Assistant General Counsel; Counsel II

Assistant General Counsel (Counsel II) (260000XP)

The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Assistant General Counsel
. Our ideal candidate will advise agency staff on legal matters and represent DTA in court and at administrative hearings.

DTA attracts people passionate about public service, who love to work in a fast-paced environment, and who are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Advise agency staff on privacy, security and confidentiality issues.
• Assist in public procurements, including advising the selection board on procurement law, and reviewing and drafting requests for proposals, agency contracts and interagency agreements.
• Interpret laws, rules, regulations, and quasi-judicial decisions and opinions related to DTA operations.
• Confere with other agency staff in drafting proposed regulations and legislation for submission to the Legislature and analyze proposed legislation to determine its impact on agency activities.
• Conduct legal research and draft legal opinions.
• Respond to requests made to DTA pursuant to the Public Records Law and the Fair Information Practices Act.
• Represent and provide legal support to DTA and its personnel in civil litigation, court, administrative hearings, and depositions as assigned.
• Liaise with the Office of the Attorney General on major class action litigation as assigned.

• Knowledge of the theory, principles and practices of law including constitutional law and administrative law.
• Knowledge of the procedures followed in courtroom proceedings.
• Knowledge of the methods of technical and general report writing.
• Knowledge of legal research methods and procedures.
• Knowledge of interviewing techniques.
• Ability to read and interpret legal documents such as decisions, briefs, opinions and contracts.
• Ability to understand, apply and explain the provisions of the laws, rules, regulations, procedures, guidelines, and policies governing agency operations and assigned unit activities.
• Ability to analyze and determine the applicability of legal data, to draw conclusions and make appropriate recommendations.
• Ability to write clearly and persuasively.
• Ability to use computer word processing programs.

• Excellent research, writing, and oral skills, and ability to handle complex legal issues are essential.
• Ability to work well with other attorneys, program administrators and other staff.
• Knowledge of federal and state welfare programs and administrative law.
• Given the population served, bilingual or multilingual fluency.

While subject to change, this position is currently a hybrid position and the selected candidate is required to work onsite in a DTA office for two (2) days per week; one (1) day of which must be in DTA’s Administrative Office in Boston, MA while, subject to availability, the other day may be in another Department office.

The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is the state agency responsible for administering public assistance programs to low-income residents of the Commonwealth. DTA is committed to providing a high level of service to all those in need. The mission of the Department is to assist and empower low-income individuals and families to meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and achieve long term economic self-sufficiency.

DTA serves one out of every seven people in Massachusetts – including working families, children, elders, and people with disabilities. Our services include food and nutritional assistance, economic assistance, and employment supports.

A criminal background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services prior to the candidate being hired. For more information, please visit http://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). and click on "Information for Job Applicants."

Education, licensure and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division’s Hiring Guidelines.

Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is…