategic, and high-quality legal recommendations and counsel to the IT division on data security and cybersecurity.
• Advise on best practice and compliance with privacy and data protection laws.
• Deliver data privacy and security trainings to the DOHMH workforce.
• Participate and engage in cross divisional collaborative projects that require legal support.
• Learn and keep informed of federal, state, and local laws and regulations as well as industry standards for data privacy and security.
• Other assignments, as needed, to support the Office of General Counsel.
• Salary: $90,000 - $90,000.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and at least two years of full-time, relevant legal experience.
• Two years of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar.
• Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.
• Previous experience working in fields related to privacy and contract law.  
• The ideal candidate for this position must be a pro-active and self-motivated individual with the ability to work in teams and in a highly dynamic environment with multiple stakeholders and timelines.
• Familiarity with standards, guidelines, and best practices to manage privacy and cybersecurity risk, such as the NIST Privacy Framework and NIST Cybersecurity Framework. 

Additional Desired Qualities:

• Experience with stakeholder engagement and project management.
• Certified Information Privacy Professional certification through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAAP).
• Excellent communication (verbal & written) and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to manage and report complex information.
• Experience with data collection, analysis and interpretation.
• Desire to grow professionally, develop new skills and willingness to work outside of comfort zone.
• Experience working with the public health sector and coordinating projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize and work in fast-paced environment with hard deadlines.
• Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Additional Information: 

• This is a temporary grant-funded position ending in November 2027.
• This individual must reside in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) by their confirmed start date.
• Preference may be given to individuals residing in New York City (5 boroughs) or surrounding New York State counties.
• This individual will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies.

PHS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and veterans.