Senior Staff Counsel, LACERA (Transactions and Investments)

This examination will remain open until LACERA's hiring needs are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:Open Competitive Job Opportunity

EXAMINATION INFORMATION:Examination Number: 9-9213-K, Job Bulletin Number: 26-10

COMPENSATION:$16,021.72 - $24,250.16 Monthly. This position is subject to the provisions of the County's Management Appraisal and Performance Plan (MAPP). A 4.5% salary increase is approved and will be retro to January 1, 2026.

BENEFITS: LACERA offers a comprehensive benefits package including a cafeteria benefit plan (14.5% - 17% of monthly base salary), annual leave, defined benefit retirement plan, Savings Plan (401k), Deferred Compensation Plan (457), 13 paid holidays per year, savings plan, tuition reimbursement, hybrid work schedule, and a ride share program.

ABOUT LACERA:

The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA)administers and manages the $91 billion retirement fund for the County of Los Angeles. We provide retirement, disability, and death benefits to eligible County Employees and their Beneficiaries, and collect, deposit, invest, and manage retirement funds collected from the County, Outside Districts, and County Employees. LACERA is one of the largest county retirement associations in the United States with over 194,000 members. Our Membership is comprised of individuals from a diverse range of careers, age groups, and ethnicity - all contributing to the greater welfare of Los Angeles County. LACERA also manages the $4.5 billion OPEB Master Trust whose purpose is to pre-fund OPEB Program medical, dental, and vision benefits for participating employers.

LACERA is located in Gateway Plaza at 300 North Lake Avenue in the beautiful City of Pasadena. The building is easily accessible from the Foothill Freeway (210) and the Metro Lake Station. We offer convenient free parking for staff members in our secure structure adjacent to the building in addition to a robust rideshare program providing commuting alternatives such as ride-matching, vanpool, carpool, parking services and more. Prioritizing health, well-being, and sustainability, Gateway Plaza is a Class “A” office building, LEED Gold Certified and EPA Energy Star Certified. With a Walkability Score of 91, LACERA staff members easily enjoy the approximately 150 shops, food, and dining options that makeup the popular South Lake Avenue District.

Our members dedicate their careers contributing to the welfare of Los Angeles County. For their service, the County contributes to their promised benefits, and LACERA is dedicating to serving them in return throughout their career and their life afterwards.

Our Core Values: I ACT(Integrity, Inclusivity, Innovation, Accountability, Collaboration, and Transparency), serve as our cultural guide and foundation in meeting our mission. As a member-focused government agency, we abide by our core values to ensure the public's trust, operate efficiently and cost effectively, and provide our members with their promised benefits.


ABOUT THE POSITION:

The current vacancy in the Commercial Contracts Section of the Legal Division is an important position of responsibility in support of LACERA's various divisions. The Legal Division is comprised of a Chief Counsel, a Legislative Affairs Officer, Senior Staff Counsels, Staff Counsels, Legal Analysts, Legal Secretaries, and will soon add a Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. Legal staff work in one of four sections: Litigation, Transactions/Investments, Benefits, and Disability. This position will work in the Transactions/Investments Section, reporting to the Chief Counsel.

SENIOR STAFF COUNSEL ROLE:
The Senior Staff Counsel position reports to LACERA's Chief Counsel. The role of Senior Staff Counsel includes:

• Providing LACERA staff with practical legal advice relating to contract terms, RFPs, policies and procedures and commercial transactions.
• Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating documentation for commercial transactions, including IT and technology agreements (SaaS agreements, software license, data privacy terms) HR contracts, confidentiality agreements, and service agreements (vendor and consultant agreements).
• Hiring and supervising internal staff assigned to commercial transactions.
• Advise of risk management: identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks associated with commercial transactions, policies and operations by providing strategic counsel to leadership and stakeholders.
• Legal support on a wide range of transactional matters.
• Drafting memos, policies, and procedures to the Board of Retirement, including those related to compliance, risk assessment, data security and vendor management.
• Presenting to the Board of Retirement and Investmentsas necessary.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams such as IT, Administrative Services and HR.
• Develop, review, and maintain legal templates, policies, and procedures.
• Respond to Public Records Act requests from the public.

VACANCY INFORMATION:
The current vacancy is in the Commercial Contracts Section of the Legal Division. The resulting Eligible Register can be used to fill both current and future vacancies throughout the Legal Division.

Work Schedule: This full-time position is required to work a 5/40 schedule (e.g. an eight (8) hour day, Monday through Friday). LACERA offers a hybrid work environment, and this position may be eligible to telework up to three (3) days per week depending on the needs of the office.

This position is exempt as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime. This position may require working evenings, weekends, and holidays.To view the complete job description for this classification,please clickSenior Staff Counsel, LACERA.

*This classification specification is currently under review to determine whether a driver's license is needed to carry out the job-related essential job functions.SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:

Option 1:
One (1) year of experience as Staff Counsel, LACERA.
- OR -
Option 2:
Four (4) years’ experience in the practice of contract law.

Other Requirements:Applicants must be able to perform the essential functions of this classification, with or without a reasonable accommodation.

