Assistant General Counsel - Emergency Prepare

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.   

DOHMH has undertaken a new initiative that will meet critical infrastructure needs and make possible strategic investments that will have lasting effects on public health, using grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 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. 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 work will be supervised by DOHMH.  This is a grant-funded position ending in November 2027.

Department Overview

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.

Public health emergencies are becoming more frequent and severe. And public expectations for emergency response have changed in terms of speed of response, level of communications, among other things. As such, DOHMH become a more “response-ready” Agency to enable more effective and efficient emergency operations. This means strengthening the Agency’s overall systems, processes, and policies to ensure a strong emergency infrastructure to support priority OGC preparedness needs identified from the pandemic response and other previous emergencies. Emergency Preparedness and Response is a public health infrastructure foundational service, and DOHMH continues to build capability and capacity in this area to protect the public’s health.

Job Description

The Assistant General Counsel will support and coordinate Office of General Counsel (OGC) emergency preparedness activities to enable more effective and efficient responses. This includes helping to determine how OGC can strengthen preparedness and response in its programs, including how to pivot and scale routine public health activities into response functions. The Assistant General Counsel will also assist with setting priorities and developing a strategy and implementation plan to strengthen OGC’s and the Agency’s emergency response infrastructure. 

The Assistant General Counsel will be critical for development/revision of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) plans, protocols, and procedures, as well as improving processes and systems in line with Agency priorities and identified emergency response gaps. This position will work closely with OGC leadership, as well as other senior staff to facilitate a clear understanding of capabilities and needs, as well as ensure the support of senior leadership to facilitate positive change. The Assistant General Counsel will also liaise with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response (OEPR) to facilitate understanding of OGC’s -to-day and response activities, as well as strengths and gaps to better support priorities during both the preparedness and response phases of emergencies. 

Duties:

• Develop and/or update plans, protocols, and procedures, and trainings for how the Office of General Counsel (OGC) plans will support response functions.
• Enhance processes and systems to bolster staffing depth and create sustainable staffing models to support response.
• Identify and resolve gaps and implement improvements, as identified in evaluation of emergency responses. 
• Assess impacts on OGC programs and services when additional functions are taken on during an emergency and/or absorbed after an emergency. 
• Serve as project manager for identified OGC, OEPR and Agency emergency preparedness and response priorities.
• Work with OEPR, Incident Command System (ICS) Coordinators from other emergency response groups and the OGC Continuity of Operations (COOP) Coordinator to ensure alignment across ICS and COOP functions and activities.  
• Participate in emergency response group meetings and activities, including planning, training, exercises, and evaluation.
• Conduct legal research and draft written analyses as needed, often on time-sensitive basis.
• Provide recommendations on questions of law and public health and/or administrative policy.
• Draft amendments to the NYC Health Code and Commissioner of Health regulations. Draft legal documents including Orders of the Commissioner, as well as varied types of agreements, contracts, and/or memoranda of understanding.
• When requested, address concerns related to (but not limited to) enforcement of NYC Health Code, Freedom of Information Law requests, privacy issues, and environmental health.
• Maintain sensitive and confidential information.
• Manage and distribute information accurately and appropriately.
• Assist in monitoring the workflow, ensuring compliance with deadlines, and preparing reports and summaries. 
• Establish positive working relationships with co-workers and programs.
• Perform other additional duties, as needed.

Specifically, Assistant General Counsel will serve as the ICS Coordinator (or backup) for the Legal Advisor emergency response group (ERG) and assist with: 

• Developing and maintaining Legal Advisor emergency response group, including Charter, organizational chart, leadership roster, staffing list, training, etc.  
• Supporting public health legal authorities to prevent the impact of public health threats in accordance with local, city, state and federal laws
• Assisting with ensuring emergency response activities are in compliance with existing agency, city, state and federal legal frameworks and laws 
• Develop and manage processes related to retaining data and documentation created during emergencies, including hard copy documents, electronic documents, databases and electronic systems and email boxes
• Preserving historic records, including essential and reference records, in accordance with the citywide directives and guidelines of the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS)
• Perform other emergency preparedness related tasks for the division, as needed. 

Qualifications:

1. Juris Doctor degree and admission to the New York State Bar
2. One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to passing any state bar; AND
3. Master’s degree from an accredited college in emergency management, public health, disaster management, emergency preparedness/administration, public administration, or related field and one (1) year of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the following area(s): emergency preparedness planning/management, emergency medical services, fire or public safety, law enforcement, homeland security, public health, mental health, environmental/occupational health and safety or a related specialized area; or
4. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two (2) years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one of the areas described in “3” above; or
5. A satisfactory equivalent combination of education and experience. However, all candidates must have a minimum of one (1) year of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one of the areas described in “3” above.

Additional Desired Qualities:

• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Experience with stakeholder engagement and coordinating projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to efficiently manage multiple tasks and respond to changing priorities.
• Strong communication (verbal & written) and interpersonal skills. 
• Experience in synthesizing information and presenting summary and recommendations succinctly. 
• Ability to work both independently and with a team. 
• Desire to grow professionally and develop new skills.
• Familiarity with and ability to comfortably navigate Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Teams. 

Benefits:

• Hybrid Work Schedule.
• Generous Paid Time Off and Holidays.
• An attractive and comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental and Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts and Commuter Benefits.
• Company Paid Life Insurance and Disability Coverage.
• 403 (b) + employer matching and discretionary company contributions.
• College Savings Plan.
• Ongoing training and continuous opportunities for professional growth and development.

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.

At PHS, we place immense value on diversity within our teams, understanding that varied backgrounds and experiences significantly enhance our community and propel us toward our goals. If you find you don’t have experience in all the areas listed above, we still encourage you to apply and share your background and experiences in your application. We are eager to discover how your unique perspective can bring positive transformations to our team and help advance our mission of creating healthier, more equitable communities. We look forward to learning more about you.

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