Senior Deputy General Counsel (3 positions)

At the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, we deliver reliable water to a region with 19 million people—and to accomplish this, we rely on a team of talented employees: innovators, problem-solvers, and collaborators who make it all possible. 

This recruitment may result in an eligibility list*.

The Legal Department of the Metropolitan Water District (Metropolitan) has three (3) openings for the General Counsel’s Office. They are at the Senior Deputy General Counsel level.

SENIOR DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL
Metropolitan is seeking to fill three (3) Senior Deputy General Counsel positions with expertise in one of more of the following areas: litigation/labor/employment law, including litigation/administrative hearings and PERB/environmental resources law, and litigation/public agency law.

These positions will report to the General Counsel and will have the opportunity to work in an invigorating, collaborative and challenging legal environment as a member of a highly professional and effective team of over 20 attorneys plus paralegals and support staff, providing a variety of legal services in many different areas.

For each of these positions, knowledge of public agency laws such as the Brown Act and the California Public Records Act and experience working for or representing public agencies, providing legal advice, working with boards, committees or legislative bodies, including serving as counsel during public meetings and hearings, is preferred.

Candidates should be comfortable responding to substantive questions quickly, working with and managing outside counsel and working in a collaborative environment in which ideas are challenged.

For labor relations/employment law, t he ideal candidate will have knowledge of public agency employment law and experience representing public agencies in labor and employment matters. The position requires experience conducting or overseeing investigations; negotiating labor and employment agreements, including collective bargaining agreements advising on and managing disciplinary matters and grievances, from initial administrative stage through administrative hearings, mediation and litigation; handling employment grievances, PERB hearings and litigation; and providing staff with day-to-day advice on a range of labor and employment issues. The position also requires working closely with human resources staff and other senior management and providing recommendations regarding personnel policies.

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned litigator with a deep mastery of the California Public sector legal landscape, specifically expert in the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMBA), PERB proceedings, and the Skelly due process framework for public employee discipline.

You will serve as a primary legal strategist managing complex labor and employment disputes, including binding arbitration, administrative writs, and First Amendment claims, while ensuring strict agency compliance with the Brown Act, California Public Records Act (CPRA), and the Government Claims Act.

Beyond labor law, you must possess the technical acumen to navigate the MWD Act. We are seeking a sophisticated advocate who can seamlessly pivot from the courtroom to the boardroom, offering high-level guidance on Political Reform Act conflicts, public agency social media policies, and the intersection of CalPERS regulations with the Interactive Process and disability law. The ideal candidate will have experience as a first chair litigator of complex matters, experience in negotiation and documentation of complex transactions, and/or experience in representing parties in administrative proceedings at the local, state and/or federal level.

For litigation/environmental resources law, the ideal candidate will have knowledge and experience in CEQA/NEPA, CWA, ESA litigation, and a variety of other substantive areas relating to natural resources, and/or water law as well as experience in California water resource issues including the Law of the Colorado River and the California State Water Project. The ideal candidate will have experience as a first chair litigator of complex matters, experience in negotiation and documentation of complex transactions, and/or experience in representing parties in administrative proceedings at the local, state and/or federal level.

The ideal candidate will have experience as a first chair litigator of complex matters, experience in negotiation and documentation of complex transactions, and/or experience in representing parties in administrative proceedings at the local, state and/or federal level.

For public agency litigation law, the ideal candidate will be a seasoned Senior Deputy General Counsel with a sophisticated background in public agency litigation. The successful candidate will act as lead counsel in defending the District’s interests in state and federal courts, with a particular emphasis on Writ of Mandate proceedings (CCP §1085 and §1094.5). This role requires an expert litigator capable of navigating the California Government Claims Act and the MWD Act to defend against complex tort and jurisdictional challenges. You will provide strategic advocacy in disputes involving Public Finance and debt issuance, as well as high-stakes Public Contract litigation related to capital projects bid protests and vendor contracts.

Additionally, the role involves defending the District’s policies in emerging areas such as public agency social media use and Employee First Amendment rights. This is a pivotal opportunity for an accomplished litigator to provide the 'shield' that protects the infrastructure and policies sustaining Southern California’s water future. The ideal candidate will have experience as a first chair litigator of complex matters, experience in negotiation and documentation of complex transactions, and/or experience in representing parties in administrative proceedings at the local, state and/or federal level.

