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Job Description
Senior Assistant District Counsel (Labor Relations and Employment Law)
Valley Water
Salary: $273,884.52 - $347,775.74 Annually
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 01884-U
Location: CA, CA
Department: Office of District Counsel
Closing: 5/7/2025 11:59 PM Pacific
Description
Overview:
Valley Water's Office of District Counsel seeks a senior-level attorney to be the primary attorney on all labor and employment functions, draft and negotiate inter-agency agreements, and advise the Board, its committees, and staff on broad, agency-level policies and procedures. The Senior Assistant District Counsel will be one of three senior assistant counsels reporting to the District Counsel and will be designated as unclassified/at-will. This attorney role offers ongoing, time-sensitive legal support to Valley Water operations and its long-term strategic goals. This position is vital for addressing Valley Water's labor and employment law requirements. The incumbent also carries significant responsibility for public agency financing matters, making experience in that field a huge plus.
Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Day-to-day support of Valley Water's labor and employment law matters, including but not limited to employee discipline, grievances, internal investigations, and compliance matters as well as first-chair representation in labor arbitrations and administrative hearings.
- Second-chair management of employment litigation matters ("first-chair" experience is a plus).
- Assisting management with labor negotiations, including service on "second table" negotiating teams ("first table" experience is a plus).
- Other operational support to the Valley Water business includes contract reviews, real estate transactions, and agreements with other government entities.
- Support to District Counsel, such as support on broad, agency-level policy matters, confidential Board matters, and filling in for District counsel during absences.
About Valley Water:
Valley Water's (Santa Clara Valley Water District) mission is to ensure that Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley have access to safe, clean water to support a healthy life, environment, and economy.
Headquartered in San Jose, California, Valley Water operates with a Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget of $1.1 billion and employs over 900 professionals. Their integrated water resources system encompasses clean water supply, flood protection, and environmental stewardship of streams.
Ideal Candidate's Background Includes:
Applicants whose experience and background best match the ideal experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and education are considered ideal candidates for the position. To determine the top candidates, each applicant will be assessed based on the ideal candidate criteria as listed below.
Ideal Experience for Senior Assistant District Counsel:
- Fifteen years of recent experience in the active practice of law in the State of California, including at least six years representing public agency employers in labor and employment matters.
- Experience with real estate transactions, inter-agency agreements, and agency-level policies and procedures is also desired.
- Experience with public agency financing is a huge plus.
Ideal Skills and Abilities:
- A can-do, solutions-oriented mindset is a must, as is a sense of humor.
- A high degree of political acumen and the ability to think strategically and see the big picture.
- Maintain effective relationships with federal, state, regional, municipal, and local agencies, and with Silicon Valley's major stakeholders.
- Comfortable operating in complex legal and regulatory environments,
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and adversaries.
- Analyze and apply principles of law, particularly with respect to highly sensitive labor and employment matters.
- Advise on the legal aspects of labor negotiations, including "second table" experience ("first table" experience is highly desired).
- Provide significant first-line and strategic support to Valley Water's Finance team on debt issuances, refinancing, and Public Facilities Financing Corporation work.
- Present statements of law and fact clearly, succinctly, and logically, both orally and in writing.
- Prepare legally sufficient transactional documents.
- Prepare a variety of reports, correspondence, and other written materials.
- Collect, interpret, and evaluate varied information and data and provide recommendations.
Ideal Knowledge:
- Principles and practices of law, particularly as related to public agency activities.
- Advanced principles of law related to labor and employment matters
- Judicial and administrative procedures and the rules of evidence
- Principles of legal research and writing
- Pleadings and practices and effective techniques in the presentation of judicial cases, administrative hearing cases, and labor arbitration cases
- Principles of governmental organization
- State and federal laws and constitutional provisions affecting Valley Water operations, particularly the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, the Fair Employment and Housing Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Knowledge of the laws governing public agency financing transactions is a plus.
