Executive Agency Counsel

Justia, Inc.; New York, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

City of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development seeks an Executive Agency Counsel to support affordable housing development programs. The role focuses on real estate transactions, land use, and regulatory compliance, with emphasis on the Universal Affordability Preference and inclusionary housing initiatives.

The attorney will advise on planning, predevelopment, and asset management matters, and work closely with the Office of Legal Affairs to ensure regulatory alignment

Qualifications

• Admission to the New York State Bar and four years of recent, relevant legal experience, including supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal services for affordable housing development programs and related offices.
• Perform closings of construction and permanent financings and dispositions of City-owned property.
• Prepare and review complex real estate transactional documents and government approvals.
• Analyze federal, state, and local statutes and regulations.
• Negotiate complex issues, transactions, and documents.
• Collaborate with agency colleagues and external partners.

Skills

Transactional real estate

New York City zoning and land use

Affordable housing law

Legal writing

Legal research

Supervising attorneys

Legislation drafting

Legislation review

Liaising with litigation counsel

Interpersonal communication

Education

Admission to New York State Bar

Job description

Job Description

About the Agency:

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) oversees housing standards across all 3.7 million homes in New York City.

As the nation’s largest municipal housing agency, HPD is responsible for building and preserving affordable housing, protecting tenants from harassment and displacement, and holding landlords accountable across the five boroughs. Under Commissioner Dina Levy and the Mamdani Administration, HPD is pursuing an ambitious housing agenda focused on the needs of New York’s tenants. With a broad set of tools including standards enforcement, tenant resources, and the creation of new affordable housing, HPD is committed to making New York City a more affordable place for renters and homeowners alike.

Your Team:

Within HPD’s Office of Legal Affairs (OLA’s), the Contracts and Real Estate Division (CRED) handles, among other things, all of HPD’s legal work related to real estate development, land-use planning, and asset management. The division’s primary responsibility is to provide legal services to the agency’s affordable housing development programs, including by advising on real estate financings, sales and leases of City-owned property, and affordable housing regulatory agreements, and by closing the agency’s real estate transactions. The division is also responsible for advising on planning, pre-development, and asset management matters and affordable housing development policy and program design and implementation

Your Impact:

You will be part of a team of talented attorneys and support staff who provide critical legal services to the agency as it executes the City’s ambitious affordable housing plan.

Your Role:

Your role will be to provide legal services to the agency’s affordable housing development programs and associated offices on related matters. This position will primarily provide legal services for the Universal Affordability Preference program, created by the recent City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendments, as well as the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Voluntary Inclusionary Housing programs. The position may also involve providing legal services to the agency’s planning and predevelopment division regarding land use and zoning matters.

Your Responsibilities:

• Support the agency’s development programs by providing legal services to the agency’s affordable housing development programs.
• Perform closings of construction and permanent financings, dispositions of City-owned property, and affordable housing regulatory agreements.
• Prepare and review complex legal documents related to real estate transactions and governmental approvals.
• Analyze federal, state, and local statutes and regulations.
• Handle other complex legal issues pertaining to the implementation of affordable housing programs.
• Negotiate difficult and complex issues, transactions, and documents.
• Work collaboratively with agency colleagues and partners.

Preferred skills

• Experience in a transactional real estate practice
• Experience with New York City zoning and land use
• Familiarity with State and City laws and rules relating to affordable housing creation and preservation, including, for example, statutory loan authorities under the Private Housing Finance Law and General Municipal Law, rent stabilization and the Rent Stabilization Code, and New York City zoning and land use laws and regulations
• Familiarity with federal, state, and local affordable housing subsidy programs and policy
• Excellent writing, legal research and analytical skills
• Experience managing and supervising attorneys and other professionals
• Ability to draft legislation and rules
• Ability to review and analyze proposed legislation and rules
• Ability to liaise with litigation counsel to protect agency programs and processes
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

EXECUTIVE AGENCY COUNSEL - 95005

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.

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.