Assistant Counsel

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.

The Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA) serve as in-house counsel to DEP. The work of the Bureau is managed by four units, representing the large array of matters that come before it, divided as follows: Environmental Affairs Unit, Water Supply & Environmental Litigation Unit, Contracts & Employment Unit, and Infrastructure & Operations Unit. The members of the Bureau are responsible for ensuring that all the agency’s legal needs are addressed, working in conjunction with the New York City Law Department, which represents the agency in litigation.

The Bureau of Legal Affairs business attorneys work cooperatively with DEP’s operations bureaus to advance the agency’s mission often achieved through extensive projects for the construction or reconstruction of its facilities and infrastructure throughout the City and upstate watershed areas.

DEP is seeking an attorney who will work in the Bureau of Legal Affairs on the drafting and review of the array of contracts that support DEP’s vast capital program and with latitude for independent judgment and decision-making. The attorney will be responsible for working directly with the Agency’s contracting, business, and technical staff to ensure that the Agency’s interests are adequately protected, and for interfacing with outside parties, including contractors, consultants and other government agencies, as well as liaising with the City’s Law Department in connection with related procurement and claims matters and other legal issues.

With latitude for independent judgment and decision-making, the candidate will handle and provide legal advice on a variety of capital construction procurement matters. The selected candidate will be required to undertake diverse complicated projects requiring strong analytical, writing and client relations skills.

Graduation from an accredited United States law school as defined in the Rules of the New York Court of Appeals (Sections 520.3 or 520.5) or admission to the New York State Bar.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.