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General Counsel and Chief of Staff (Office of the Chancellor) - District
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Position Number: 1956260
Location: Riverside, CA
Position Type: Legal Affairs

Position Title:
General Counsel and Chief of Staff (Office of the Chancellor) - District

Application Deadline

Interested candidates must apply by the deadline listed below by 8:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.
08/05/2020

Department:
Chancellor Office (D)

Position Type:
Classified Management/Supervisor

College/Campus:
District

Physical location of the position:
District

Employment Type:
Full-Time

Position Length:
12-month

Salary Range:
Grade AB

Salary Amount:
$155,609 - $189,449

Salary Type:
Annual

Is this position categorically (grant) funded?
No

BASIC FUNCTION:
Under the supervision of the Chancellor, provides counsel, support, and advice on all legal matters related to the operation of the District, including the development and revision of all Board Policies and Administrative Procedures; coordination of the District's legal affairs and services; and serves as the legal counselor and advisor to District senior and executive administrators. Oversees complex legal responsibilities for the District and coordinates claims and litigation activity with Risk Management and Human Resources for the purpose of assessing liability, insurance coverage and indemnity. In addition, is responsible for overseeing and coordinating a variety of complex and sensitive assignments that have a District-wide impact and serves as the Chancellor's liaison to the Board of Trustees to provide, review, and follow-up on all materials from all segments of the District for the Board of Trustees.

PROVIDES WORK OR LEAD DIRECTION TO:
Assigned District personnel.

Education:
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Possession of a law degree from a regionally accredited college or university and seven years of experience practicing law in the State of California, which includes five years of experience working within an institution of higher education, public school systems, or other public agencies interpreting and applying the California Education Code, Government Code, and labor and personnel law.

Experience working with California Community College Districts is highly desired.

Experience:
KNOWLEDGE OF:
1. Files, records and report management techniques;
2. Litigation management processes and communication requirements;
3. Litigation best practices and processes to best represent the interests of the District;
4. Professional and tactful negotiation and persuasion skills to achieve objectives within the legal and governmental communities;
5. Communication methods to articulate points and information to constituency groups;
6. Problem solving techniques and analytical principles for situational analysis and the ability to offer counsel and advice on legal and policy-related matters;
7. Modern office equipment, practices, and software.

ABILITY TO:
1. Maintain an understanding of current ideas, research and practices pertaining to the areas of responsibility for this position, through continued study and participation in professional organizations.
2. Maintain confidentiality of communications, records, reports, etc.;
3. Perform a variety of duties in support of the District's legal program;
4. Learn and adapt to operations, policies and objectives of the District;
5. Meet schedules, timelines, and deadlines;
6. Communicate highly complex and difficult legal issues and matters effectively, both orally and in writing, and establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others;
7. Compile, analyze, and interpret highly complex legal information to facilitate decision-making;
8. Work cooperatively with District and college departments and the public;
9. Investigate and assess litigation and legal issues and offer sound advice;
10. Recommend areas of need for the development of the District's legal program;
11. Provide input relative to the performance of outside counsel.

Licenses/Certifications:
LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
Must be in good standing with the California State Bar Association and currently licensed to practice law in the State of California.

Other:
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:
Candidate must demonstrate clear evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, staff, and the community.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Employee must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects weighing up to 25 pounds.

CONTACTS: Outside counsel, Risk Management, Board of Trustees, bargaining unit leadership, students, faculty, and staff, all of District and College administration, Academic Senates, Human Resources and Employee Relations, Business and Financial Services, legal industry colleagues, and general public

WORKING CONDITIONS: Normal office environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:
REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:
The duties listed below are only intended 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 this class.
1. Provides oversight and follow-up on materials from all segments of the District for the Board of Trustees.
2. Serves as the primary subject matter expert and advisor to senior and executive leadership for all legal activities
3. Assists the administration in coordinating the District's legal affairs, including the handling of civil litigation, administrative hearings, contract review and drafting, business negotiations.
4. Acts as the primary liaison to coordinate and manage the work assigned to external legal firms, including developing and communicating scope of work, ensuring timely feedback, interpreting legal opinions, and reviewing and approving legal billings.
5. Maintains a current status report inventory of all outstanding claims and litigation for area of responsibility.
6. Receives, reviews, logs, processes and monitors all lawsuits and discovery documents including subpoenas, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions, California Public Records Act (PRA) requests, and deposition notices.
7. Serves as the primary architect for the development, review and revision of legal documents, resolutions, Board Policies (BP) and Administrative Procedures (AP), including presentation to the Board of Trustees; works with all stakeholders to ensure that all policies and procedures are up-to-date, timely, and effectively represent their interests.
8. In coordination with Risk Management, manages the investigation, evaluation, and resolution of complex legal disputes including, regulatory, governmental, and highly sensitive matters, both litigated and non-litigated.
9. In coordination with Facilities Planning and Development, manages the investigation, evaluation, and resolution of complex legal disputes related to construction claims and activity, both litigated and non-litigated.
10. In coordination with Risk Management and all levels of District and college administration, is the primary reviewer of contractual language to ensure the interests of the District and colleges are protected.
11. Coordinates the distribution of all appropriate legal communication for the District.
12. In coordination with Human Resources and Employee Relations (HRER), provides guidance and assistance in the areas of diversity, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Equal Opportunity Employment, sexual harassment, gender and sexual orientation sensitivity, discrimination, retaliation, and other human resources compliance issues.
13. Assists HRER with regard to personnel investigations and other employee relations matters, and recruitment and screening processes for all new hires and employee promotional opportunities, to maintain compliance with the District's diversity, equity, and compliance programs.
14. Attends and/or coordinates attendance of required parties at administrative hearings, settlement conferences, depositions, trials, arbitrations, and mediations in connection with open claims and litigations.
15. Monitors industrial and non-industrial interactive process outcomes with HRER and Risk Management departments.
16. Responsible for managing the budget of assigned area and preparation of monthly legal expense reports.
17. Conducts in-service training programs and workshops regarding legal issues, legislation, court decisions, and trends as needed.
18. Serves as a member of the Management Leadership Association.
19. Works on special projects in response to needs as assigned by the Chancellor
20. Performs other duties, related to the position, as assigned.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

