Assistant General Counsel (Public Service Administrator, Opt.8L)

Position Overview

The Illinois Department of Public Health is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as Assistant General Counsel, providing legal advice, analysis, and response for the Department's Office of Health Care Regulation, and handling of administrative litigation and regulatory matters. Ideal candidate will have strong communication skills and the ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects simultaneously. This candidate will also have excellent communication skills with program and legal colleagues.

Benefits Statement

As a State of Illinois Employee, you will receive a robust benefit package that includes the following:

• Flexible and hybrid work schedules are available in many program areas (when available and dependent upon position)
• Competitive Group Insurance benefits including health, life, dental and vision plans.
• 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)
• 10-25 days of paid vacation time annually (10 days for first year of state employment)
• 12 paid sick days annually which carryover year to year
• 3 paid personal business days per calendar year (pro-rated dependent on start date)
• 13-14 paid holidays per year
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Employee Assistance Program and/or mental health resources

These are just a few of the many perks available to all State employees. For more information about our benefits please follow this link: https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/Pages/default.aspx

Essential Functions

• Provides legal advice, counsel and representation to Department programs, with an emphasis to the Offices of Health Care Regulation and Human Resources, within the Department.
• Participate with other members of the legal staff, the Division of Governmental Affairs, and program personnel in the review of bills which have public health significance.
• Provides legal and technical support to Ethics Officer reviewing various ethics-related matters and other investigative referrals made to the Office of the Executive Inspector General (OEIG), while maintain and updating spreadsheets and the docketing system containing internal ethical inquiries from within the agency and external referrals to the OEIG.
• Serves as Department attorney in administrative hearings, including the preparation of notices, motions, complaints, orders and similar legal documents and in the presentation of oral and written evidence at such administrative hearings.
• Regularly attends and participates in Department labor relations internal meetings and negotiations with, and on behalf of, management personnel.
• Confers with the Attorney General’s staff or State’s Attorneys to collaborate upon the preparation of written evidence, the availability of witnesses, the preparation or defense of litigation in which the Department is a party.
• Performs related duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to completion of four years college, preferably with courses in pre-law.
• Requires prior experience equivalent to three years of progressively responsible administrative litigation experience.
• Requires the possession of a license to practice law in Illinois.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years legal experience in litigation pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act.
• Three (3) years experience providing legal guidance on health care regulatory matters pursuant to the Nursing Home Care Act, Illinois Hospital Licensing Act, and other health care related laws.
• Thorough knowledge of common laws: Federal and State laws, regulations pertaining to the agency programs.
• Three (3) years experience with judicial and quasi-judicial and administrative procedures and the rules at all judicial levels.
• Extensive knowledge of legal methods, practices and procedures in the agency.
• Working knowledge of principles of management, including organization, controls and techniques used in dealing with management and procedural problems.
• Three (3) years experience planning, laying out, coordinating and reviewing the work of a technical or legal program or unit.
• Three (3) years experience drafting complex and technical legal documents.
• Two (2) years experience maintaining effective professional and public contacts and satisfactory working relationships with others.
• Two (2) years experience analyzing and appraising facts, evidence and precedents in developing pertinent issues and in applying fundamental principles to unusual, difficult and complex problems and to give full and complete, though brief, expression to such issues and facts, evidence and precedents pertaining to same.

Agency Marketing Statement

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is tasked with the oversight of communities within Illinois to achieve and maintain optimal health and safety. With an annual budget of over $2 billion in state and federal funds, 6 regional offices, 3 laboratories and over 1,200 employees, IDPH is equipped to fulfill its mission of protecting the health and wellness of the people of Illinois through the prevention, health promotion, regulation and control of disease and injury.