JOB TITLE: Assistant General Counsel & Director
JOB LOCATION: Syracuse, NY (Hybrid, mostly remote maybe onsite every 2 weeks)
WAGE RANGE*: $90-95/hr. W2
JOB NUMBER: NGGJP00005935
Required Knowledge & Experience Requirements:
• J.D. degree and New York State Bar Admission (in good standing).
• Working knowledge of the concepts of zoning and land use law in New York.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience representing clients before local zoning and/or planning boards. Transactional real estate experience alone will not satisfy the requirement.
• High personal and professional ethical standards.
• Organized and project-oriented with the ability to work independently. Ability to manage the ebb and flow of workload on projects that develop at different paces over long timeframes.
• Strong sense of teamwork and an ability to work effectively on multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to establish and maintain strong relationships with legal colleague, with multidisciplinary project team members and with local officials and agents.
• Strong commitment to safety, advancement of inclusion and diversity principles, and service to customers.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Position Overview:
As Counsel/Senior Counsel, you will work in Client's NY Siting legal practice group within the Company's Legal Department. You will be responsible for:
• Ensuring Fortune 500 energy corporation obtains required municipal land use and zoning approvals / entitlements / permits for all complex construction projects in New York State, with a majority of projects being sited in upstate New York;
• Regularly advocating on behalf of clients during public hearings before Planning and Zoning Boards of Appeal, in order to obtain special use permits, variances, site plan approvals, SEQRA negative declarations and subdivision approvals, where applicable;
• Obtaining all municipal approvals required to construct complex public utility uses and structures including electric substations, gas regulator stations, electric transmission and distribution lines, battery energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and solar and wind interconnections;
• Delegating matters to outside counsel as appropriate and in an efficient manner; manage and challenge outside counsel to deliver meaningful value and excellent service;
• Advising corporate leadership on how to achieve their business objectives while complying with land use regulations;
• Drafting zoning analyses, written opinion of counsel and memorandum of law after analyzing complex municipal regulations (i.e., New York State Town and Village Law, SEQRA and local zoning codes) and case law, in order to assess a client's likelihood of success for obtaining all necessary permits/zoning approvals; and
• Collaborating with a team of project managers, civil engineers, surveyors, environmental planners and other professional consultants to assist clients through the land use review process. The position reports to the Assistant General Counsel & Director of the NY Real Estate and Siting practice group.
Qualified candidates will have the ability to work remotely to a degree, but will need to be able to commute to one of our principal upstate/downstate NY office locations (i.e., Syracuse, Albany, Brooklyn, Long Island) and will be required to travel, as necessary, throughout our upstate and downstate NY service territory spanning from Albany to Buffalo and NYC Metro/Long Island. There are no direct reports to this position.
Equal Opportunity Employer Veterans/Disabled
* While an hourly range is posted for this position, an eventual hourly rate is determined by a comprehensive salary analysis which considers multiple factors including but not limited to: job-related knowledge, skills and qualifications, education and experience as compared to others in the organization doing substantially similar work, if applicable, and market and business considerations. Benefits offered include medical, dental and vision benefits; dependent care flexible spending account; 401(k) plan; voluntary life/short term disability/whole life/term life/accident and critical illness coverage; employee assistance program; sick leave in accordance with regulation. Benefits may be subject to generally applicable eligibility, waiting period, contribution, and other requirements and conditions.
