Senior General Counsel

Our Mission: Tacoma Housing Authority (THA) provides high quality, stable and sustainable housing, and supportive services to people in need.

It does this in ways that help them prosper and help our communities become safe, vibrant, prosperous, attractive, and just. Our Values: We value the diversity of our staff.

It makes us stronger and more effective. Service, Integrity, Stewardship, Communication, Collegial Support and Respect, Excellence and Leadership are all values of THA. Why come work for us?

At THA, you’ll not only grow as an individual but have an opportunity to serve those in the community that have the least. You’ll team up with engaging professionals who will allow you to develop and learn. One of our employees said, “THA is an organization that has intelligent and driven individuals, with an emphasis on teamwork and trust.

We enjoy working together.” THA offers an atmosphere that is energetic, practical, down-to-earth, and fun. We’re committed to pay equity and provide competitive wages, along with excellent healthcare benefits, paid time off, participation in WA State retirement plans, and a growing variety of health and wellness benefits. The position of Senior General Counsel establishes in-house legal expertise to assist with strategic and operational objectives.

The Senior General Counsel supports the THA Executive Director, department directors, managers, and other staff by providing legal advice on important aspects of THA’s operations. The Senior General Counsel collaborates with key stakeholders and serves THA’s social justice focus and systems change approach through policy and process improvement, legal research and analysis, and representation and litigation support. The Senior General Counsel recommends strategies that improve existing structures, or support and strengthen recent efforts to advance racial equity outcomes and other DEIB goals for THA staff, customers and our community.

Initially, most of the Senior General Counsel's time will be spent on issues related to employee relations. The successful candidate for Senior General Counsel will have experience and competency in a wide array of employment laws and regulations such as Title VII, the ADA, FMLA and Washington Law Against Discrimination, as well as experience with wage and hour laws, workplace safety, other employment issues, and labor law and collective bargaining experience. The Senior General Counsel supports THA’s housing portfolio, and knowledge of Landlord Tenant Law is necessary, along with advising on changing laws and regulations.

THA will continue to have outside counsel in designated areas. This position will coordinate with outside counsel and determine when to use internal versus external counsel. IMPORTANT POSITION AND RECRUITMENT INFORMATION:

First consideration is given to applications received by 07/13/24 . You must include ALL work experience in your application profile. We use this information to screen and evaluate all applications and only the information that you provide is considered. ESSENTIAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Human Resources-Related Legal Support Review and revise all policies related to employment and benefits to improve existing structures, or support and strengthen recent efforts to advance racial equity and other DEIB goals for THA staff and applicants.

Serve as the lead on THA Union negotiations. Develop strategies to increase the number of THA customers securing jobs at THA. Representation of THA in certain civil court and administrative proceedings, including EEOC and Human Rights Commission complaints.

Stay abreast of State and Federal law related to employee relations and benefits; and Provides notice to insurance carriers of potential employment-related claims and works with the carrier towards resolution. Housing-Related Legal Research and Support State and local law issues impacting rent collection, breach of lease issues, and eviction court process. HUD “Moving to Work” program review, drafting, analysis, and negotiation.

Other federal law issues including the 1937 Housing Act, Fair Housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Submission of amicus briefs in impactful litigation or cases that affect THA’s mission or the experience of people in poverty. Exploring, developing, and implementing preventative legal approaches – including mediation or other forms of dispute resolution to avoid litigation– that prioritize improving housing stability and avoiding displacement.

Review of pre-litigation notices related to eviction cases commenced due to lease violation; general recommendation of consistency and standardization procedures for pre-litigation or other legal notices; and Collaboration with partners and / or partner attorneys around policy or procedure proposals, initiative implementation, and other emerging legal issues. Legal advice around the feasibility and impact of current policy status quo or future policy proposals; and support for continued policy consistency throughout the agency, housing portfolio, and regional housing system. Implementation support of portfolio-wide screening criteria and individual reviews of housing applicants.

Consistency and strengthening of protections around legal issues facing tenants residing in affordable housing including but not limited to reasonable accommodations, language access, and formation of tenant associations. Legal approaches to address eviction concerns for THA households, including review of Tacoma, Washington State, and Federal legal notice requirements. Recommendation of approaches to improve housing stability issues for THA customers including regular review of evictions filed, reports of source of income discrimination, fair housing issues, and collaborations or linkages to non-legal supports including emergency rent assistance.

