Closing Date: 3rd November, 2026

Description:

Position Overview:
Under the direction and subject to the approval of the General Counsel, the Legal Counsel – Labor and Employment for the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) provides specialized legal guidance on labor and employment matters impacting the department. This position engages directly with union business representatives throughout the grievance process, ensuring contractual obligations are met and leveraging union partnership as appropriate. The Legal Counsel conducts extensive and complex legal research related to all functions of the Office of Legal Services, including state and federal statutes, regulatory requirements, and IDEC policies and procedures. In addition, the position serves as the secondary Office of Legal Services contact for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, with primary responsibility for matters involving labor relations, personnel issues, and discrimination. The Legal Counsel performs other duties as assigned that are reasonably within the scope of responsibilities outlined above, supporting the overall mission and operations of IDEC's Office of Legal Services. If you are interested in contributing to the mission of a growing state agency dedicated to Early Childhood initiatives, we encourage you to apply for the Legal Counsel – Labor and Employment position with IDEC!

Illinois Department of Early Childhood offers a robust benefit package including:

Monday-Friday schedule
Health, life, vision, and dental insurance
Paid Parental leave
Pension Plan
Deferred Compensation, and other pre-tax benefit programs
Employees earn (12) paid sick days annually
(10-25) paid vacation days (based on years of service)
Employees earn (3) paid personal days (pro-rated based on start date)
(13-14) paid state holidays annually

Work hours and schedule will be mutually agreed upon by supervisor during the onboarding process.

Essential Functions:

Subject to management approval of the Deputy General Counsel, serves as the Legal Counsel - Labor and Employment for the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC).
Engages with Union business representatives as needed throughout the grievance process, using them as a resource and involving them when contractually appropriate.
Conducts extensive, complex legal research on legal issues related to all Legal Division functions, State and Federal Law, and IDEC Policy and Procedures.
Serves as secondary Legal Division Contact regarding Freedom of Information Act requests with a primary focus on labor, personnel, and discrimination requests.
Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications:

Requires graduation from an accredited school of law.
Requires possession of a valid license to practice law in Illinois.
Requires three (3) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in the practice of law.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience providing legal representation in labor and employment matters, including handling discrimination charges before entities such as the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Proven experience conducting thorough workplace investigations, including interviewing employees and management, analyzing evidence, and preparing legally sound findings and recommendations consistent with policy, past practice, and collective bargaining agreements.
Knowledge of labor relations and experience working within a unionized environment, including engaging with union representatives, supporting grievance processes, and fostering collaborative labor-management relationships.
Demonstrated ability to conduct complex legal research and draft legal analyses, policies, or procedures involving State and Federal laws, particularly in areas related to labor, personnel, discrimination, or administrative law.
Experience responding to or advising on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, especially those involving labor, personnel, or discrimination matters, with the ability to review, analyze, and appropriately apply statutory disclosure and exemption requirements.

Conditions of Employment:

Requires the ability to successfully pass a criminal history check through the Illinois State Police.
Requires the ability to successfully pass a Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) background check.
Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate. Requires appropriate, valid driver's license.
Requires the ability to use and maintain state-issued equipment, such as a cell phone, laptop, and other necessary equipment as required.
Overtime is a condition of employment, and you may be requested or required/mandated to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minute overtime. This may require the ability to work evenings and weekends.
Certain provisions of the revolving door restrictions contained in 5 ILCS 430/5-45 apply to this position. As a result, the employee should be aware that if offered non-State employment during State employment or within one year immediately after ending State employment, the employee shall, prior to accepting any such non-State employment offer, notify the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OIEG) or may be subject to a fine.
This position has been found to meet the requirements in section 4A-101 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act requiring the occupant/employee to file a Statement of Economic Interest. The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420/4A et seq.) requires certain state officials and employees to file annual Statements of Economic Interest with the Office of the Secretary of State that will be made available for examination and copying by the public. All employees required to file a Statement of Economic Interest are also required to file the Supplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission. (See Executive Order 15-09) Fines and penalties apply to untimely filings.
The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.