Associate Counsel - DIGIT/RAISE

New York State Department of Financial Services; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York State Department of Financial Services seeks to build an equitable, transparent, and resilient financial system through engagement, data-driven regulation and policy, and operational excellence. This role focuses on legal issues related to frontier AI regulation and Article 44-B compliance, coordinating with AI policy staff and government partners.

Minimum qualifications include a law degree, state bar admission, and four years of relevant legal experience in government, a law firm,

Qualifications

• Law degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission to, and membership in good standing of, a state bar, with four years of relevant professional legal experience.
• Experience in AI governance, frontier model regulation, AI safety and security frameworks or data privacy is preferred.
• Ability to navigate broad, fast-evolving regulatory issues across domains.

Responsibilities

• Addresses legal issues related to Article 44-B of the General Business Law, including transparency, reporting, and disclosure requirements; review of filings and annual reports; and engagement with authorities and frontier model developers.
• Provides legal analysis and counsel in policy documents, such as proposed legislation, regulations, comparative analyses, or guidance.
• Formulates legal and policy recommendations and communicates them orally and in writing.
• Liaises with AI experts and policy staff implementing Article 44-B.
• Coordinates with the Assistant Operations Director to harmonize policy goals with systems, staffing, and budgets.
• Keeps abreast of frontier AI regulatory developments at federal, state, and international levels; briefs senior officials as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Legal research

Written communication

Education

Law degree

Job description

The New York State Department of Financial Services seeks to build an equitable, transparent, and resilient financial system that benefits individuals and supports business. Through engagement, data-driven regulation and policy, and operational excellence, the Department and its employees are responsible for empowering consumers and protecting them from financial harm; ensuring the health of the entities we regulate; driving economic growth in New York through responsible innovation; and preserving the stability of the global financial system.

Duties

• Addresses legal issues related to Article 44-B of the General Business Law, including: implementation of requirements related to transparency, reporting, and disclosure; review of filed reporting and disclosures; engagement with other governmental authorities and frontier model developers; and preparation of annual reports;
• Provides legal analysis and counsel in the development of policy documents, such as proposed legislation, proposed regulations, comparative analyses, and/or proposed guidance;
• Formulates legal and policy recommendations and communicates them orally and in writing;
• Liaises with AI experts and policy staff responsible for implementing Article 44-B;
• Coordinates with the Assistant Operations Director to ensure harmonization of policy goals with systems, staffing, budgetary, and other operational plans;
• Maintains a strong working knowledge of legal issues relating to frontier AI models and efforts to regulate them, including existing and proposed federal, state, and international laws, regulations, and guidance;
• Briefs senior officials and the Superintendent on related matters as necessary;
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Law degree from an accredited law school; admission to, and member in good standing of, a state bar, and four years of relevant professional legal experience in federal or state government, a law firm, in-house, or a combination thereof;
• Superior written and legal research skills;
• Legal experience in one or more of the following areas: AI governance, frontier model regulation, AI safety and security frameworks, data privacy, cybersecurity;
• Familiarity with legal and regulatory issues related to frontier AI model development and transparency;
• Ability to navigate broad areas of fast-evolving law across regulatory domains and identify areas for pragmatic responses.

Additional Comments

Please note that a change in negotiating unit may affect your salary, insurance and other benefits.

Salary: $120,471 - $152,238 (salary commensurate with experience)

Positions located within the New York City metropolitan area, as well as Suffolk, Nassau, Rockland, and Westchester Counties, are also eligible to receive an additional $4,150 annual downstate adjustment.

Appointment Status: This is an appointment to a position in the exempt jurisdictional class.

Appointment to this position is pending Governor Appointment’s Office and Division of Budget approval.