Legal Counsel at Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT)

Are you looking for a rewarding career with an organization that values their staff? The Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) is seeking to hire qualified candidates with the opportunity to work in a dynamic, creative thinking, problem solving environment.

This position serves as a Legal Counsel in Sangamon County, providing in-house legal counsel for the State’s information technology (IT) agency.

This counsel will work with DoIT's Legal team to provide general and specialized legal advice for all administrative and operational functions of DoIT.

As a primary role, this counsel will be responsible for reviewing and negotiating technology contracts with commercial entities for the procurement of statewide IT-related goods and services.

The ideal candidate will have strong organizational and interpersonal skills, excellent written/oral communication skills, extensive understanding of governing rules and policies, and the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.

The successful candidate must possess strong collaborative abilities, as this role requires working closely with agency senior leadership, business teams, vendors, procurement staff, opposing counsel, security staff, and DoIT’s client agencies.

This position is routinely involved with sensitive subject matter and is required to maintain a strong commitment to confidentiality.

If you possess these knowledges, skills, abilities, and experience, we invite you to apply for this position to join the DoIT Team!

As a State of Illinois employee, you receive a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Competitive Group Insurance benefits including health, life, dental and vision plans
• Flexible work schedules (when available and dependent upon position)
• 10-25 days of paid vacation time annually (10 days for first year of state employment)
• 12 days of paid sick time annually which carryover year to year
• 3 paid personal business days per year
• 13-14 paid holidays per year dependent on election years
• 12 weeks of paid maternity/paternity leave
• Pension plan through the State Employees Retirement System
• Deferred Compensation Program – voluntary supplemental retirement plan
• Optional pre-tax programs -Medical Care Assistance Plan (MCAP) & Dependent Care Assistant Plan (DCAP)
• Tuition Reimbursement Program and Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program eligibility

Essential Functions

• Under general direction, serves a Legal Counsel- Sangamon County for the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) providing general and specialized legal advice and assistance for the administrative and operational functions of the State’s Information Technology (IT) agency DoIT.
• Provides legal review and guidance on matters involving ethics and compliance in working with DoIT Legal team and DoIT senior leadership to address and resolve employee-related legal issues, Equal Employment Officer matters, Office of the Executive Inspector General (OEIG) requests, ethics inquiries and investigations, and various compliance issues.
• Oversees under general direction, Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) matters, requests for electronically stored information (ESI), litigation impacting the department, and legal issues related to document storage and record retention.
• Assists under general direction, in reviewing and drafting legislation, regulations, resolutions, procedures, rules, executive and administrative orders, and policies for final review and approval by DoIT Leadership.
• Provides legal guidance as needed to ensure all statutory and regulatory requirements are satisfied in resolving any procurement-related and contract disputes.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires a law degree.
• Requires a license to practice law in the State of Illinois.
• Requires three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience in legal-related matters.

Preferred Qualifications (In Order Of Significance)

• Two (2) years of professional legal experience in transactional/contract work, such as drafting, reviewing, advising on, and negotiating contracts.
• One (1) year of professional legal experience advising on procurement matters such as preparing or responding to IFBs, RFPs, and other competitive solicitations.
• One (1) year of professional legal experience working on contracts related to information technology (IT) products and services, including contracts involving licensing terms, cloud-based/Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) agreements, or other similar agreements.
• One (1) year of professional legal experience serving as in-house counsel in a private or public setting to provide legal analysis and guidance to company/agency leadership and advising non-legal staff, technical personnel, or business units.
• One (1) year of professional legal experience in matters involving administrative law, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), regulatory law, legislation, or rulemaking.
• One (1) year of professional legal experience in ethics, compliance, or investigation-related matters.
• One (1) year of professional experience working on matters involving data privacy.
• Ability to analyze and diagnose administrative issues and coordinate efforts to resolve.
• Ability to maintain satisfactory working relationships with others.
• Developed verbal and written communication skills to present information to others with clarity and precision.

Conditions of Employment

NOTE: Applicants must possess the ability to meet ALL of the following conditions of employment, with or without reasonable accommodation, to be considered for this position.

• Requires the ability to verify identity and requires employment authorization to accept permanent full-time position with State of Illinois.
• Requires the ability to pass a position specific, agency required background check and requires self-disclosure of criminal history.
• Requires the ability to travel in the performance of duties.
• Requires ability to work outside of normal office hours to meet deadlines.
• Requires the ability to use agency supplied equipment such as laptop, personal computer, work cell phone, etc.
• Requires the ability to maintain an active and valid license to practice law in the State of Illinois in accordance with state and/or federal regulations. Failure to maintain the required licensure may result in termination of employment.
• Requires adherence to the revolving door restrictions outlined in 5 ILCS 430/5-45. Consequently, employees should be aware that in the event of receiving a non-State employment offer during state employment or within one year immediately following the termination of State employment, they are required to inform the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies (OEIG) of the Illinois Governor before accepting such non-State employment. Failure to notify the OEIG may result in the imposition of a fine.
• Requires compliance with the provisions outlined in section 4A-101 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act, necessitating the occupant of this position to file of a Statement of Economic Interest. Pursuant to the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420/4A et seq.), specific state officials and employees are required to annually submit Statements of Economic Interest to the Office of the Secretary of State, which will be accessible to the public for examination and copying. Employees subject to this requirement must also file a Supplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission, as specified in Executive Order 15-09. Failure to submit these statements in a timely manner may result in fines and penalties.
• Requires engagement with Business Enterprise Program (BEP) contractors and subcontractors and support for the goals of the BEP program and the Fair Contracting Task Force per Executive Order 2018-07.
• The conditions of employment listed are incorporated and/or related to any duties included in the position description.

Work Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 5:00PM

Location: 120 W Jefferson St Springfield, IL 62702-5170