Ideal Training and Education:
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university, and graduation from an accredited law school plus a minimum of six years in the active practice of public agency-labor and employment laws and fifteen years of practice of law overall.
Required License or Certificate
- Must be a current member, in good standing, of the California State Bar Association.
- Must have pledged to comply or be willing to pledge to comply to the Santa Clara Bar County Association Code of Professional Conduct.
Selection Process
Please submit your application along with cover letter and resume by the application deadline. In your cover letter, please provide your CA State Bar Association number and address the following three prompts:
- Who is the client of an attorney for a public entity? How would that influence the performance of your duties as the Senior Assistant District Counsel for the Santa Clara Valley Water District?
- Please describe the top three achievements of your professional legal career and why you are proud of them.
- Tell us about your experience representing public agency employers in labor and employment matters
- Tell us about your experience with real estate transactions, inter-agency agreements, agency-level policies and procedures, and public agency financing matters.
Following the closing date, resumes and cover letters will be screened according to the qualifications outlined above. The most qualified candidates will be invited to Zoom panel interviews with a Valley Water-appointed interview panel. A select group of candidates will be asked to provide references once they are anticipated to be recommended as finalists. References will be contacted only following candidate approval. Finalist interviews will be held with a Valley Water executive interview panel.
To apply, please visit https://apptrkr.com/6151714
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ABOUT THE COMPANY
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Valley Water
Show moreThe Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water, is a special district, governed by a seven-member board of directors, and is responsible for water supply, flood protection and watershed management in Santa Clara County. The district encompasses all of the county’s 1,300 square miles and serves the area’s 15 cities, 1.7 million residents and more than 200,000 commuters. Our responsibilities flow from our dual missions: to provide high quality water, and to manage flood and storm waters along the county’s 700 miles of creeks and rivers.
The mission of the district is a healthy, safe, and enhanced quality of living in Santa Clara County through the comprehensive management of water resources in a practical, cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water, manages an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water, flood protection and stewardship of streams on behalf of Santa Clara County’s 2 million residents. The district effectively manages 10 dams and surface water reservoirs, three water treatment plants, a state-of-the-art water quality laboratory, nearly 400 acres of groundwater recharge ponds and more than 275 miles of streams.
We provide wholesale water and groundwater management services to local municipalities and private water retailers who deliver drinking water directly to homes and businesses throughout Santa Clara County.
Who We Are
A seven-member Board of Directors governs Valley Water. We are an ethnically diverse, family friendly organization with employees who are committed to public service and work collaboratively with other agencies (all levels of government, community-based organizations, and neighborhood organizations) in carrying out our mission.
Be a Part of It
Valley Water strives to attract, develop and retain a talented and diverse workforce. Many of our employees have worked at the district for more than 20 years. Our employees come from diverse, cultural and professional backgrounds. The district promotes high performance, diversity and equal employment opportunities. We offer careers in a wide range of fields.
We Value Our Employees
- The district’s salaries and benefits are highly competitive.
- The district supports employee development through tuition reimbursement, certification, management development training, safety training, on-line training and apprenticeship programs.
- Please use the links at left to explore our current job openings, salary and classification information, benefits packages, Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity programs.
We Value Excellence
The district values Excellence in Innovation, Integrity, Transparency and Teamwork. Our Workforce Development Program helps to guide our employees into the future by providing a systematic framework to facilitate the efficient, effective use of resources, which guides the development of a training curriculum based on business needs to enhance job knowledge and skills of the District’s workforce, and promotes professional development.
We Support Veterans
The Veteran’s Employee Resource Group provides assistance and supports Veteran affairs at Valley Water. Over the past ten years the district has participated in external support activities including care package drives for troops stationed overseas, as well as participating in the “Cell Phones for Troops” program.
In recognition of our employees who are veterans, a celebration is held annually around Veteran’s Day and features speakers and topics of historical interest.
We Value Diversity
The district is committed to creating an inclusive work environment which recognizes and supports the diversity of our community and enriches our perspectives.
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