This is a Classified Management position with vacation, 22 days annually; and paid accruable sick leave, 12 days annually. A pro-rata reduction will be made for employees working less than full-time and less than 12 months. The District provides a health and welfare benefit package for employees and legal qualifying dependents.

The work location and assignment within a job classification is determined by the District and may be subject to change.

All offers of employment will be contingent upon the availability of funds and approval by the Board of Trustees.

The Riverside Community College District is an equal opportunity employer and recognizes the need to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. For more information, contact (951) 222-8039.

The Riverside Community College District complies with all federal and state rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, ancestry, genetic information, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any characteristic listed or defined in Section 11135 of the Government Code or any characteristic that is contained in the prohibition of hate crimes set forth in subdivision (1) of Section 422.6 of the California Penal Code, or any other status protected by law. This holds true for all District employment opportunities. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the District's Title IX Officer/Section 504/ADA Coordinator. Harassment of any employee/student with regard to ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, ancestry, genetic information, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any characteristic listed or defined in Section 11135 of the Government Code or any characteristic that is contained in the prohibition of hate crimes set forth in subdivision (1) of Section 422.6 of the California Penal Code, or any other status protected by law, is strictly prohibited. The Title IX Officer, Section 504/ADA Coordinator for the District is Ms. Lorraine Jones, located at 3801 Market Street, Riverside, CA 92501. Telephone Number is: (951) 222-8039.

Required Applicant Documents:
Resume or Curriculum Vitae
Cover Letter
Letter of Recommendation 1
Letter of Recommendation 2
Letter of Recommendation 3
Other Transcript
Other Document:
Please attach copy of law degree transcripts.

Optional Applicant Documents:
Doctorate Transcript
Associate or Equivalent Transcript
Bachelors or Equivalent Transcript
Masters or Equivalent Transcript

Other Document:
Please attach copy of law degree transcripts.

Effective Employment Date:
Anticipated start date: August 2020

Application Deadline:
08-05-2020

Special Comments:
*****
IMPORTANT NOTICES:
*It is anticipated that interviews will occur sometime during the 3rd or 4th week of August.
Please note: The selection process typically concludes within four to six weeks from the closing date. There are, however, exceptions to this general guideline. Status updates will be made throughout the process. Please refer to your account for any updates to the status of your application.

******

* An electronic, RCCD on-line application must be completed to be considered. All portions of the application must be entirely filled out with all information qualifying an applicant for the position. Only information on the official RCCD application (not resumes) will be considered to determine whether an applicant meets the minimum requirements for the position for which he/she is applying.

* All supporting materials, required or optional, must also be in electronic formats and attached to the electronic, on-line application when applying. Supporting materials are only accepted as Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) or Microsoft Word files and must be less than 2 MB in size.

* An application will not be considered complete unless ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS are electronically attached to the application by the Application Deadline date. An incomplete file may subject the candidate to disqualification.

* Paper applications and supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, WILL NOT be accepted! All documents must be submitted electronically with the online application.

* Letters of reference, IF REQUIRED, must be NON-CONFIDENTIAL and submitted electronically when applying on-line.

* Interested candidates must apply by the deadline listed above by 8:00 p.m., Pacific Standard Time.

* The Riverside Community College District does not require testing at the initial application filing period. As you progress through the selection process, you may be required to perform a job-related test based on the needs of the work area for which you are being considered.

* The District will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. Applicant should contact Human Resources & Employee Relations at (951) 222-8595 for assistance.

Application Types Accepted:
Classified/Management/Confidential Application

To Apply, visit:
https://pa379.peopleadmin.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=59229