Deputy Town Attorney

Town-of-Oro-Valley,-A; Oro Valley (AZ); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Town of Oro Valley in Arizona seeks an experienced attorney to provide legal advice and representation to the Mayor, Town Council, Manager, Department Heads and staff. The role involves advising on legal propriety of actions, handling claims, and potentially representing the Town in trials and hearings.

You will act as back-up to the Town Attorney, attend council and board meetings, and lead department staff with supervision, hiring, evaluation, and policy development.

Qualifications

• Ability to be an active, positive and contributing member of the Department’s Management Team.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility and judgment in difficult or stressful situations.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines and follow up on assignments with minimal supervision.
• Ability to research state statutes, local ordinances, and US federal code whenever necessary to supplement analysis.
• Knowledge of applicable Town, state and Federal statutes, rules, ordinances, codes and regulations governing municipal law.
• Knowledge of judicial procedures, rules of evidence and methods of legal research.
• Knowledge of management and/or supervision principles and strong leadership skills.
• Knowledge of personal computer hardware and software.
• Knowledge of procurement contract vehicles (e.g. GSA, WSCA, etc.).
• Knowledge of Town policies and procedures; vendor contract negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Advises Town departments and officials on the legal propriety of proposed actions, including analysis and assessment of claims.
• May represent the Town in trials, mediations, and civil and administrative hearings.
• Serves as back-up for the Town Attorney when necessary.
• Attends Town Council, committee, board or commission meetings and provides legal advice or makes presentations.
• Directs, mentors, communicates, hires, evaluates, disciplines, and provides leadership to all department staff.
• Drafts and delivers verbal and written legal opinions.
• Gathers and analyzes facts and evidence; plans and implements procedures for division.
• Prepares ordinances, legislation, contracts and other legal documents.
• Represents the Department and the Town with other government agencies and in public meetings.

Skills

Team leadership

Verbal communication

Written communication

Flexibility

Judgment under pressure

Relationship building

Time management

Legal research

Statutes and ordinances

Judicial procedures

Supervision

Contract negotiations

Policy knowledge

Job description

First review of applications September 9, 2026

Full Salary Range: $109,676 - $164,514

Expected Hiring Range: $109,676 - $137,095

Starting Salary Depending on Experience and Qualifications

Under the direction of the Town Attorney, assists with providing legal advice and representation to the Mayor, Town Council, Manager, Department Heads and Town staff.

• Advises Town departments and officials on the legal propriety of proposed actions, including analysis and assessment of claims. Coordinates with insurance pool, may review insurance policies and act as Risk Manager.
• May represent the Town in trials, mediations, and civil and administrative hearings.
• Serves as the back-up for the Town Attorney when necessary.
• Attends Town Council, committee, board or commission meetings as assigned. Provides legal advice or makes presentations on behalf of the department or other divisions.
• Directs, mentors, communicates, hires, evaluates, disciplines, and provides executive leadership to all department staff.
• Drafts and delivers verbal and written legal opinions.
• Meets with and fosters teamwork between divisions, within the department, and with other Town departments.
• Creates, reviews and advises on contracts, ordinances, resolutions, public records releases and other legal documents as necessary.
• Gathers, analyzes, and organizes facts and evidence.
• Plans, organizes, and implements procedures for division.
• Prepares and advises in the preparation of ordinances, legislation, contracts and other legal documents.
• Provides advanced or principal level knowledge, skills and abilities to difficult and highly complex assignments.
• Represents the Department and the Town with other government agencies and in meetings with the public.
• Research laws to provide accurate and up-to-date legal advice.
• Speaks with members of the media when requested.
• Provides back-up support for prosecution as needed.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to be an active, positive and contributing team member of the Department’s Management Team.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in written communication.
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility and judgment in difficult or stressful situations.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines and follow up on work assignments with minimal supervision.
• Ability to research state statutes, local ordinances, and US federal code whenever necessary to supplement a given analysis.
• Knowledge of applicable Town, state and Federal statutes, rules, ordinances, codes and regulations governing municipal law.
• Knowledge of judicial procedures, rules of evidence and methods of legal research.
• Knowledge of management and/or supervision principles and possession of strong leadership skills.
• Knowledge of personal computer hardware and software.
• Knowledge of procurement contract vehicles (e.g. GSA, WSCA, etc.).
• Knowledge of, or ability to learn, Town and Department policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of vendor contract negotiations.
• Skill in assessing, analyzing, identifying and implementing solutions to complex problems.
• Skill in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures, formulating policy, and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures.
• Skill in gathering, analyzing and organizing facts and evidence.
• Skill in preparing court documents and legal opinions.
• Skill in understanding and interpreting laws, regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Municipal and criminal law experience is preferred.

• Work is mostly performed in an indoor environment but may have incidental outdoor assignments.
• Regular and reliable attendance; may work remotely with permission; may work more than forty hours in a workweek without additional compensation to perform assigned job duties, including weekends, evenings, early morning hours, and holidays as required.