General Counsel

Job Description

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) invests in a broad network of community-based organizations to deliver critical services that strengthen young people, families, and communities across New York City. Through the administration, and Federal funds, DYCD supports innovative, high-quality programs that advance opportunity, stability, and long-term outcomes.

At its core, DYCD’s work reflects the understanding that youth development and community development are symbiotic. Delivering on this mission at scale requires a strong legal and operational backbone, particularly in contracting, procurement, and the systems that support timely service delivery across the City. DYCD manages one of the largest human services contracting portfolios in New York City, with a high volume of procurements, complex funding streams, and deep interdependencies across agencies. This environment requires legal leadership that is both highly skilled and highly operational.

DYCD is seeking a highly accomplished, strategic, and execution-oriented attorney to serve as General Counsel, reporting directly to the Commissioner and serving as a key member of DYCD’s senior leadership team. This role requires an exceptional leader with deep expertise in contracting and procurement who can lead a high-performing legal function while integrating it into the broader work of the agency.

The person should also be familiar with public-sector compliance requirements, including FOIL, privacy and data governance, ethics, and administrative law. The General Counsel will lead DYCD’s legal strategy with a primary focus on contracts and procurement, ensuring that legal processes enable effective, timely, and accountable service delivery across a large and complex system. This leader will partner across divisions to align legal guidance with programmatic, operational, and fiscal priorities, strengthening DYCD’s ability to deliver at scale.

Key Responsibilities - Executive Leadership And Cross-Functional Integration

• Serve as a core member of the Commissioner’s senior leadership team, contributing to agency-wide
  
  

strategy, decision-making, and execution. Ensures the Legal function is fully integrated into program,

procurement, finance, and operations, supporting alignment and shared accountability across a large

and complex organization.

• Partner with senior leaders to translate legal requirements into clear, actionable approaches that
  
  

advance agency goals. Bring a solutions-oriented mindset that balances legal integrity with operational

effectiveness.

Procurement and Contracting Leadership

• Lead all legal aspects of DYCD’s contracting portfolio, one of the largest and most complex within the
  
  

New York City government. Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and execution of contracts, memoranda

of understanding, and solicitations across a high-volume procurement environment. Provide expert

guidance on procurement and contract lifecycle management, including amendments, assignments,

and terminations. Partner closely with the Agency Chief Contracting Officer to ensure strong alignment

across legal and procurement functions. Identify and drive improvements to contracting processes to

reduce delays, strengthen provider experience, and support timely payments at scale.

Legal Operations and Team Leadership.

• Recruit, develop, and manage a high-performing legal team capable of operating effectively in a
  
  

fast-paced, high-volume environment. Ensure high-quality legal work product that is rigorous, timely,

and aligned with agency priorities. Build internal systems and processes that support efficiency,

transparency, and consistency across a large portfolio.

Interagency and External Relations.

• Serve as a primary liaison to the New York City Law Department, Department of Investigation, the
  
  

NYC Conflicts of Interest Board, and other oversight entities. Collaborate with key partners, including

the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, Office of Management and Budget, and the Comptroller’s

Office. Represent DYCD in high-level legal discussions, negotiations, and interagency coordination.

Represents DYCD on all external discrimination complaints received from Federal, State, and local

EEO/Human Rights agencies.

Risk Management and Compliance.

• Advise on a broad range of legal areas, including procurement law, administrative law, ethics, civil
  
  

service, civil rights, human rights law, employment and labor law, and fiscal compliance. Ensure agency

practices meet all applicable legal and regulatory standards while enabling effective program delivery.

Proactively identify risks and develop mitigation strategies that support both compliance and execution,

as well as Continuous improvement and Strategic Initiatives.

• Lead efforts to modernize legal and contracting processes, including opportunities to improve systems,
  
  

workflows, and coordination across divisions. Support agency-wide initiatives that require legal strategy,

including new program models and cross-agency efforts.

• Oversee special projects assigned by the Commissioner.
  
  

EXECUTIVE AGENCY COUNSEL - 95005

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

Note: Cover letter should specifically address the responsibilities and skills described for this position. Preferred Qualification: Experience within or working closely with the New York City or New York State government. Track record of improving contracting systems and reducing administrative barriers. Experience advising executive leadership and contributing to organizational strategy. Familiarity with PASSPort and New York City procurement and financial systems. Demonstration of extensive senior-level legal experience with deep expertise in contracting, procurement, and complex negotiations, preferably in high-volume or large-scale environments. Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing legal operations in complex organizations. Strong knowledge of contract lifestyle management and procurement processes across large systems. Leadership Profile: The ideal candidate is a strong operator and integrative leader who understands that legal is not a standalone function, but a critical driver of agency performance. A commitment to integrating legal strategy into the day-to-day work of the agency. Strong judgment, clarity, and the ability to navigate complexity while moving work forward. A commitment to public service and to strengthening systems that support communities.

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

New York City Residency is not required for this position

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.

, $210,000.00 – $240,000.00