POSITION DETAILS
The CUNY School of Medicine (CUNY SoM) located in the heart of Harlem, New York, is the only medical school in the City University of New York system and the only public medical school in Manhattan. Building upon 50 years of success as the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, the institution transitioned to the CUNY School of Medicine (SoM) in 2016. The CUNY SoM offers an accelerated BS/MD degree (7-year program) and a Physician Assistant Master’s Degree (27 months program). True to its…
legacy of access, opportunity, and community transformation, the medical school’s mission remains to recruit highly talented students as diverse as New York City itself. CUNY SoM places a special emphasis on the recruitment of those who are underrepresented in the field of medicine and on training high quality, culturally competent health professionals and scientists equipped to address the healthcare needs of New York’s medically under-served communities. As a major priority, CUNY SoM also seeks to enhance the recruitment and retention of senior leadership, faculty, and staff to more closely reflect the diversity of our student body.
The CUNY School of Medicine (the "Medical School") is seeking a Chief Campus Counsel and Labor Designee. This is a highly specialized full-time position that reports directly to the Dean and will work collaboratively with oversight from the CUNY Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel ("OGC") on the legal affairs of the Medical School. The Chief Campus Counsel and Labor Designee will provide legal and labor advice on issues relating to labor and employment, student affairs, financial matters, a broad-spectrum contracts and procurement, ethics, litigation, compliance, corporate affiliations, public safety, school governance, and immigration and residency. A senior member of the Dean's Cabinet, the Chief Campus Counsel will provide counsel to the Dean, Senior and Associate Deans, the Executive Director of Human Resources, the Chief Diversity Officer on the School’s behalf.
The Chief Campus Counsel and Labor Designee will work within a growing and dynamic Medical School. By providing exceptional service, the Chief Campus Counsel and Labor Designee will ensure that CUNY MED complies with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, Board of Trustee By-Laws, Manual of General Policy, CUNY personnel rules and regulations, pertinent collective bargaining agreements as well as pertinent regulatory, compliance, and accreditation standards associated with medical education and healthcare.
Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Providing timely and accurate provision of legal advice and counsel to the Dean, senior leadership, administrators, or others to take particular actions on behalf of the School, including providing advice and counsel on the conduct of councils, senates and groups, subject to the school or college governance plans and the Open Meetings Law of the State of New York.
- Serving as a resource for ethics guidance, informed decision-making and creative problem solving; Educating and training School personnel and Campus Counsel to ensure the School is in compliance with municipal, state and federal law and regulations, and University policies to proactively reduce the risks of litigation and exposure to liability.
- Coordinating, supervising and overseeing all legal services for the School (governance, employment/labor, student affairs, regulatory compliance, public safety, athletics, financial matters, contracts, intellectual property and technology transfer, arbitrations and mediations), and representing the School in state and national discussions of legal issues concerning higher education and medical education;
- Advising the Dean and senior leadership on matters involving Title II, VI, VII, and IX, Department Chair advisory committees upon request; Assist the Public Safety Office on matters involving the interpretation of laws regarding the enforcement and reporting of violations of law, both civil and criminal, including compliance and reporting of crimes under the Clery Act.
- Guiding the implementation of and compliance with CUNY Board of Trustees bylaws, CUNY, and CUNY School of Medicine’s policies; governance plan, federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and all academic procedures, policies, and operations affecting faculty, staff, and students.
- Serving as Labor Designee, responsible for handling union grievances and serving as hearing officer, the Dean’s representative to the PSC/CUNY Labor Management Committee, and as the school’s FOIL officer; reviewing and responding to subpoenas and information requests under FERPA and FOIL.
- Providing general advice and counsel in consultation with the oversight of the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel.
- Providing general advice and counsel on matters of gifts, grants and scholarships in collaboration with the University Vice Chancellor for Advancement on matters involving gift agreements, scholarships, and endowment contributions and ensure compliance with all applicable federal disclosures, filings and reporting of any foreign funds received by a constituent school or college.
- Developing, implementing, and providing guidance on strategic human resource policies and labor relations practices by the school’s mission and priorities; Conducting ethics, policy, and labor management training on request and ensuring compliance with federal and state laws regarding the admission and registration of international visiting, and nonresident students, faculty and staff, in collaboration with the constituent school or college human resources, OGC and the University Office of Academic Affairs.
- Working with the OGC in managing and supporting litigation and administrative cases involving students, officers, faculty, and employees; Conducting investigations, preparing charges, and recommending resolutions.
- Working with the Medical School’s procurement office, the Central Office of Procurement and the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel to ensure contract compliance with the City University of New York policies; Negotiate or re-negotiating contracts and affiliated agreements in healthcare and academic medicine payments, negotiating gifts and pledge agreements, and managing the receipt and disposition of related legal documents.
- Performing related duties as required or assigned by the Dean and/or Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel.
QUALIFICATIONS
This position is in CUNY's Executive Compensation Plan. All executive positions require a minimum of a Bachelor's degree and eight years' related experience. Additional qualifications are defined below.
MINIMUM
- Juris Doctorate from an ABA-accredited law school; the candidate must be licensed or eligible to be licensed to practice law in the State of New York.
- New York State Bar membership in good standing, or admission in another state with eligibility for admission to the NYS bar on effective date of employment.
- Experience in non-profit or higher education and academic medicine.
PREFERRED
- Experience in labor management and medical malpractice.
- Experience with accreditation e.g. LCME, ARCPA, ACGME, ETC
- Experience with foundation boards
- Litigation experience, including trail practice and/or labor arbitrations or administrative hearings
- Experience handling labor or employment issues, especially public employee labor and employment law
- Intrinsic understanding of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical education and commitment to addressing healthcare and educational disparities
- Technology including legal software (Westlaw. Lexis, Workshare Compare, Clearwell) and administrative tools (Zoom, MS Teams, Microsoft 365).
CUNY TITLE
Professional School Associate Admin
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary Range: $180,000 - $225,000
Salary commensurate with education and experience.
CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.
HOW TO APPLY
Visit www.cuny.edu, access the employment page, log in or create a new user account, and search for this vacancy using the Job ID or Title. Select "Apply Now" and provide the requested information.
Candidates should provide a resume and cover letter.
CLOSING DATE
Open until filled. Review of resumes to begin on January 13, 2026.