Assistant General Counsel

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is seeking applicants for an Agency Legal Consultant I (Working Title: Assistant General Counsel) for the Office of General Counsel for the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the State Board of Education (SBE). 

The initiatives of the DPI/SBE encompass every facet of public education for students from pre-kindergarten through high school graduation. The Office of General Counsel is responsible for providing direct legal and advisory support to the DPI and the SBE on these initiatives.  

This position is responsible for advising and providing research on policies, procedures, and legislation in collaboration with DPI/SBE leadership and staff. Reviewing and analyzing laws, practices, and procedures impacting the public education system. Providing legal advice to the Superintendent, DPI leadership, and staff as well as the Board Chair, and members, on matters including but not limited to, ethics, contractual or statutory obligations, constitutional issues, personnel decisions, risk management, potential liabilities, and day-to-day operations.  

This position is also responsible for drafting and assisting in negotiating legal documents including memoranda of understanding, contracts, settlement agreements, and helping fulfill other procurement or operational needs. As well as collaborating with Technology Services, Operations, Finance, third-party vendors and other state agencies in matters affecting DPI and the SBE, advising on and reviewing public records requests, and additional duties as assigned.

This position is subject to occasional travel.

EEO Statement:

The State of North Carolina and the Department of Public Instruction provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

To receive credit for all of your work history and credentials, you must list the information on the application form. Any information listed under the text resume section or on an attachment will not be considered for qualifying credit. Qualified candidates must document on the application that they possess all of the following: 

• Demonstrated skills in drafting legal documents such as letters to clients, memoranda of understanding, and/or contracts. 
• Demonstrated experience conducting legal research, including research concerning legislation, policies, procedures, and/or case law. 
• Demonstrated experience maintaining effective working relationships.

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for details. 
Juris Doctor from an appropriately accredited institution. 

All applicants must complete and submit a state application for employment using the NEOGOV Online Job Application System (Job Opportunities | Sorted by Job Title ascending | Careers (governmentjobs.com) for the State of North Carolina.  

Any applications not received by the advertisement closing date and time will not be accepted outside of the portal. To receive credit for work history and credentials, the applicant must list the information on the online application form. Any information omitted from the application cannot be considered for qualifying credit. NC DPI welcomes attached or incorporated resumes, cover letters and reference information, but these items will not be used for screening for qualifying credit.
 

Please make sure the application is completed in full. If you put "See Resume" or "See Attachment" on your application instead of a completed application with detailed work duties, your application will NOT be accepted. Other attachments (except a DD-214 copy) will also be accepted, but not used in screening for qualifying credit.
 

Applicants are required to scan and attach a copy of their DD-214 (Form 4 or Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or discharge orders if they wish to obtain Veteran's preference.

 
Reference checks will be performed on all selected candidates.  If the position requires a background check and/or drug screening that will also be performed on all selected candidates.
 

Applicants may be subject to a criminal background check. All candidates selected for positions considered "Positions of Trust" will be subject to a criminal background check.
 
To check the status of an application, please log in to your NC Government Job Opportunities account and click "Application Status". 

For technical issues with your application, please call the NeoGov Help Line at 877-204-4442.   If you have a technical issue with your Government Jobs account, please call their Help Line at 1-855-524-5627.

NOTE:  Applicants will be communicated with via email only for updates on the status of their application or any questions on their application.  

If there are any questions about this posting other than your application status, please contact NC Department of Public Instruction Human Resources.

Contact Information

Houston Davis, Agency Recruiter

Email: houston.davis@dpi.nc.gov

Applications for positions requiring specific coursework must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant's transcript. Applicants with degrees not conferred at a United States college or university must attach verification that their degree is equivalent to a similar degree from a U.S. institution. The Office of State Human Resources uses the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) as a referral resource for applicants who need to have their credentials certified as equivalent. For a list of organizations that perform this specialized service, please visit the NACES membership website at http://www.naces.org/members.htm. Transcripts, degree evaluations and cover letters may be uploaded with your application.