Deputy Counsel

Duties Description Under the direction and guidance of the General Attorney, the Deputy Counsel will oversee operations within the Office of General Counsel and will assist on high-level strategic approaches, staffing plans and interdepartmental communication regarding sensitive topics. They will work in conjunction with the General Attorney to establish strategy and training and develop technological resources for all legal staff. The incumbent will also perform specialized assignments related to any legal subject area, or program or policy initiative as assigned by the General Attorney.

The mission of the Office of General Counsel is to provide the highest possible quality of legal services in accordance with the policies set forth by the NYSIF Board of Commissioners (Board) and the Executive Director & CEO. With more than 102 staff, the Office of General Counsel serves as in-house Office of General Counsel for NYSIF.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as internal consultant to the General Attorney, Executive Director & CEO, the Board of Commissioners, and Executive Staff in the development of legal policies and procedures.
• Formulate and establish policy direction, assist the agency in providing expert legal counsel, and write legal recommendations and render opinions, as necessary. This includes, but is not limited to, concepts involving legislation and regulations.
• Develop training and development materials and courses.
• Provide expert legal advice to Office of General Counsel/agency staff and Executive Staff on matters of controversy, costliness and high-profile sensitivity involving NYSIF.
• Provide high level legal services by preparing legal arguments in support of NYSIF positions in litigations affecting the Fund and its interests.
• Assist the General Attorney in the preparation and development of proposed legal initiatives that should be undertaken by NYSIF to meet new and changing State and Federal regulations.
• Identify and implement best practices, continuous improvement projects, and policies/procedures, related to specific assigned programmatic areas.
• Perform the full range of supervisory functions/responsibilities including training and development, evaluations, hiring and discipline, mentoring, skill assessments etc.
• Oversee all other related/germane matters consistent with agency operations, including business process re-engineering.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications • Admission to the New York State Bar required.
• Ten years of experience in workers’ compensation, insurance or labor law.

Candidates sponsored for employment by an organization should be aware of their sponsorship status and the relevant expiration date(s) of that sponsorship before applying to this position. NYSIF is not currently enrolled in eVerify, which is a requirement for certain types of employment verifications.

Additional Comments All exempt appointments require completion of a background check by the NYS Governor’s Office of Appointments prior to appointment and completion of an annual Financial Disclosure Statement upon appointment offer.

As this position is not tenure-bearing, except under specific circumstances, the employment relationship can be altered at any time by either the incumbent or the appointing authority.

This posting is for one position which may be filled in any of the following NYSIF office locations: Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, White Plains. 

Fringe Benefits:
• Competitive compensation
• Future career growth potential
• Open and supportive team-based environment
• Plentiful vacation, personal, and sick time off
• Paid state and federal holidays
• Affordable health insurance plans
• Dental and vision benefits provided at no additional cost
• Retirement options
• Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Possibility of telecommuting, flextime, and Alternative Work Schedules (AWS)

For more information about NYSIF, including our mission, commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and efforts to fulfill Executive Order 31, please visit

If you are a person with a disability and wish to request that a reasonable accommodation be provided for you to participate in a job interview, please send an email to NYSIF’s Reasonable Accommodations mailbox at View email address on jobs.institutedata.com.

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