Assistant Director – Human Services Legal Section

City and County of Denver • Denver, CO

11h • Hybrid

About The Position

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver. What We Offer The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $157,385- $212,470/annually, based on experience and education. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to: A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service 457B Retirement Plan 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date Location & Schedule The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. In this position you can expect to work 3 days/week at the Richard T. Castro Building at 1200 Federal Boulevard, Denver, CO. Employee parking at the building is free. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days. Who We Are & What You’ll Do The Denver City Attorney’s Office is one of the largest law firms in Colorado, with nearly 200 attorneys and staff members comprised of paralegals, victim advocates, and other support and supervisory staff members. Clients include the Mayor, City Council, all other elected and appointed officials, all city agencies, departments, boards, commissions, and employees. The City Attorney's Office is dedicated to providing an equitable, inclusive, and diverse work environment in which every person has the opportunity to achieve the highest professional and personal development and is accorded the highest degree of dignity and respect. The City and County of Denver’s core values are integrity, transparency, collaboration, mutual respect, support, inclusivity, trust, and organizational excellence. The successful candidate for this position must demonstrate these core operating principles and work ethic. The Human Services Legal Services (HSLS) section provides legal representation to all divisions of Denver Human Services (DHS). Services include litigation in Dependency and Neglect, Juvenile Justice, Adult Protection, Child Support Enforcement, Benefit Fraud, Benefit Appeals, Medicaid Appeals, and Employment and Tort cases. As in-house counsel to DHS, the section’s legal services include advice related to privacy compliance, training, contracting & MOU services (in collaboration with Municipal Operations contract attorneys), legislation & rule review and advocacy, regulatory compliance, immigrant and refugee assistance, policy & procedure drafting & review, audit support, CORA management, communications, records management, process improvement support, and board representation. HSLS attorneys also advise the Career Service Board, the Civil Service Commission, the Denver Board of Ethics, the Welfare Reform Board, and the Denver Human Services Advisory Board. This Assistant Director will join the existing HSLS leadership team. The HSLS leadership team consists of the Section Director, two Assistant Directors and a three Legal Administrators. An Assistant Director position in the HSLS Section presents a challenging and rewarding opportunity for a leader and manager with extensive legal experience, who thrives in a fast-paced, constantly changing work environment. You will supervise a team of approximately five to seven attorneys. You will serve as lead counsel in DHS’s complex civil litigation and employment law. This role is best described as a “player/coach,” meaning you will both litigate and manage other attorneys who litigate. As such, you should be experienced in civil rights litigation and employment law. You will spend a significant amount of work time strategizing with the attorneys you supervise to produce best possible outcomes. This position will also oversee our Child Support, Fraud, Employment, and Records units. This Assistant Director role will be expected to perform and excel in the following areas: Serve as a subject matter expert in defending civil rights cases on behalf of DHS and their employees. Possess substantial experience in employment and labor law. Maintain Human Services program knowledge regarding Child Support and Human Services records management. Understand the DHS Fraud program, subpoena process for both records and testimony, and how to manage CORA requests. Ability to supervise and mentor attorneys, including oversight of cases under each attorney’s control. Try cases to juries in both state and federal court. Provide day-to-day operational management to the HSLS Section, demonstrating two-way communication regarding important updates among the Section and with the leadership team, driving the strategic vision of the Section and the City Attorney’s Office, and other duties as assigned. Talent management including developing and implementing well thought-out performance standards, resolving team conflict as it arises, and holding employees accountable for meeting performance standards and expectations. What You’ll Bring We are looking for a true leader who is a self-starter, team-player, is passionate about working in public service, and strives to achieve operational excellence. The right candidate must be outcome- and results-oriented, ethical and fair, have good common sense and sound judgment, be capable of working on and managing several practice groups at one time, and demonstrate an ability to develop, lead, manage, and motivate an experienced and dynamic legal team. An interest in continuing to try cases is a must as this Assistant Director will serve as lead litigator defending complex, high-profile civil rights cases and advise multiple boards within the City and County.

Requirements

• Education requirement: Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree or Bachelor of Laws Degree.
• Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of experience of the type and at the level of Assistant City Attorney – Senior with specialized experience in at least one area of law.
• Education/Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted.
• License/Certifications: Possession of a license to practice law in Colorado from the Colorado Supreme Court by the date of hire or a reasonable expectation of becoming licensed by the Colorado Supreme Court by the date of hire in accordance with C.R.C.P. 203.2, 203.3, 203.4 and 205.6.
• Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert in defending civil rights cases on behalf of DHS and their employees.
• Possess substantial experience in employment and labor law.
• Maintain Human Services program knowledge regarding Child Support and Human Services records management.
• Understand the DHS Fraud program, subpoena process for both records and testimony, and how to manage CORA requests.
• Ability to supervise and mentor attorneys, including oversight of cases under each attorney’s control.
• Try cases to juries in both state and federal court.
• Provide day-to-day operational management to the HSLS Section, demonstrating two-way communication regarding important updates among the Section and with the leadership team, driving the strategic vision of the Section and the City Attorney’s Office, and other duties as assigned.
• Talent management including developing and implementing well thought-out performance standards, resolving team conflict as it arises, and holding employees accountable for meeting performance standards and expectations.

Benefits

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree