Job Information
City of New York Executive Agency Counsel for Emergency Housing Operations in New York, New York
Job Description
About the Agency:
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city’s housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love.
We maintain building and resident safety and health.
We create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability.
We engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity.
HPD is entrusted with fulfilling these objectives through the goals and strategies of Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, Mayor Adams’ comprehensive housing framework. To support this important work, the administration has committed $5 billion in new capital funding, bringing the 10-year planned investment in housing to $22 billion the largest in the city’s history. This investment, coupled with a commitment to reduce administrative and regulatory barriers, is a multi-pronged strategy to tackle New York City’s complex housing crisis, by addressing homelessness and housing instability, promoting economic stability and mobility, increasing homeownership opportunities, improving health and safety, and increasing opportunities for equitable growth.
About HRO:
The Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations (HRO) was created in the days following Hurricane Sandy to lead housing response and recovery in New York City. With funding first from FEMA for the Rapid Repairs Program and later with a CDBG-DR-grant from U.S. HUD for the Build It Back Program, HRO assisted tens of thousands of New Yorkers recover from Hurricane Sandy, including the repair, rebuilding or rehabbing of more than 20,000 homes. In the ensuing years, HRO has expanded its mission to lead both post-disaster housing recovery operations and disaster recovery preparedness.
Since the start of 2024, HRO has taken over operations of HPD’s Asylum Seeker Housing efforts, including Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs), Faith-Beds, and other temporary housing and support for asylum seekers.
The Executive Agency Counsel for Emergency Housing Operations will be an employee of HPD detailed to HRO and will work out of HRO’s offices in lower Manhattan.
Your Team:
The HRO’s Office of the General Counsel and ACCO provides legal support services to the entire office. The Office works closely with legal affairs divisions of other NYC agencies, including the Law Department, HPD, NYCEM, DEP, and others as appropriate.
Your Impact:
HRO’s mission is to lead post-disaster housing recovery operations and pre-disaster recovery preparedness, in addition to providing operational support in response to other crises with an impact on housing. Currently, HRO has assumed lead responsibility for managing housing response to the asylum seekers shelter crisis. This includes the overseeing the existing and preparing for the launch of several Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) sites and programs, congregate shelters, upstate hotels, faith-based bed programs and a hotel vouchers program, among other initiatives.
Your Role:
Reporting to HRO’s General Counsel and Agency Chief Contracting Officer (ACCO), and working closely with HRO’s Director of Emergency Housing Operations and other HRO staff, the Executive Agency Counsel will provide high level legal resources to support the increasing volume of new contracts related to the asylum seeker population and utilize their legal expertise and knowledge to advise and serve as a legal counselor for the agency’s crisis response relating to management of the asylum seeker shelter sites and other special initiatives.
The Executive Agency Counsel will be responsible for preparing and reviewing contracts and procedures related to the organization, development and management of asylum seeker shelter sites and work with program staff to ensure compliance with relevant program policies and goals. Executive Agency Counsel will analyze and evaluate legal documents and policies and provide recommendations on behalf of the office.
In the event of a natural disaster, the Executive Agency Counsel might be involved with HRO’s housing recovery work as needed.
Your Responsibilities:
Responsibilities of the Executive Agency Counsel will include, but not be limited to:
Assist the General Counsel in managing contractual relationships, including drafting/reviewing contract documents, conducting investigations and resolving legal disputes.
Negotiate, structure, and draft various contracts and agreements with external contractors and vendors. Ensure that contracts meet and follow all legal and internal operating procedures, guidelines, and obligations, including City procurement rules and compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
Draft, review, and produce programmatic documents, policies, pre-litigation materials, regulatory responses, and litigation materials on behalf of the agency.
Review documents for production in litigation, subpoenas, or other legal matters. Identify responsive, privileged, and problematic documents for escalation.
Receive Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”) requests and requests for appeal of agency determinations, collect and review related documents, and draft determinations in accordance with Program rules.
Counsel agency employees related to operations, contract administration and compliance with laws and offer guidance on issue resolution for existing commercial relationships.
Work with legal staff from other City agencies, promoting interagency cooperation and ensuring appropriate disposition of information requests.
Serve as a liaison to the NYC Law Department on court challenges.
Research and analyze legal issues at the General Counsel's request.
Assist the General Counsel with other projects and tasks as needed.
Required Skills:
Admission to the New York State Bar, and at least four years of recent, full-time responsible, relevant, and satisfactory legal experience subsequent to the admission to any bar.
Contract drafting and policy drafting experience.
NOTE: Only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.
Qualifications
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.
Additional Information
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.