What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Counsel - Environment Portfolio position at New York State Executive Chamber?
The Executive Chamber is seeking a highly motivated and experienced attorney to serve as the Assistant Counsel for Environment. The Assistant Counsel serves under the general supervision of the Counsel to the Governor and Deputy Counsels and will act as liaison to state agencies in the environmental portfolio and legislative staff responsible for crafting and implementing environmental policy.
As part of managing this portfolio, you are expected to be responsible for the following agencies : Department of Environmental Conservation; New York State Energy Research & Development Authority; Environmental Facilities Corporation; Department of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation; Department of Agriculture & Markets; Adirondack Park Agency; Hudson River Park Trust; Hudson River Valley Greenway; Lake George Park Commission; and the New York State Fair.
To succeed in this role, you must be a leader, proactive, strong writer and communicator, and facilitator of a collaborative environment. You must be able to identify legal issues and risk across various units and operations. You must possess excellent time management and organizational skills and be able to oversee a wide-range of priorities and competing tasks.You must be able to exercise impeccable judgment in a high-stress and fast paced environment. You also must be creative, inspirational, and have a sense of humor.
Routine travel between NYC and Albany offices required, frequently overnight, and as often as weekly.
Specific Duties Include :
- Serve as the legal subject matter expert for environmental policy for the Executive Chamber.
- Serve as the primary legal coordinator between the Executive Chamber and each agency counsel in the environmental portfolio.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with each of your agency counsels.
- Provide strategic legal counseling, subject matter expertise, and identify the needs of your agency counsels relating to legislation, rulemaking, litigation, and operations.
- Lead, manage, develop, and collaborate with your agencies on the planning, drafting, reviewing, and negotiating of legislation and creation of policy.
- Advise, guide, and collaborate with agency counsels and the Office of the Attorney General or outside counsel on litigation.
- Collaborate with agency counsels to proactively identify and mitigate risk and ensure integrity.
- Provide programmatic legal support to agency counsels to ensure accuracy and timely implementation of policies, responses to issues, and programs.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with each of your internal deputy secretaries in the environmental portfolio to ensure seamless operations of the portfolio’s agencies.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with outside organizations, experts, advocates, and other institutions relevant to all environmental issues.
- Process, review, investigate, and make recommendations relating to environmental policy, laws, rules, and regulations on both a State and Federal level.
- Conduct legal research and draft memoranda relating to legislation, litigation, operations, and compliance as assigned.
- Report, summarize, and present information to the Governor, senior staff, executive, cross-functional teams, and outside stakeholders.
- Work closely with the Counsel, senior staff, and cross-functional teams in administering programs and initiatives.
- Ensure accuracy in work-product from agencies and cross-functional teams, maintain strong channels of communications, and develop detailed work plans for the environmental portfolio and regularly present them to the Counsel and Deputy Counsels.
- Perform other related duties as assigned by the Counsel or Deputy Counsels.
Minimum Qualifications :
Additionally, candidates should have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities :
