Director, Legal Affairs

City of New York • Brooklyn, NY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies through preparedness, education, and response. NYCEM is responsible for coordinating citywide emergency planning and response for all types and scales of emergencies. The Office of the Chief Counsel provides legal advice to the agency regarding critical, strategic, legal and policy issues, engages in transactional work in support of the NYCEM mission, and coordinates with the NYC Law Department, Office of the Counsel to the Mayor, and other local, state and federal counsels regarding various legal issues ranging from emergency events to litigation. The Legal Affairs unit within the Office of the Chief Counsel provides legal advice to NYCEM executives and staff regarding critical, strategic, legal and policy issues facing the agency which impact the public, engages in transactional work, and coordinates with other legal counsels regarding various legal issues. This role seeks a skilled and forward-thinking Attorney with expertise in privacy law, data protection, and information technology to join the dynamic legal team. Reporting to the Deputy Chief Counsel, this role provides strategic legal guidance at the intersection of law and technology and will provide Agency units and bureaus with support and legal advice with respect to agency initiatives, policies and programs.

Requirements

• Admission to the New York State Bar.
• One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar; or Six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Interne (30086).
• Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.
• To be assigned to Assignment Level (AL) II, candidates must have one year of experience at Assignment Level I or two years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment.
• To be assigned to AL III candidates must have two years of experience in Assignment Levels I and/or II or three years of comparable legal experience subsequent to admission to the bar, in the areas of law related to the assignment.
• Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without employer support to be eligible for selection.
• Submission of a separate cover letter in the attachments section of the application portal.

Nice To Haves

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in privacy, data protection, and IT law, 12 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.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity frameworks and technology contracts.
• Proven leadership and the ability to demonstrate a history of successful supervision and management of attorneys and legal support staff.
• Ability to develop policy and legal analyses that provide a foundation for emergency planning and initiatives.
• Exceptional organizational, communication, interpersonal and writing skills, as well as, excellent legal research skills, problem solving and analytic skills.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of relevant city, state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the ability to interpret and apply them.
• Experience in emergency management and/or knowledge of New York State Executive Law and the NYC Charter and Administrative Code.
• An informed perspective on applying a racial equity lens in policymaking.
• Excellent judgment and the ability to work independently with little supervision.
• Ability to thrive and work in a fast paced, deadline driven environment.
• Knowledge – possesses appropriate subject matter expertise.
• Work Ethic and Productivity – produces consistently high quality, accurate, and on-time deliverables; takes responsibility, is dependable, and accountable, and follows through; is responsive to requests from leadership.
• Strategic Problem Solving and Innovation – is thoughtful and deliberate in approach to solving problems; demonstrates innovation and creative thinking.
• Effective Communication – communication is clear, precise, and timely; understands their audience and display confidence in delivering their message.
• Teamwork – encourage collaboration and motivate others; is able to both lead and follow when necessary; is an active listener and consider a broad range of perspectives.
• Strategic Planning – creates a strategic vision and plan for the unit and communicates a path toward it; ensures unit activities contribute to the articulated vision; aligns the unit’s goals with the broader HCM and agency goals.
• Decision Making – demonstrates confidence, decisiveness, adaptability, and good judgement; brings solutions not problems; makes informed, equitable, and sometimes difficult decisions.
• Relationship Building – values and seeks diverse perspectives by demonstrating awareness, sensitivity, and acceptance of cultural differences.
• Giving and Receiving Feedback – delivers specific and growth-centered feedback whenever the opportunity presents; listens and receives honest and open feedback without defensiveness; provides actionable and constructive suggestions, resources, and guidance on how to improve, enhance, or expand efforts.
• Communication to unit – Regularly communicates the alignment of individual work with unit and agency goals and how it connects to the broader mission of the agency; creates deliverables that are clear, well-written, appropriate to the topic, and targeted to the audience; models integrity and communicates truthfully and transparently, even when difficult or uncomfortable to do so.
• Coaching – Uses coaching techniques to support staff, helping them develop and enhance skills by demonstrating and working together; encourages staff professional development, working with staff to develop goals and recommending resources for learning; stays connected on tracking progress; recognizes individual strengths, challenges, and styles, and determines how best to support each person with these in mind; creates environment in which staff members feel open to seeking help, guidance, and support from colleagues or managers as needed.
• Team Management – Writes and conducts annual evaluations that include specific examples that demonstrate each individual’s progress toward attainment of goals as well as areas for continued growth; monitors and supports staff progress without micro-managing; mediates conflict among staff, negotiating compromises and solutions when conflicts arise; monitors workload and stress levels among staff members, makes efforts to reduce stress levels through flexible work schedules, listening, and redirecting workflows as possible; is well-versed in all agency policies and procedures; seeks guidance to support team members necessary.

Responsibilities

• Attend meetings, conferences, and workshops as required or needed.
• Supervise legal and administrative staff to ensure quality, completeness, and compliance with agency policies and standards.
• Provide timely, accurate legal advice on compliance, contracting, procurement, and related matters.
• Advise on global, federal, and state privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA).
• Draft, review, and negotiate technology, SaaS, data processing, and other complex IT agreements.
• Collaborate with IT/MIS, security, and agency units to implement privacy-by-design practices.
• Monitor emerging privacy laws, cybersecurity regulations, and industry best practices.
• Support incident response and data breach investigations.
• Develop and review processes to ensure compliance with local laws, rules, and codes.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external agencies on legal issues, emergency events, and litigation.
• Promote interagency cooperation and maintain timely, accurate correspondence.
• Prepare and review legal documents, research applicable laws, and draft explanatory materials for agency and public use.
• Lead special projects and perform administrative duties as directed.
• Serve as acting supervisor during temporary absences.
• Be assigned to an on-call Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team and will be expected to work non-business hours during some emergencies (nights, weekends, holidays, and extended week hours outside of a 9AM-5PM schedule).
• Participate in trainings to build skills and competencies in emergency response.
• Participate in drills and exercises associated with the on-call EOC team.
• May volunteer to assist with Ready NY emergency preparedness presentations to external groups.
• Be responsible for training requirements associated with the federal Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG).

Benefits

• This position is supported with a federal Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) through 9/30/2026 with the possibility of an extension.
• Flexible work schedules (mentioned as a way to reduce stress for staff).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees