Deputy GC

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners.

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:

As Deputy General Counsel, you will lead the division in support of the City’s ambitious affordable housing plan and serve as OLA’s primary internal and external point of contact for legal issues arising from the Agency’s financial transactions. You will also lead, support, and train a team of talented lawyers and support staff.

Your Role:

Your primary role will be to supervise and manage the operations of a team of approximately 25 professionals who advise the agency’s development programs on transactional real estate matters, in addition to associated offices on related matters. You will also provide legal advice and strategic guidance to senior Agency staff regarding real estate transactions and related issues. You will report to the General Counsel.

Your Responsibilities:

• Supervise and mentor lawyers and support staff who advise on construction and permanent real estate financings, sales and leases of City-owned property, and affordable housing regulatory

agreements, and who close the Agency’s real estate transactions.

• Prepare and review, and supervise the preparation and review of, complex legal documents related to real estate transactions and governmental approvals.

• Manage the operations of CRED to ensure the efficient closing of the Agency’s real estate transactions.

• Negotiate, and supervise the negotiation of, complex legal issues, transactions, and documents pertaining to the Agency’s affordable housing programs.

• Advise senior Agency staff regarding the design and implementation of affordable housing programs.

• Review and advise Agency staff on existing and proposed federal, state, and local laws and regulations related to the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

• Draft state and local laws and regulations related to the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

• Assist the General Counsel with strategic planning related to Agency’s support of the City’s ambitious affordable housing plan.

• Work collaboratively with Agency colleagues and partners.

Minimum Qual Requirements

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.

Preferred Skills

• Substantial experience in affordable housing finance and development legal practice is required

• Familiarity with complex real estate transactions, particularly those involving a variety of public and private funding sources

• 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

To Apply

Apply online.

Work Location

100 Gold Street

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.