GVRA:

The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency operates five integrated and interdependent statutory programs that share a primary goal - to help people with disabilities to become fully productive members of society by achieving independence and meaningful employment. Our programs impact both employers and job seekers. Our bottom line is to tailor our services to fit your needs. And our promise to you is consistent professional service with responsive and responsible follow-up.

Summary:

The Office of General Counsel provides legal guidance and direction to the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA). The Office provides enterprise-level legal support to the Agency’s administrative functions as well as to all its programs, including Vocational Rehabilitation, the Business Enterprise Program, Roosevelt Warm Springs and Cave Spring Center, Georgia Industries for the Blind, and Disability Adjudication Services. General Counsel staff provide multi-level statutory, regulatory and policy review and implementation, as well as provide input on the Agency’s business practices in accordance with legal and policy requirements.

Description:

Note: This position may be filled at either the Attorney 3 or 4 level based on the qualifications of the selected candidate.

  Under minimal supervision, provides legal analysis and recommendations on a full range of issues within the scope and authority of the Agency.

Essential Functions:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1.   Serve as in-house counsel to state government agency to provide legal guidance and support to statewide staff related to all legal aspects of the Agency.

2.   Advises on all major agency transactions, including contracts and procurement, administrative and government functions, human resources, programmatic delivery of services, and statutory interpretation.

3.   Advise on employment law issues, including drafting responses to EEOC complaints and conducting human resource related investigations.

4.   Participates in the drafting and development of Agency policies and procedures.

5.   Develops, oversees, and implements administrative processes designed to maintain and monitor the legal compliance of Agency activities.

6.   Researches and analyzes legal issues affecting GVRA and its programs and makes recommendations to senior leadership.

7.   Maintains current knowledge of federal and state statutes and regulations.

8.   Draft, promulgate, interpret, and enforce administrative rules and regulations related to the Agency. 

9.   Defend Agency actions before administrative law judges in accordance with the Georgia Administrative Procedures Act.

10. Judges the merits of major court cases filed against or on behalf of the Agency, works with the appropriate executive(s) to define a strategic defense and approves settlements of disputes where warranted.

11.  Assists in ensuring that the agency conducts its business in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

12.  Advises on legal aspects of the agency’s financing, including assessing and advising on current and future agency structures and legal entities.

13.  Consult and work closely with the GVRA General Counsel as required.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Competencies:

1. Customer/Client Focus.
2. Collaboration Skills.
3. Communication Proficiency.
4. Leadership.
5. Problem Solving/Analysis.
6. Thoroughness.
7. Time Management.

Supervisory Responsibility:

None required for this position.

Work Environment:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers and smartphones.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Working Conditions:

Incumbents working in this job perform duties in an office setting. This is a 40-hour workweek requirement. The position may involve managing a high-volume workload and demands a high level of accuracy while working with deadlines. Regular attendance is an important part of being successful in this position. Reasonable accommodation can be made available to qualified individuals upon request.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This position occasionally requires long hours and weekend work.

Travel:

Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some out-of-area and overnight travel may be expected.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:

None required for this position.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance:

As a condition of employment with Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, you must successfully complete a mandatory federal and national background check, pre-employment testing, and additional checks required for your job.

All candidates interested in employment with The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency does not offer sponsorships for current or future employment visas (e.g., H-B1 employment visa).

GVRA 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.

Reasonable Accommodations:

The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request reasonable accommodation during any step in the hiring process, please contact our HR Team at ada_request@gvs.ga.gov.

Preference will be given to applicants who, in addition to meeting the required education and experience, possess one or more of the following:

1. One (1) year of experience working with Vocational Rehabilitation law and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
2. One (1) year of legal experience working in state, county, or city government.
3. One (1) year of work experience with employment law and/or EEOC related matters
4. One (1) year of experience with litigation in state court or before administrative law judges
5. One (1) year of experience with the Georgia Open Records Act
6. Two (2) years of experience working in a legal office setting.