Legal Director, Civil and Human Rights

New York City Emergency Management Department; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

New York City Emergency Management Department seeks a Legal Director of Civil and Human Rights to lead compliance with a Federal Court Settlement Order and oversee enforcement across NYCEM programs serving people with access and functional needs.

The role requires coordinating with the Office of Chief Counsel, NYCEM units, and city partners to implement remediation measures and ensure legal alignment with city policy and federal requirements.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with the Disability and Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) staff and NYCEM units to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal civil and human rights mandates.
• Monitor continued legal compliance with the BCID Settlement Order and related court directives.
• Collaborate with NYCEM units, other City agencies, and partners to ensure remediation measures are timely and lawful.
• Liaise with the Corporation Counsel’s Office as needed, with senior Civil and Human Rights Unit staff.
• Research and review materials relevant to emergency planning and response for DAFN populations.
• Collect progress data from NYCEM bureaus, units, and DAFN staff for reporting.
• Coordinate Disability Community Advisory Council and Disability Community Stakeholder Briefings.
• Provide legal support to the Legal Affairs Unit as needed.

Skills

Civil rights law

Federal settlement compliance

Legal research

Policy analysis

Interagency liaison

Job description

New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies through preparedness, education, and response. NYCEM is responsible for coordinating citywide emergency planning and response for all types and scales of emergencies. We are staffed by more than 200 dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including individuals assigned from other City agencies.

The Office of the Chief Counsel provides legal advice to NYCEM executives and staff regarding critical, strategic, legal and policy issues facing the agency, engages in transactional work in support of the NYCEM mission and coordinates with the NYC Law Department, Office of the Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall, and other local, state and federal counsels regarding various legal issues ranging from emergency events to litigation, which impact the agency. The Office of Chief Counsel is comprised of the Legal Affairs Unit, the Civil and Human Rights Unit formerly known as the Disability, Access and Functional Needs Unit (DAFN), and the Records Management Unit.

The Civil and Human Rights unit within the Office of Chief Counsel oversees compliance with all applicable civil and human rights and equity mandates in order to effectuate equal treatment of populations that may be more vulnerable than the general public throughout Emergency Management operations, programs and activities.

The Office of the Chief Counsel is seeking a Legal Director of Civil and Human Rights. Under the direction of the Executive Civil and Human Rights Counsel, the selected candidate will, among a wide range of other duties, be responsible for the oversight of the activities necessary to maintain compliance with a Federal Court Settlement Order. The settlement required the enhancement of the City’s emergency preparedness plans and response and recovery activities related to people with access and functional needs, which includes people with disabilities, older adults, and others who are vulnerable during an emergency. The candidate will also be required to work on special projects as directed by the Chief Counsel and the Deputy Chief Counsel. To accomplish this, the selected candidate will be responsible for:

• Coordination with the DAFN staff and all NYCEM units for compliance with Local Laws, state, and federal civil and human rights mandates.
• Continued legal compliance with the terms of the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) Settlement Order.
• Working closely with all NYCEM units, many City Agencies and other partners to ensure remediation measures are being implemented timely and in legal accord with the BCID Settlement Order and as otherwise required by law and City policy.
• Liaise with the Corporation Counsel’s Office as needed, in coordination with senior Civil and Human Rights Unit staff.
• Research and review of materials as applicable to emergency planning and response in the context of the Disability and Access and Functional Needs (DAFN) populations.
• Collect progress data from NYCEM bureaus, units, and other agency DAFN staff.
• Work with the Agency Disability Services Facilitator (DSF) with regard to ADA and other civil and human rights mandates and help resolve any received ADA Grievances.
• Coordinate Disability Community Advirory Council and Disability Community Stakeholder Briefings.
• Provide legal support to the Legal Affairs Unit, as needed.

**PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

• As part of NYCEM's emergency response mission, this position participates on an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team. During emergency activations, team members may be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, or extended shifts in support of City response operations. Outside of activations, NYCEM employees participate in periodic training and exercises to maintain operational readiness, and must volunteer to assist with three Ready NY emergency preparedness presentations per year. EOC teams are on call for three weeks at a time, with six weeks off in between.
• Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without employer support to be eligible for selection. Note that NYCEM does not participate in eVerify, which is required for the reauthorization of some visas.
• The selected candidate will be required to be in person in the office location three days per week, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances.
• We as an agency recognize that valuable leadership and analytical experience may be gained through public service, military service, academia, nonprofit organizations, the private sector, volunteer leadership, or other professional settings. Candidates are encouraged to describe transferable experiences that demonstrate their qualifications.
• NYCEM is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the application and hiring process for qualified applicants with disabilities.

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