Senior Special Projects Counsel (Senior Public Service Administrator, Opt. 8L)

Position Overview

Are you looking for a rewarding career with an organization that values their staff? The Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) is seeking to hire qualified candidates with the opportunity to work in a dynamic, creative thinking, problem solving environment. This position serves as the Senior Special Projects Counsel, providing legal counsel for the State’s lead information technology (IT) agency. This counsel will work with DoIT's Legal team to provide specialized legal advice related to IT contracting, AI, data privacy, and cybersecurity. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational and interpersonal skills, excellent written/oral communication skills, extensive understanding of governing laws, rules, and policies, and the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate must possess strong collaborative abilities, as this role requires working closely with agency senior leadership, business teams, vendors, procurement staff, opposing counsel, security staff, and DoIT’s client agencies. This position is routinely involved with sensitive subject matter and is required to maintain a strong commitment to confidentiality. If you possess these knowledges, skills, abilities, and experience, we invite you to apply for this position to join the DoIT Team!

As a State of Illinois employee, you receive a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Competitive Group Insurance benefits including health, life, dental and vision plans
• Flexible work schedules (when available and dependent upon position)
• 10-25 days of paid vacation time annually (10 days for first year of state employment)
• 12 days of paid sick time annually which carryover year to year
• 3 paid personal business days per year
• 13-14 paid holidays per year dependent on election years
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Pension plan through the State Employees Retirement System
• Deferred Compensation Program – voluntary supplemental retirement plan
• Optional pre-tax programs -Medical Care Assistance Plan (MCAP) & Dependent Care Assistant Plan (DCAP)
• Tuition Reimbursement Program and Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program eligibility

For more information regarding State of Illinois Benefits follow this link: https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/Pages/default.aspx

Essential Functions

• Subject to management approval, serves as the Senior Special Projects Counsel for the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT), serving as legal advisor for DoIT Information Technology (IT) functions of all agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor and providing technical advice and legal policy determinations on complex IT legal matters relating to the agency’s operations with a focus on complex IT contracting, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, intellectual property, and data sharing and privacy.
• Advises the General Counsel and Chief AI Officer on AI compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including privacy, civil rights, and algorithmic transparency requirements supporting initiatives for algorithmic transparency and explainability.
• Under the direction of the General Counsel, serves as the subject matter legal advisor regarding data sharing, privacy, and protection.
• Conducts and directs technical and specialized legal work in the areas of DoIT authority and related policy/regulatory matters, often highly sensitive and controversial.
• Serves as full-line supervisor.
• Assists the General Counsel in the preparation of training for internal and client agency legal teams related to AI, cybersecurity, data privacy, IT contracting, and emerging technologies.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires a law degree.
• Requires a license to practice law in the State of Illinois.
• Requires four (4) years of progressively responsible transactional and administrative experience in the practice of law, preferably in the areas of Information Technology Contracts, including SaaS Agreements, Software Licensing, and Data Sharing Agreements, Information Technology Purchasing, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Emerging Technologies, or directly related fields.
• Requires two (2) years of professional experience in advising on strategic planning and developing and implementing IT policies and procedures related to AI, data privacy, IT contracting, or directly related areas.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four (4) years of professional legal experience drafting, reviewing, advising on, and negotiating contracts related to information technology (IT) products and services, including contracts involving licensing terms, cloud-based/Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) agreements, or other similar agreements, including serving as lead counsel in complex negotiations.
• Three (3) years of professional experience working on matters involving AI, cybersecurity, intellectual property, or data privacy, including advising on compliance with federal, state, and local laws and supporting the development of implementation of AI governance frameworks, policies or standards.
• Three (3) years of professional legal experience serving as in-house counsel in a private or public setting to provide legal analysis, policy determinations and strategic guidance to executive leadership; advising non-legal staff, technical personnel, or business units; exercising independent judgement on complex or sensitive legal matters; and supervising or leading professional staff, including assigning and reviewing work, evaluating performance, and making recommendations regarding discipline or staffing needs.
• Three (3) years of professional procurement-related experience in the public or private sector.
• Two (2) years of professional legal experience in matters involving administrative law, regulatory law, legislation, or rulemaking, including analyzing statutes and drafting, interpreting, or advising on rules, regulations or formal legal interpretations.
• Two (2) years of professional experience evaluating privacy trends such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and federal and state data protection laws and strengthening privacy governance and accountability.
• Three (3) years of professional experience handling cybersecurity incidents and events involving data classified as high risk, such as electronic protected health information (ePHI), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Federal Tax Information (FTI), Criminal Justice Information (CJI), and Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
• Ability to analyze and diagnose administrative issues and coordinate efforts to resolve, including experience addressing complex or sensitive matters requiring cross-functional or multi-stakeholder collaboration.
• Developed verbal and written communication skills to present technical information with clarity and precision.
• Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) Certification.

Conditions of Employment

NOTE: Applicants must possess the ability to meet ALL of the following conditions of employment, with or without reasonable accommodation, to be considered for this position.

• Requires the ability to verify identity.
• Requires employment authorization to accept permanent full-time position with State of Illinois.
• Requires the ability to pass a position specific, agency required background check.
• Requires self-disclosure of criminal history.
• Requires the ability to travel in performance of duties.
• Requires the ability to work outside of normal hours to meet deadlines.
• Requires the ability to maintain an active and valid Illinois Law License in accordance with state and/or federal regulations. Failure to maintain the required licensure may result in termination of employment.
• Requires adherence to the revolving door restrictions outlined in 5 ILCS 430/5-45. Consequently, employees should be aware that in the event of receiving a non-State employment offer during state employment or within one year immediately following the termination of State employment, they are required to inform the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies (OEIG) of the Illinois Governor before accepting such non-State employment. Failure to notify the OEIG may result in the imposition of a fine.
• Requires compliance with the provisions outlined in section 4A-101 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act, necessitating the occupant of this position to file of a Statement of Economic Interest. Pursuant to the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420/4A et seq.), specific state officials and employees are required to annually submit Statements of Economic Interest to the Office of the Secretary of State, which will be accessible to the public for examination and copying. Employees subject to this requirement must also file a Supplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission, as specified in Executive Order 15-09. Failure to submit these statements in a timely manner may result in fines and penalties.
• The conditions of employment are incorporated and/or related to any duties included in the position description.