Campus Counsel and Labor Relations Director

POSITION DETAILS

Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens, LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY). LaGuardia offers more than sixty associate degree programs and more than fifty workforce training, ESOL, GED, and pre-college programs. In 2023, LaGuardia served approximately 24,000 students. More than one-third of LaGuardia’s degree-seeking students are born outside the United States; they come from 136 countries and speak 43 heritage languages. Sixty percent are first-generation college students.

Virtually all LaGuardia students are ethnic minorities (89 percent), 58 percent are women, 27 percent are over the age of 25. Forty-six percent of associate degree students are Hispanic. Upon graduation most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce. LaGuardia ranked fifth among U.S. community colleges in economic mobility - moving low-income students into the middle class and beyond - in studies by Stanford University (2017) and the Brookings Institution (2020). Please visit www.laguardia.edu to learn more.

LaGuardia Community College invites applications for the position of Campus Counsel and Labor Relations Director. LaGuardia is a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) the serves as the one of the largest community colleges in the City University of New York.

The Campus Counsel and Labor Relations Director will work in the Office of the President and report to the Executive Counsel to the President/ Labor Designee and works along other staff in a fast paced, collaborative, innovative Office of Legal Affairs and Labor Relations. We seek an attorney to assist the Executive Counsel to the President/Labor Designee in providing legal guidance on staff and student related matters, particularly labor/employment, contract arbitration, collective bargaining agreements, employee discipline, compliance, administrative proceedings, litigation, and serving as liaison to the University and various governmental agencies. The chosen individual must be one who has the temperament and skill-set to function in a dynamic organization where no two days will be the same.

In addition to the CUNY Overview, the responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Assisting and occasionally directly providing timely and accurate legal advice and counsel to the President, Senior leadership, administrators, other staff who may act on behalf of the College. This includes providing advice and counsel on the conduct of various internal organizations (i.e. Senate, student government, and other student clubs);
• Collaborating with attorneys in the CUNY Office of General Counsel and Office of Labor Relations on escalated litigation or grievance matters relating to employees, students, and third parties. This responsibility may include both court appearances, hearings, and arbitrations;
• Conducting preliminary investigations of employee misconduct and other types of complaints;
• Reviewing and responding to Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, subpoenas, records, and various other requests;
• Developing, implementing, and providing guidance on strategic human resource and labor relations policies and practices;
• Serving as a resource for ethics guidance. This includes conducting mandatory training of school personnel to ensure that College is in compliance with municipal, state, and federal laws and regulations, and University policies;
• Providing guidance on Title VII, Title VIIl, and Title IX, as requested. This responsibility will include conducting investigations and review of the investigatory process;
• Preparing, maintaining, and review of immigration sponsorship materials for faculty and staff, including initial applications and renewals;
• Develop and facilitate employee trainings on various relevant topics (ethics, the grievance process for performance management, etc);
• Prepare reports, data analysis; creation and revision of procedures when requested;
• Attending various governance, Senate, or other official cohort meetings, as assigned;
• Preparing any other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree and eight years' related experience required.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

J.D. degree and four years of related experience required.

New York State Bar Admission required

In addition to the minimum qualifications, the ideal candidate will have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Experience in Non-profit or Higher Education, specifically CUNY, preferred
• Excellent research and writing skills
• Exceptional analytical and communication skills
• Sound judgment and ability to meet deadlines
• Strong work ethic, character, and personal integrity to work with the utmost professionalism, discretion, confidentiality, and diplomacy
• Litigation skills and awareness
• Knowledge of Immigration law or willingness to learn
• Strong ability to work productively as an individual contributor, and collaboratively as a team member.

CUNY TITLE OVERVIEW

Directs College Labor Relations functions requiring the highest degree of confidentiality, skill, sound judgment and attention to detail.

• Represents the College at grievances and disciplinary proceedings
• Writes labor/legal related briefs and decisions
• Responds to policy and procedural inquiries from a wide variety of College officials, including Vice Presidents, Deans and Department Chairs
• Responds to a variety of requests, such as employment discrimination complaints from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the New York State Division of Human Rights; subpoenas, and document requests
• Provides time-sensitive reports and information to internal and external sources, such as the New York Commission on Public Integrity
• Serves as liaison to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Labor Relations, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Management, and Office of the General Counsel
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Job Title Name: Legal Counsel and Labor Relations Director