Closing Date: 10th April, 2025

Description:

DCAS's mission is to make city government work for all New Yorkers. From managing New York City's most iconic courthouses and municipal buildings, to purchasing over $1 billion annually in goods and services for more than 80 City agencies what we do ensures that all agencies can deliver on their mission. Our reach touches every facet of city government and is instrumental to the successful day-to-day operations of the City of New York.

Our commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides our work providing City agencies with the critical resources and support needed to succeed, including:

Recruiting, hiring, and training City employees.
Managing 55 public buildings.
Acquiring, selling, and leasing City property.
Purchasing over $1 billion in goods and services for City agencies.
Overseeing the greenest municipal vehicle fleet in the country.
Leading the City's efforts to reduce carbon emissions from government operations.

When you work at DCAS, you're not just working for one agency, but in service of them all. It's an opportunity to provide impactful support, quality customer service, and help protect the future of New York City for generations to come. Visit our website at nyc.gov/dcas to learn more about the work we do.

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) serves as legal counsel for the 12 lines of service, or units, that comprise DCAS. Accordingly, OGC has a broad and diverse legal portfolio, with most attorneys concentrating on one of the following subject matter areas: Human Capital (Civil Service and Employment Law); Procurement; Real Estate (leasing, acquisitions, and disposals); and Compliance (discipline, labor relations, and audit). OGC's DCAS and citywide legal support also extends to litigation of landlord-tenant matters, performing legislative review, policy, Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, and providing legal and strategic advice in the areas of fleet administration, energy, and facilities management/construction. Further, OGC works with Corporation Counsel on special matters present before the agency that may require litigation or additional review, pursuant to the City Charter.

The Deputy General Counsel (DGC) will be responsible for developing a strong working relationship with RES leadership to ensure RES, and DCAS as a whole, are receiving timely guidance, strategic advice, partnership, and support on real estate matters, including being a primary thought partner when it comes to the review and development of policies and processes that further enhance DCAS's ability to meet the City's vast commercial real estate needs as they evolve.

Reporting to the General Counsel with wide latitude for independent judgment and growth, the DGC will also lead, support, and train a team of real estate attorneys with varying levels of seniority and experience, as well as non-legal staff. The DGC will work closely with OGC's executive team to build out a problem-solving culture and training framework to promote growth within the attorneys, where they can develop and continue to hone their subject matter and client services skills.

The ideal candidate must exercise excellent judgment from an organizational, strategic, and legal perspective while juggling multiple priorities, and approaching every issue with a problem-solving mentality. As a key member of the executive leadership within OGC, the successful candidate will also play a vital role in supporting and collaborating with staff on a wide range of tasks, functions, and assignments as in-house counsel for DCAS. This role requires a commitment to building partnerships and facilitating effective outcomes within OGC and across the agency.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Lead and manage a team of approximately 8-10 attorneys who advise on commercial real estate transactions;
Analyze federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and understand where and how to apply them to the agency's real estate transactions;
Develop an in-depth understanding of the agency's real estate portfolio to effectively support the full range of complex real estate transactions, including but not limited to leases, licenses, and sales, auctions, concessions, and requests for proposals (RFP);
Serve as the agency's legal lead for structuring, due diligence, documenting, negotiating and closing for commercial real estate transactions of a sensitive nature;
Provide direct support to the RES staff who are engaging in active real estate negotiations, operations, and transactions;
Prepare, review and supervise the preparation and review of, complex legal documents related to real estate transactions and governmental approvals, including developing legal boilerplates and templates, as applicable;
Provide proactive strategic and legal advice and support to RES by way of planning, dispositions, appraisals, auctions, concessions, RFPs and efforts to activate property;
Engage with other external stakeholders such as the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Waterfront Sites Committee, as needed, for the strategic management of City-owned property;
Offer advice and guidance to the General Counsel on sensitive real estate matters;
Provide solutions oriented, transparent and accessible recommendations to the General Counsel, the Commissioner and RES executive leadership;
Work collaboratively with the New York City Law Department to address and resolve legal issues pertinent to real estate, as well as with other agencies that rely on to DCAS to meet their real estate needs;
Work with the New York City Law Department with respect to arbitrations and litigation;
Work collaboratively and thoughtfully across the office, and especially with the other Deputy General Counsels and the Special Counsel/Chief of Staff;
Promote a learning/team culture with an emphasis on efficiency, innovation and problem solving;
Maintain regular and open communication with agency executive/senior leadership about project progress, risk and outcomes, and operational challenges and impact;
Collaborate with DGC of Policy and Compliance to implement policies and procedures to safeguard DCAS' interests and ensure legal compliance with respect to real estate transactions; and
Handle any other duties or matters as needed.

Minimum 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.