EXECUTIVE TEAM The Senior Legal Counsel is a part of the Executive Team. Executive Team members share leadership responsibility to establish agency-wide objectives and directives and guide their implementation through programs and practices that reflect the agency’s Vision, strategic plan, and internal culture objectives. Each team member is responsible for maintaining a “one agency” perspective as they:

Help develop overarching strategic goals, policies, and operational plans for the organization as a senior executive team member and in close alignment with the Executive Director. Lead, motivate, supervise, and maintain a highly effective, productive, and unified team through a lens of equity and inclusivity, supporting both professional / technical expertise and operational talent at all levels. Ensure that leadership is approachable and operates with a defined culture of equity, inclusivity, flexibility, collective problem-solving, and openness to suggestions, together with the ability to resolve/mitigate conflict.

Empower department and leadership teams to maximize available resources and staff contributions through coaching and guiding, both to grow leaders’ skills at all levels and enhance shared ownership of THA’s mission, performance, and results. Collaborate with the broader Agency management team in providing collective and inclusive leadership. Maintain positive and productive working relationships internally and externally with leadership teams, residents and program participants, community stakeholders, partner organizations, and industry peers.

Attend Board of Commissioners meeting and support the Board in legal matters. EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTABILITY Participate in ongoing professional and personal learning in support of THA’s DEIB efforts. Partner and collaborate across all levels of the organization and with community partners to reach strategic goals and foster new opportunities.

Fulfill all duties and responsibilities with a high level of integrity, honesty, and adherence to agency policies and rules. Establish and maintain effective professional working relationships with co-workers, management, partner agencies and the community. Present a professional image as a representative of THA.

Maintain a high degree of confidentiality relative to work performed. DIVERSITY THA’s staff, its clients, and the staff of community partners are diverse in many ways, including diversity by race, national origin, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, and disability. THA is committed to cultivating a culture of belonging.

We value diverse life experiences and heritage to ensure that all voices are heard. We strive to respect and protect the dignity of all employees and members of our community. All THA employees must engage diverse people in constructive and effective ways as a supervisor, colleague, business partner, and/or service provider.

We know from outside research that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every qualification or preference listed in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate that aligns with our organization, and that ideal candidate may come from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every one of our qualifications described.

QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND EXPERIENCE Law degree from an accredited law school (Juris Doctor) At least 10 years of practicing law desired. Preferences for: 3 or more years of experience, especially in a mission-driven practical focus working on behalf of people in poverty or populations that have been historically marginalized. Demonstrated ability to critically analyze the impact of systems and institutions.

Firsthand experience of homelessness, housing instability, poverty, or societal marginalization due to identity preferred. CERTIFICATION/REGISTRATIONS Admission (or pending admission) to the Washington State Bar. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES Expertise in laws, rules, and regulations of local, state, and federal and local law governing housing development, public housing and rental assistance and tenant and client programs and services, including public housing functions and associated operational, program, management, financial and public policy issues.

Solid proficiency in social, political, economic and community issues influencing program and project development and administration. Highly skilled in computer-based research, communications, applications, and information systems. Superior ability to write clearly in a range of subject matter, both technical and general, for a range of audiences; superior ability to edit work for spelling and grammar; present numerical data effectively; able to read, write and interpret documents of a technical nature.

Should display willingness to make decisions; exhibit sound and accurate judgment; support and explain reasoning for decisions; include appropriate individuals in the decision-making process; make timely decisions. High level ability to plan projects effectively and independently, to meet schedules and timelines, manage their timely implementation and effectively use the agency’s management tools. Ability to engage a wide variety of people with a high level of professionalism, courtesy, and good humor, including culturally, socially, and economically diverse populations, seniors, persons with disabilities, contractors, and professional colleagues.

Possess skills to organize and work independently in an environment of frequent interruptions. Exhibit expertise in the design and maintenance of paper and digital systems to organize, store and retrieve records, data, and documents. Show strong commitment to maintain confidentiality in all assignments as directed.

Possess a high degree of proficiency in agency software programs, including Word, Excel, and Outlook and otherwise to be effective without close clerical support. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER THA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type with regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expressions, or any other characteristics 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, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

We provide reasonable accommodation to all applicants and employees who can perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. If you need to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources at (253) 448-2704 for assistance. We ask for at least 24 hours advance notice when possible. Compensation details: 160500-194910 Yearly Salary PI7eece5377efc-31181-34660103