General Counsel

• NYC HOUSING AUTHORITY

Posted On: 12/03/2024

• Full-Time

Location MANHATTAN

• No Exam Required

Department NYC Pub Hsg Preservation Trust

Salary Range: $120,122.00 – $241,434.00

Job Description

On June 16, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the NYC Public Housing Preservation Trust Act, which authorized creation of the NYC Public Housing Preservation Trust (the Trust). The Trust is a public benefit corporation that will oversee the renovation and rehabilitation of the city’s public housing developments, owned by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). NYCHA remains permanent owner of the land/buildings and enters into a long-term ground lease with the Trust to secure Section 8 vouchers, a subsidy worth double NYCHA’s current federal subsidy. Similar to how other government entities raise revenue for capital improvements, the Trust will issue bonds that fund comprehensive building renovations. The Trust Act limits the Trust’s initial unit volume to 25,000 units. No NYCHA site can convert to the Trust without a positive vote of the site’s residents. Under the Act, NYCHA must develop and administer a voting process to provide residents with that choice.

Our values are core to our work. The Trust has adopted the following values:

1. Resident Empowerment: Center your efforts on the voices, needs, and leadership of residents in all aspects of the Trust’s operations. Actively engage and empower residents to foster stable, safe, and thriving communities.
2. Action-Oriented Excellence: Commit to urgent and effective action while maintaining a dedication to high-quality outcomes. Drive impactful results with a focus on excellence.
3. Future-Forward Resilience: Prepare our communities and buildings for the challenges of climate change and the future. Focus on creating resilient and sustainable environments to ensure long-term safety and adaptability.
4. Informed Innovation: Integrate innovative ideas and best practices into our approach to public housing. Continuously improve and lead in the field by leveraging a network of global peers with similar missions and values.
5. Collaborative Strength: Embrace the power of partnerships between the Trust, NYCHA, and various stakeholders. Involve multiple agencies and partners in finance, design, engineering, social services, training, and community rebuilding to transform public housing communities.

Position Summary

As a direct report to the President of the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust and a member of the Trust’s senior management team, the General Counsel will have broad latitude for independent judgment, action, and decision making. The selected candidate will provide all legal support for the Trust and provide guidance and counsel on the Trust’s business matters and transactions.

Primary Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the General Counsel include, but are not limited to:

1. Legal Affairs and Strategy

• Oversee all of the Trust’s legal matters, providing internal business clients with the necessary guidance and ensuring compliance with applicable laws, statues and guidelines.
• Manage and monitor the preparation and presentation of legal opinions to the Trust and others and the representation of the Trust at administrative law hearings and judicial proceedings.
• Assess the Trust’s organizational and business goals and initiatives and provide advice that reduces legal risks and liabilities; primary business functions will include financial deals structuring, debt issuance, alternative project delivery contracting, construction management, city, state, and federal regulatory compliance.
• Advise on matters related to corporate governance.
• Ensure that the Trust’s Law Department and outside counsel operate efficiently.

2. Ethics Officer

• Manage the Trust’s conflicts of interest program, rendering advisory opinions on conflicts of interest matters.

3. Corporate Secretary

• The General Counsel will also serve as the Corporate Secretary to the Trust’s Board of Trustees, providing advice and counsel to the Board in the execution of their fiduciary duties.

4. Executive Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with governmental and quasi-governmental agencies, real estate developers and business groups, consultants, civic and community stakeholders, and cultural and professional organizations.
• Demonstrate managerial experience/ability with specific focus on ability to lead and motivate teams to set and meet goals, expectations and deadlines with limited oversight.
• Advise the Trust President on key Trust decisions.

Additional Information

1. NYCHA employees applying for promotional, title or level change opportunities must have served a period of one year at current location and in current title and level (if applicable).
2. NYCHA residents are encouraged to apply.

Please read this posting carefully to make certain you meet the minimum qualification requirements before applying to this position

Minimum Qualifications

Admission to the New York State Bar; and four years of recent full-time responsible, relevant, satisfactory legal experience subsequent to admission to any bar, eighteen 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.

Incumbents must remain Members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of this employment.

Preferred Skills

Key Competencies - Leadership & Capacity Building - A proven leader with senior management experience in a broad range of legal areas and the ability to lead a diverse team, on an individual and corporate level. - Litigation Skills - Solid experience in legal principles and practices, the interpretation of applicable laws, policies and procedures, and the preparation and presentation of effective written and oral arguments and reports. - Negotiation Skills - Ability to artfully influence and persuade. This requires a diplomatic approach while remaining focused on the Trust’s mission, values, goals and priorities. - Finance & Real Estate Acumen - Technical knowledge related to finance, real estate, public administration, and other related professional fields to ensure accurate interpretation of policies, legislation, regulations and standards applied to problems involving land use, zoning, infrastructure, finance and other planning issues. - Capital Management Expertise – Firm understanding of capital project delivery, public procurement, and capital management oversight. - Excellent Communicator - Ability to communicate expertly and clearly, both written and verbal to think on one’s feet with a calm and pleasant demeanor to artfully influence and persuade, and to render diplomatic approaches while remaining focused on the Trust’s goals and priorities. - Integrity - Possesses the highest degree of integrity, supported by a flawless record of maintaining confidentiality. - Humility - Comfortable leading as well as executing and taking constructive input from multiple sources. Qualification & Experience Preferred - Admission to the New York State Bar, member in good standing. - A minimum of 10 years of satisfactory professional legal experience, relevant litigation experience, including trial and appellate work in state and federal court is a plus. - An understanding of public housing law, bond finance, construction management, and US Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations is a bonus.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

The Trust has no residency requirements.

Additional Information

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.

Job ID 686257 Title code 95005 Civil service title EXECUTIVE AGENCY COUNSEL Title classification Non-Competitive-5 Business title General Counsel

• Experience Level: Executive

Job level M7 Number of positions 1 Work location NYC Pub Hsg Preservation Trust

• Category: Legal Affairs

General Counsel