Senior Deputy General Counsel
Positions at this advanced level are recognized as technical specialists using initiative and resourcefulness in deviating from traditional methods or researching trends and patterns to develop new methods, criteria, or proposed new policies. Decisions regarding what needs to be done include sophisticated legal research and analysis, drafting of contracts, pleadings, presentation materials and other documents, interpreting data, planning of the work, or refining the methods and techniques to be used. The work includes making presentations to committees of Metropolitan’s Board and to management. The work involves established criteria; formulating projects; assessing program effectiveness; or analyzing variety of unusual conditions, problems, or questions. The work product or service may affect activities, or the operation of other organizations.

These Attorney positions serve as legal experts for and on behalf of Metropolitan, provide advice and recommendations to management and the Board and are responsible for safeguarding and enhancing Metropolitan’s rights, entitlements, interests, and assets. In general, the Senior Deputy General Counsel should feel comfortable handling litigation in a variety of substantive areas and be willing to learn new matters. The Senior Deputy General Counsel need to work well with others, both internally and externally, and be comfortable working as part of a team. May act as a lead coordinating and reviewing work assignments of employees and outside counsel performing a variety of work on a range of issues on a day-to-day basis.

This job announcement has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work being performed by employees in this classification / job.

To view the full job description, click here: Senior Deputy General Counsel

Schedule: 9/80, Monday through Friday /every other Friday off.

Hybrid: Metropolitan’s current practice in this position is a hybrid work schedule. This typically includes two days a week in person and the other days remote. This is subject to change dependent on organizational needs. In addition, a telework policy is scheduled for negotiations and once completed and implemented, will provide final direction on the hybrid schedule. Attorneys assigned to committees or making a presentation to a committee or the Metropolitan Board are required to attend the meetings in person.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education and Experience: Juris Doctor Graduate degree from an accredited law school and seven (7) years of progressively responsible, directly related law practice experience performing complex and varied legal assignments. Experience representing public agencies is preferred.

Directly related law practice experience is labor relations/employment law or litigation/environmental resources law or public agency litigation law. Candidates should specify their substantive area of expertise in the questionnaire.

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

California State Bar Member (member in good standing, with either active membership or the ability to activate membership prior to employment).

This classification performs work that requires maintaining confidentiality and is routinely privy to matters that either involves confidential information, sensitive personnel issues, or exposure to confidential and sensitive strategic corporate information.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation
• Excellent medical, dental, life, vision plans.
• Deferred compensation in the form of a 401(k) plan (with matching contribution) and a 457 plan.
• Retirement benefits under the California Public Employees' Retirement System
• Tuition reimbursement
• Training and advancement opportunities
• On-site fitness center
• Excellent working environment
• Hub of public transportation: rail, subway, buses, and taxis

• Public transportation reimbursements

For more information on MWD benefits, please use the following link: Benefits Regular FT PT Employees (Represented)

About MWD:

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provides water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Qualified individuals with disabilities, who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process, please call (213) 217-7738 or email jobs@mwdh2o.com .

Metropolitan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic(s). 

Application Filing Period: Closes at 4:30 pm PT on the date stated in the job announcement. However, it may close prior to the filing end date if sufficient applications have been received. If sufficient applications have not been received, then the filing period end date may be extended. 

Eligibility List*: An eligibility list is a list of qualified candidates created when a job posting states that one will be established.

Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications listed in the original posting and successfully pass all stages of the recruitment process—but are not selected for the initial vacancy—may be placed on this list for future openings.

The list may be used to invite candidates to participate in a selection interview for a future vacancy in the same classification / title (if there is one). The duration of the list depends on the applicable bargaining unit.

Qualifying Experience: Your resume must at a minimum include the month and year you began and ended employment, name of the organization, your title, and a brief description of your experience. If your employment was part-time, make sure you identify it on your resume next to the month/year.  

Sponsorship: Applicants for employment with The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States (i.e., H1-B or other employment-based immigration case).

#LI-Hybrid

Closing Date/Time: May 6, 2026 @ 4:30 pm PT

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• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

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