City Attorney

City of Auburn • Auburn, WA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The City of Auburn is seeking an experienced, unifying leader and municipal attorney who is deeply committed to the success of the City. The ideal candidate will be a strategic big-picture thinker with a passion for public service, leading by example to gain the confidence of the public and staff. Integrity that aligns with the City's organizational values is essential. The City Attorney must be able to practice law before state and federal courts and administrative services, and possess a strong network of contacts within Washington State. The ideal candidate will demonstrate high ethical standards and recognize appropriate times to reach out to outside counsel. The City Attorney must be accessible, approachable, personable, and possess strong writing skills. Confidence and objectivity are qualities important to success in this position. Auburn operates under a strong-mayor form of government, with an elected mayor and seven councilmembers. The City Attorney reports directly to the Mayor and is a vital member of the City's executive management team. The City Attorney's Office represents the City in its day-to-day operations and provides legal advice to the Mayor, City Council, City administration, and boards and commissions. The department has four divisions: Civil, Prosecution, City Clerk's office, and Real Estate. The City Attorney manages this office, including misdemeanant prosecution, domestic violence victim assistance, department organization, long- and short-range planning, budget development, and hiring, assigning, training, supervising, coaching, and evaluating staff.

Requirements

• Graduated from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
• Licensed to practice law in the State of Washington at the time of appointment.
• Seven (7) years of municipal law experience including progressively responsible leadership and management experience.
• Equivalent experience which provides the applicant with the desired knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with a strong-mayor form of government, elected officials, or a board of directors.
• Visionary and strategic leadership.
• Comprehensive knowledge of municipal law including criminal, administrative, contract, land-use, insurance, real estate, torts, public information, and labor relations law.
• Customer service and the ability to mentor, coach, and direct the work of staff.
• Cultural competency that enables effective working relationships in cross-cultural situations.
• Successful planning and implementation of change management strategies.
• Champion of workforce equity and diversity.
• Integrity, honesty, compassion, courage, optimism, and good judgment - particularly in situations characterized by disagreement, conflict, tension, and uncertainty.
• Creative problem solver, bringing fresh ideas and a progressive approach.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a member of the City's executive management team, providing professional municipal legal work and executive-level, administrative work with responsibility to plan, direct, and coordinate comprehensive legal services for the City.
• Plans, organizes, and directs a legal staff of 21 with a budget of over $5 million, providing comprehensive legal services to the City.
• Provides counsel to the Mayor, City Council, staff, committees, and commissions.
• Provides legal advice to guide City policies, decisions, and activities.
• Supervises and directs representation of the City at various court levels and tribunals in criminal and civil litigation and in administrative hearings.
• Drafts and interprets City ordinances and resolutions.
• Negotiates real property acquisitions.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• State of Washington Retirement System pension plan
• Employer contributions to employees' VEBA account (tax-free health savings account)
• Social Security contributions
• 11 paid holidays annually
• Two paid floating holidays of the employee's choice annually
• Vacation leave
• Sick leave
• 80 hours of management leave issued each year
• Multiple deferred compensation options
• Opportunity to contribute to a flexible spending account

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager