Position Information

NY HELPYes

AgencyParks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Office of

TitleSenior Attorney, (SG-25), Assistant Attorney 1 (SG-18), Assistant Attorney 2 (SG-20), Assistant Attorney 3 (SG-22) - (NY HELPS)

Occupational CategoryLegal

Salary Grade25

Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)

Salary RangeFrom $66951 to $121413 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 0%

Schedule

Workweek Other (see below)

"Other" Explanation Monday-Friday. Specific work schedule will be discussed during the time of interview.

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 8 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? Yes

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

Location

County To Be Determined

Street Address Albany Main Office, Long Island Administration Headquarters, OR the Harlem State Office Building

City Albany, Babylon, or NYC

StateNY

Zip Code00000

Job Specifics

Duties Description The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) is seeking four Senior Attorneys to join its small and collaborative team within Counsel’s Office.

State Parks oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, trails, beaches, pools, golf courses, and boat launches, among other recreational amenities, across New York State, in eleven distinct park regions. State Parks is proud to have just celebrated the system’s centennial. Every employee demonstrates a commitment to serving the public, to protecting natural, historic and cultural resources, to providing creative and innovative programs and services, and to excellence and professionalism.

Working under the supervision of the General Counsel’s Office, the Senior Attorney provides legal advice, assistance, and guidance to State Parks programs and administrative support divisions. State Parks’ program and divisions are as varied as its many parks and historic sites. They include Business Innovation, Capital Projects, Concessions, Emergency Management, Environmental Stewardship and Planning, Finance, Grants, Health & Safety, Historic Preservation, Marine Services, Park Police, Partnerships, Real Property, and the New York State Snowmobile Program, among others.

The candidates will provide legal advice and guidance in support of the agency’s multiple programs and operations, which may include:

• Providing legal counsel and recommendations to the various bureaus and regions regarding operations, procurement, concessions, partnership and stewardship programs, potential liabilities and other areas of legal concern.
• Drafting, reviewing and approving contracts.
• Assisting in development of internal policies and procedures.
• Developing legislative and regulatory proposals.
• Interpreting laws, rules, regulations and policies.
• Conducting legal research; analyzing legal opinions, briefs, and other documents.
• Advising on Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests and ethics inquiries under the Public Officers Law.
• Provide support on litigation and administrative proceedings involving State Parks.
• Coordinate with the Office of the Attorney General on matters requiring that office’s support and approval.
• Coordinate with the Office of the State Comptroller on matters requiring that office’s support and approval.
• Assist in State Parks’ real property transactions.
• Support the health and safety programs of State Parks Agency and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
• Provide legal guidance relating to law enforcement reports and criminal procedures and policies; research case law that may impact criminal investigations or law enforcement; and assist in developing training related to criminal and constitutional law.
• Provide legal guidance related to emergency preparedness and response.
• Provide legal guidance in connection with grant programs relating to the acquisition, development and planning of parks and recreational facilities.
• Lastly, the candidate may assist in other program areas or oversee special projects, as needed, and perform other duties as may be assigned by the General Counsel.

Minimum Qualifications NY HELPS Qualifications:
This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).*

To be considered for appointment through NY HELPS, or 55 b/c, candidates must meet the open-competitive minimum qualifications for this position. The qualifications are:

For appointment to the Assistant Attorney 1 you must have:
• Law school graduation and/or eligibility for the NYS Bar Admission.
For appointment to the Assistant Attorney 2 you must have:
• Admission to the NYS Bar.
For appointment to the Assistant Attorney 3 you must have:
• 12 months as an Assistant Attorney 2, OR Admission to the NYS Bar and 12 months of subsequent satisfactory legal experience.
For appointment to the Senior Attorney, you must have:
• 12 months as an Assistant Attorney 3, OR Admission to the NYS Bar and 24 months of subsequent satisfactory legal experience.

COMPETITIVE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Position may be filled at the Senior Attorney level or one within the Legal Traineeship appointment levels. Appointment title will be dependent upon qualifications of candidate selected.
Assistant Attorney 1 (SG-18):
• Law school graduation and/or eligibility for NYS Bar Admission
Assistant Attorney 2 (SG-20):
• Admission to NYS Bar
Assistant Attorney 3 (SG-22):
• 12 months as an Assistant Attorney 2, or Admission to the NYS Bar and 12 months of subsequent satisfactory legal experience
Senior Attorney (SG-25):
• 12 months as an Assistant Attorney 3, or Admission to the NYS Bar and 24 months of subsequent satisfactory legal experience

Position may be filled at the Senior Attorney level or one within the Legal Traineeship appointment levels. Appointment title will be dependent upon qualifications of candidate selected. Candidates hired at the trainee level will be advanced to the full performance Senior Attorney SG-25 following successful completion of the traineeship.

55-B/C QUALIFICATIONS:
This position may be designated 55 b/c and is subject to verification of applicant eligibility. For more information on this program, please visit the NYS Department of Civil Service website, 55b/c Recruitment Resources Center (ny.gov)

TRANSFER OPTIONS:
70.1 TRANSFER: For a 70.1 transfer to the Senior Attorney, SG-25, you must have one year of permanent competitive service in an approved 70.1 title allocated to a salary grade 23 or above.

52.6 TRANSFER: For a 52.6 transfer to the Senior Attorney, SG-25, you must have one year of permanent competitive service in an approved 52.6 title allocated to a salary grade 23 or above and must have 12 months as an Assistant Attorney 3 OR admission to the New York State Bar AND 24 months of subsequent satisfactory legal experience.

The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades. A comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.

NOTE: Admission to the New York State Bar and current registration to practice law in New York State is required for continued employment. Disbarment or loss of registration shall result in termination or suspension of employment.

Additional Comments Up to 50% telecommuting and compressed work schedules are negotiable after an evaluation period.

Traineeship salary information:
Assistant Attorney 1, equated to SG-18, starting salary: $66,951
Assistant Attorney 2, equated to SG-20, starting salary: $74,193
Assistant Attorney 3, equated to SG-22, starting salary: $82,326
Senior Attorney, SG-25, starting salary: $96,336

Appointees who work in Suffolk County or New York City will receive an additional $4,000 annual downstate adjustment.

BENEFITS:
Generous benefits package, worth approximately 65% of salary, including:
Paid Time Off:
• 44 days - 13 Vacation days, 13 Sick days, and 5 Personal Leave days, 13 Holidays.
• Three (3) days of professional leave annually to participate in professional development.
Health Care Benefits:
• Eligible employees and dependents can pick from a variety of affordable health insurance programs.
• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost.

Additional Benefits:
• New York State Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) Membership
• NYS Deferred Compensation
• Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, as well as U.S. Savings Bonds
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Paid Parental Leave

To learn more about our benefits, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/employment/benefits.aspx

*NY HELPS PROGRAM:
For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a permanent non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Employees appointed via the NY HELPS program are restricted for promotional appointment until their position is covered-in to the competitive class by the New York State Civil Service Commission (CSC), or they otherwise obtain permanent competitive status. The CSC has recently covered-in employees who were appointed via NY HELPS on a permanent or contingent permanent basis between June 26, 2024 and June 11, 2025. Notification to employees regarding a change in their status is forthcoming. You may wish to apply if you received a permanent NY HELPS appointment to a qualifying title within these timeframes and are interested in this opportunity. Your eligibility for promotion will be reviewed by Human Resources. Employees with a permanent NY HELPS appointment occurring effective 6/12/25 or later will be addressed with a subsequent cover-in.

If you have previous or current employment at a NYS agency, to be considered for this position, a review of your state history is needed. Please provide the last four digits of your social security number in your email response or on your resume. If you are not comfortable providing this information in your response, a representative from our office may contact you.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

How to Apply

Name Personnel Office/KW

Telephone

Fax

Email Address Employment@parks.ny.gov

Address

Street 625 Broadway

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12238

 

Notes on ApplyingPlease indicate which of the three locations you are interested in when applying.
• Albany Main Office: 625 Broadway, Albany NY 12238
• Long Island Administrative Headquarters: Belmont Lake State Park, 625 Belmont Ave, Babylon, NY 11702
• New York City: Harlem State Office Building, 163 West 125th St, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10027

When applying, provide cover letter explaining how your experience will prepare you to succeed in the position, a resume, and three professional references.

All documents must be received by March 30, 2026, and submitted via email to employment@parks.ny.gov.

Please use the email subject line: Senior Attorney - VID211183.
Failure to do so may result in a delay of processing your application.

Please submit your resume and cover letter as a Word or PDF attachment. We are unable to open documents from Google Docs, Google Drive, OneDrive, Apple Pages and/or “the cloud”.

It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume/email submission. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications above may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.

If you have previous or current employment at a NYS agency, to be considered for this position, a review of your state history is needed. Please provide the last four digits of your social security number in your email response or on your resume. If you are not comfortable providing this information in your response, a representative from our office may contact you.