Deputy City Attorney

Salary Range: $161,900 - $198,694 annually

Benefits: This position is benefits eligible. Please view our benefits guide here.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Deputy City Attorney is second in command to the City Attorney, serves as the primary advisor to the City Attorney on legal matters, and has full authority to act on behalf of the City Attorney in their absence, including administrative and supervisory decision-making.  The Deputy City Attorney performs highly responsible legal work relating to City business and operations; leads negotiation of major contract agreements; directs legal counsel for the City in highly significant administrative and judicial matters; and manages the provision of legal services for special projects. Other duties include managing personnel; participating in policy development; providing work direction to subordinate attorneys and staff; providing advice to the City Council, City Manager, City boards, commissions, and departments; preparing legal opinions and performing legal research; mentoring subordinate attorneys; conducting performance evaluations; providing instruction on office policy; and issuing work assignments and performing time approval. Incumbents in the position exercise considerable independent judgment in the performance of assigned duties.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, and SKILLS:

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree gained through a four-year college or university program.

• Graduation with a Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited law school.

• Ten (10) years of progressively responsible training and experience practicing law

• Licensed to practice law in the State of Colorado.

PREFERRED:

• Two (2) or more years of experience supervising a professional staff

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:

• Communication skills to effectively convey information to elected officials, the public, and City employees both in person and on the telephone

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time

• By means of note-taking or mental capacity, be able to recall information presented in meetings and/or court environments to be able to assert the City's position

• Knowledge of the business and organizational structure of Colorado municipalities

• Collaboration skills, including the ability to work with others from different areas and backgrounds to reach a common goal

• Ability to operate a personal computer, including the ability to utilize various programs including, but not limited to, Microsoft 365, Adobe Professional, case matter management programs, legal research programs

• Interpersonal skills, including the ability to facilitate interaction, communication, and teamwork between others

• Oral, written, and listening communication skills, including the ability to accurately interpret what others are saying and convey messages, information, concepts, and details accurately and clearly

• Organizational skills, including the ability to set and meet goals and deadlines, manage appointments, create schedules, coordinate and facilitate meetings, and make decisions

• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple concurrent and competing tasks and responsibilities, and adapt to changing priorities while maintaining personal effectiveness

• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, and stay on task when completing special projects and daily assignments

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and reliable professional judgment, as well as collaboratively with a team to achieve desired results

• Ability to maintain a strong work ethic, positive problem-solving attitude, and enthusiasm for the work performed

• Ability to self-start and take initiative in completing daily tasks and special projects

• Ability to focus on activities that have the greatest impact on meeting work commitments

• Ability to establish and maintain partnerships with a variety of internal and external constituencies

• Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and ages

• Ability to navigate a complex political environment

TRAVEL:

• Approximately 10% travel is required

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (Duties & Responsibilities)

• Respond to and advise the City Attorney, elected and appointed officials, and City staff members on legal matters

• Investigate, negotiate, and defend City in civil claims, litigation, and trials

• Draft, negotiate, and review contracts and agreements

• Draft, negotiate, and review real property and land development agreements, transfers, and documents

• Advise, counsel, and represent the City and its departments on legal issues

• Provide legal advice and documentation in response to general municipal law legal requests

• Investigate claims

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Organize and delegate assignments to team members

• Hire, train, motivate, and coach employees

• Evaluate employee performance and set goals

• Hold employees accountable for assigned tasks and goals

• Provide timely and constructive feedback

• Provide training opportunities with a focus on employee development

• Resolve conflicts and complaints

• Analyze information and processes and develop effective and efficient processes

• Establish and achieve business and financial objectives

• Ensure compliance with safety procedures

WORK ENVIRONMENT and PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Work Environment:

• Position requires extensive time at a computer performing legal research, and drafting documents and email communications

• This is primarily a sedentary position with business conducted either in an office or courtroom setting

• Public contact, sometimes in confrontational situations

• Office environment with travel to and appearance in meetings, court and other formal environments

• Busy office activity with frequent inflexible deadlines

• Marginal to moderate hazards that are typically predictable or well protected against; multiple people from a broad populace are contacted daily, and some of these are defendants with criminal records

• May be required to drive personal vehicle for business purposes

Physical Requirements:

• Position requires extensive time at a computer performing legal research, and drafting documents and email communications

• Vision enough to interpret computer screens and documents to assist the public and complete work assignments; specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus

• Manual dexterity enough to accurately input, retrieve and verify work assignments; employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms

• Light to moderate physical effort that includes frequent standing, walking, keypunching, and oral communication; maintaining arms and hands in the same position for repetitive tasks; frequently works with light objects and light hand tools

EOE Statement: The City of Greeley provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

ADA Statement: We are committed to an inclusive and barrier-free search process, and will provide accommodation, as needed, to those who request assistance through the ADA Coordinator at HR@Greeleygov.com .

Conditions of Employment: The City of Greeley is an at-will employer. Employees and the City may terminate employment at any time for any or no reason. Candidates must successfully complete all pre-employment screenings and employment eligibility verification. Pre-employment screenings include a drug test, a background and national sex offender search, a motor vehicle record search, and for some positions, a physical demands evaluation. For more information about City policies and practices during the recruitment process, including but not limited to EOE, Reasonable Accommodation, and pre-employment screenings, please visit our career page Job Center | City of Greeley (greeleygov.com)