Senior Assistant City Solicitor for Labor and Employment - City of Newton

Job Description

Primary purpose:

The Law Department is currently seeking a Senior Assistant City Solicitor for Labor and Employment who will serve as the chief of the Law Department’s Labor and Employment practice group. The Labor and Employment group is responsible for providing legal advice, risk management and compliance strategy to City departments in all matters related to public sector employment matters, workplace initiatives, problem-solving, and planning. This includes negotiating, interpreting, and enforcing collective bargaining agreements. The Senior Assistant City Solicitor will oversee, manage and lead a practice group of 2-3 attorneys and serve as a lead negotiator and representative with the City’s nine collective bargaining units.

Supervision:

Supervision Received:  Supervision received by the City Solicitor and Deputy City Solicitor.

Supervision Given: Oversee, manage and lead a practice group of two to three (2-3) attorneys.

Essential Functions:

(The essential functions or duties listed are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.)

• Oversee and manage the Labor and Employment group’s practice in the area of public sector labor and employment matters, including labor relations, collective bargaining, personnel matters, employment agreements, employee discipline, grievances and arbitrations, policy related issues, and state agency labor claims and charges. Oversee and manage the workload of 2-3 attorneys within the Labor and Employment practice group.
• As a lead labor negotiator, develop the City’s bargaining strategies and proposals in conjunction with the Mayor’s office, Human Resources, Finance, and relevant department heads. Must develop effective relationships and rapport with union representatives and attorneys.
• Negotiate, draft and review labor and employment agreements and contracts.
• Advise and represent City in a myriad of labor and employee relations matters for both union and non-union employees, including but not limited to discipline and misconduct, workplace compliance, wage and hour law, workers’ compensation, and unemployment.
• Oversee and manage the practice group’s litigation involving labor and employment disputes, including administrative hearings, arbitration, trial and appeals in federal and state courts. 
• As needed, represent the City in civil actions, grievance/arbitration hearings, and administrative hearings. Manage outside counsel handling labor and employment matters.
• Conduct legal research, draft memoranda and legal opinions, and track regional trends on topics related to area of advice.
• Oversee internal and external investigations into employee misconduct and policy violations.
• Advise and assist the City in the development, drafting and review of workplace policies and procedures.
• Identify and assess legal risks, workplace compliance issues and opportunities within the labor and employment area based on deep familiarity with City operations.
• Attend occasional night meetings as necessary or required. Appear before the City Council on labor and employment matters, draft related ordinances and home rule petitions.
• Perform related work and other duties as required, directed and/or assigned.
• Report directly to the Deputy City Solicitor and City Solicitor. 

Minimum Entrance Qualifications:

Education, Training, and Experience:

Juris Doctorate; at least five to seven (5-7) years of experience as a lawyer in a governmental legal office, private in-house counsel, or law firm setting; litigation experience in federal and/or state court; licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with no disciplinary record.

Knowledge, Ability and Skill:

Knowledge: Full comprehension of the legal practice of representing a governmental entity/employer. 

Ability: Ability to exercise good judgement and focus on accuracy and detail as required by the job; Work collaboratively with other attorneys in the office; Present information effectively, which may be controversial in nature and respond to questions from outside organizations, clients, citizens, or employees of the City. Ability to build successful working relationships across the City’s diverse variety of clients. 

Skills: Exceptional analytical skills; Excellent, clear and effective writing and organizational skills; Accuracy and attention to detail; Highly motivated self-starter; Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written).

Job Environment:

Work is performed under typical office conditions, with little exposure to occupational risks; has interruptions during the day from inquiries by the general public, business organizations or contacts and other city personnel.

May have contact with the general public, other town departments and officials, outside agencies, businesses, vendors, and other governmental organizations and attorneys, etc. Communication is by means of telephone, personal discussion, and correspondence and involves discussing routine information requiring patience and courtesy. 

Has access to confidential information regarding personnel records, policy and privileged documents.

Physical requirements

(The physical demands described here represent those requirements that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

Performance Standard

Employees at all levels are expected to effectively work together to meet the needs of the community and the City through work behaviors demonstrating the City’s values. Employees are also expected to lead by example and demonstrate the highest level of ethics.

(This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.)

Company Description

THE CITY:

The City of Newton is a wonderful place to live and work. Newton has safe and attractive neighborhoods, an excellent public school system, an active community life, multiple transportation systems, proximity to Boston and a well-managed and financially strong City government. The City of Newton has a population of approximately 88,900, with 32,600 housing units and occupies a land area of 18.3 square miles. Newton is principally suburban-residential in character. Unlike many other communities that are established around a single Main Street or downtown, Newton is comprised of thirteen distinctive villages. Newton has a diversified economic base with approximately 4,700 establishments employing approximately 79,500 people. Newton is special in many ways. It is home to a variety of private secondary and post-secondary schools including a portion of Boston College, Lasell University, William James College, Hebrew College, and the UMass Amherst – Mount Ida Campus.  The longest stretch of the Boston Marathon runs through the City, including the well-known Heartbreak Hill. Newton-Wellesley Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham health care system, serves as an important partner to the City. In September 2018, Newton was again ranked #1 in Massachusetts as the best place to live and #12 in the U.S.

OUR GOVERNMENT:

Newton has what is known as a “strong Mayor” form of government with the Mayor having the executive and administrative powers of the City. The legislative branch is comprised of 24 City Councilors. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller was sworn in on January 1, 2018 after serving on the City Council. She ran on a platform of providing Newton’s children with a top-notch education in an inclusive environment where empty nesters, seniors, young families, and people of diverse incomes can live together in vibrant villages and neighborhoods. Mayor Fuller is committed to keeping Newton safe, improving the city’s infrastructure, addressing climate change, providing excellent and responsive city services, and fostering art, culture and community life. The first female Mayor of Newton, she is a tireless advocate for all the city’s residents and is committed to making sure the city is welcoming, inclusive and diverse. The City of Newton was evaluated by Moody’s Investors Services in February 2020 and assigned its highest rating of AAA. Newton was thus well-positioned to weather the pandemic and economic downturn.

AS AN EMPLOYER:

The City of Newton believes that its employees are its greatest asset.  To that end, we are committed to supporting our employees by providing competitive wages and growth, a comprehensive benefits package which includes a defined municipal pension plan, quality health and dental insurance plans, generous paid leave benefits, paid holidays, and access to supplemental benefits such as deferred compensation, short term disability plans, flexible spending accounts, and other employee benefits.  We also provide access to an Employee Assistance Program and access to employee training and professional development opportunities.  We continuously work to review and expand upon our benefit offerings.  We encourage you to visit our Human Resources Department website to learn more about our organization and benefits which are available to our employees.  And as always, you are encouraged to reach out to our dynamic HR Team by emailing hr@newtonma.gov.

Human Resources Diversity Statement

We recognize our workforce is a source of strength that is vital to our ability to effectively serve the City of Newton’s diverse community. We will:

•   Actively recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce.
•   Proactively address discrimination through education and in partnership with other departments and leaders.
•   Serve as a role model to celebrate and nurture diversity.
•   Foster inclusion by staying curious and clarifying assumptions.
•   Evaluate and develop policies and practices that reflect the diverse nature of our workforce.
•   Build and strengthen accountability at all levels to support diversity efforts.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 457 Deferred Compensation plans
• Metro Credit Union
• Verizon Wireless discount
• Employee Assistance Program
• Generous paid leave time benefits and paid holidays.
• City Retirement (Mandatory)
• Weekly Direct Deposit
• Opportunity to serve the public and join a dynamic team of dedicated employees