Special Counsel

Job Summary

OGC seeks a seasoned attorney to serve as Special Counsel to develop and evolve the agency’s compliance framework and systems for the management of the agency’s healthcare, and employee benefits. Reporting into the General Counsel and serving as a member of OGC’s leadership on a team of approximately 15 legal and procurement professionals, the Special Counsel will provide legal counsel on employee health benefits, including group health plans, supplemental benefits, wellness programs, and Federal/New York State regulatory compliance.

The successful candidate must have experience with and interest in the applicable regulatory legal framework, policy, and in designing and operationalizing compliance systems. They must be self-starter, curious, driven, and able to work holistically with the various stakeholders who need to be engaged as OLR evolves to better meet the needs of the city’s health and benefits plans. The successful candidate must be a strategic thinker, possess strong communication skills, organized, detail-oriented, and solutions oriented. While expertise in ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, and other relevant federal and New York State laws and regulations is a plus, the successful candidate must show the ability and desire to develop a strong foundation in the relevant regulatory frameworks and an actionable plan for success. They must be eager to learn, a problem solver who can work both collaboratively and independently without close supervision, and understand the many facets and interests involved in making decisions and investments that impact on the city’s workforce as a whole. Patience, flexibility, sound judgment, creativity, and a good sense of humor to help ensure a collegial environment are also necessary for successful integration to OGC’s small (but mighty) team.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide legal guidance on the design, implementation, and administration of health and employee benefit plans, specifically the city’s self-funded group health plans;
• Ensure organizational compliance with ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, and other federal/New York State laws governing employee health benefits programs;
• Advise on legal risks and mitigation strategies related to employee benefits, health benefits and wellness programs;
• Design and, with OLR leadership buy-in, operationalize a scalable compliance framework that is actionable within the relevant budgetary constraints;
• Work with OGC and agency leadership to identify tools and investments that could meet needs of compliance and OLR efficiently;
• Liaise with outside counsel and law department on matters associated with the city’s benefits plans;
• Work with the Agency Privacy Officer (APO) to develop relevant policies and conduct use case analysis for any data or tech investments in the agency’s infrastructure;
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with employee benefit plan vendors, third-party administrators, consultants, and insurers;
• Support audits and governmental inquiries from federal/New York State agencies;
• Monitor and interpret changes in federal/New York State laws/regulations governing employee benefits programs and communicate their impact to executive decision-making team;
• Collaborate with the employee benefits administration team to develop and regularly update plan communication materials, policies and procedures;
• Assist in dispute resolution and litigation involving employee benefit plans; and
• Additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Admission to the New York State Bar;
• 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.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City Residency is not required for this position.

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.