The City of New York’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is the nation’s largest administrative tribunal, holding approximately 220,000 trials and hearings a year. As the City’s central, independent administrative law court, OATH adjudicates a wide range of matters filed by nearly every city agency, board and commission. OATH also houses the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution which provides mediation and restorative justice support to City government agencies and the general public, and the Administrative Judicial Institute, a resource center that provides training, continuing education, research and support services for administrative law judges and hearing officers.
Job Description
OATH’s Hearings Division conducts hearings on civil enforcement summonses including health, safety, and quality of life matters that are filed by a range of City agencies including the Department of Buildings, Department of Sanitation, Fire Department, Department of Environmental Protection, Taxi and Limousine Commission, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Hearings Division can hold upwards of 1,000 hearings each day on the hundreds of thousands of summonses filed with OATH each year.
OATH is seeking to hire a Deputy Commissioner of Hearings to oversee the Hearings Division, including a team of full-time attorneys and support professionals and a large roster of per session Judicial Hearing Officers. Reporting to the Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, the candidate must be a seasoned professional with both legal and executive experience and a proven record of leading and managing teams, overseeing fast-paced operations on a daily basis, delegating and supervising complex tasks, problem solving and innovating, and working closely with leadership.
Responsibilities Will Include But Are Not Limited To
Uphold the agency’s mission and safeguarding the integrity of the hearings process.
Oversee the hearings process to ensure all parties receive impartial hearings and decisions in a timely manner.
Oversee daily hearings operations, including the assignment of hearings to adjudicators, daily issues that may emerge with respondents, and other task management.
Review and updated current rules, protocols, and procedures for Division operations, and propose changes when needed.
Work closely with the OATH Clerk’s Office leadership on matters impacting hearings.
Liaise internally with other Deputy Commissioners and externally with city agencies on matters affecting the Division.
Advise the Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge of a wide variety of questions and issues relating to the Division and the agency.
Manage all Division staff.
Recruit and train Division attorneys and Judicial Hearing Officers.
Handle special assignments and projects as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
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
Preferred Skills: 1. Possess knowledge of the provisions of New York City Administrative Code, Rules of the City of New York, City Charter, and relevant State law and regulations pertaining to the cases decided by the OATH’s Hearings Division. 2. Possess knowledge of the OATH hearings process regarding summonses, including the governing legal rules, the life cycle of a case, how cases are assigned, the technological platforms used to manage hearings, etc. 3. Possess knowledge of OATH policies, management practices, and general agency work. 4. Outstanding interpersonal, management, and communication skills, including working with teams and executive leadership. 5. Excellent writing skills. 6. Strong legal research and analytical skills, including reviewing legislation, drafting new rules and protocols, etc. 7. Strong computer skills, including the ability to use technology, software, and computer platforms to organize and assign tasks. 8. Demonstrated experience in supervising and managing legal and administrative staff, and with problem-solving a variety of challenges.
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.
, $103,355.00 – $190,000.00
Seniority level
Director
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Other
Industries
Government Administration
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