LICENSE:
Admission to practice law in all courts of California**

PHYSICAL CLASS II:
2 - Light. Physical effort which may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit, and occasional bending, walking, stooping or squatting. Incumbents sit for extended periods of time. Work is performed in an office environment in a controlled climate.DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Demonstrated first-hand experience independently:

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements and documentsfor commercial transactions, including IT and technology agreements (SaaS agreements, software license, data privacy terms), HR contracts, confidentiality agreements, service agreements (vendor and consultant agreements), and other commercial contracts.
• Providing advice regarding risk management, including identifying, assessing, and mitigating legal risks associated with commercial transactions, policies and operations.
• Providing training to senior leadership and staff on development of clear and complete scopes of work, performance standards and service levels, preferred contract terms, and negotiating strategies based on organizational needs across all areas of commercial contracting within a complex business organization.
• Drafting memos, policies, and procedures as well as presenting to senior leadership including board members on contracting trends, compliance, risk assessment, data security and vendor management.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams such as Information Technology, Information Security, Procurement, Human Resources, and Executive Office.
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating documentation for various investment transactions, including private equity, hedge funds, and real estate.

To receive credit for the above desirable qualifications, your application must clearly describe your experience.

Knowledge of:Legal principles and precedents, as it relates to commercial transactions and contracts laws as well as laws affecting technology contracts including software licensing and SaaS agreements, warranties and data protection and privacy laws, cybersecurity requirements and best practices; California public records and open meeting laws and disclosure requirements; laws governing California public pension fund systems; procurement processes, risk management, insurance related considerations; data handling processes, the Political Reform Act of 1974 and related regulations; computerized legal research tools such as Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw; principles and practices of correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary; time management and organizational techniques; interpersonal skills using tact, patience, and courtesy; customer service skills; principals and applications of the Microsoft Office Applications including Word and Excel.

Ability to:Provide independent practical legal advice, support, and oversight related to commercial transactions; review, draft, and negotiate documents and commercial contracts for a wide range of subject matters including IT, HR and vendor agreements,; communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing, including making public presentations to the Board of Retirement; maintain effective relationships with the public, the Boards, Executive Leadership and staff; research and analyze legal issues, assess risks, and distill into succinct business advice; set priorities effectively and oversee multiple projects in a fast-paced environment; work well under time constraints and meet deadlines; balance competing priorities without sacrificing quality, think strategically by anticipating legal and business challenges and aligning solutions with organizational goals, problem solve by finding practical, business-oriented resolutions to complex issues, take initiative by proactively identifying opportunities for process improvement and risk mitigation, produce accurate, complete, and legally sound work that reflects good judgment assess risks by evaluating potential legal and operational risks with clarity and foresight; effectively negotiate and advocate; understand and follow oral and written directions; provide oversight, leadership, and work effectively with to a diverse team of internal staff, outside counsel, and executives; work with minimum supervision; plan and organize their work and the work of others; and establish and maintain effective working relationships with other staff internally and externally.


SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION
**All applicants must submit the following with their online application at the time of filing, or within 15 calendar days from the application submission date:

A copy of a valid and active California Bar card with a visible watermark of the year -OR-a printed copy of the member profile information from the State Bar of California website, with an "Active" status designation.Applications received without this required documentation will be rejected as incomplete.

EXAMINATION CONTENT

This examination process will consist of an evaluation of training and experience based on application information, desirable qualifications, and supplemental questionnaire weighted 100%.

Those candidates which are determined eligible for hire under the Los Angeles County's Civil Services Rules may be invited to the selection process which may be comprised of a selection interview to determine the candidate's fit for the position and/or job-related assessments.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND ACHIEVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70% OR HIGHER ON THE WEIGHTED PORTIONS OF THE EXAMINATION IN ORDER TO BE PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE REGISTER.

Passing this examination and being placed on the eligible register does not guarantee an offer of employment.

Those candidates which are determined eligible for hire under the Los Angeles County's Civil Services Rules may be invited to the selection process which may be comprised of a selection interview(s) and/or job-related assessment(s).
EXAMINATIONNOTIFICATIONSAll notifications including invitation letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address.
Please addsnorton@lacera.gov, andinfo@governmentjobs.com, to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.Test scores/results cannot be given over the telephone.
DO NOTselect "Off" under Email Preferences within your profile or click "Unsubscribe" on our notices if you would like LACERA to notify you regarding your application status, test schedules, and other important information pertaining to your candidacy for this position.
LACERA will not consider claims of not viewing or receiving notification to be a valid reason for late test administration or rescheduling of a test component.

Please note, if you opt out of receiving emails, you can visit governmentjobs.com, log into your profile and check your inbox. The inbox retains a copy of all emails sent, for your records. To ensure that our emails are filtered into your "junk" or "bulk" folder, please addgovernmentjobs.com andlacera.gov to your list of trusted senders.

ELIGIBLEINFORMATIONThe names of candidates receiving a passing grade will be placed on the eligible register, in the order of their score group, for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of promulgation.
Note: We may use an alternate banding method in line with Civil Service Rule 11.01(D).

APPLICATIONANDFILINGINFORMATION

Application must be submitted online.Applicants can check the status of their applications at any time by logging into their account on www.governmentjobs.com.

Failure to provide complete information on the employment application and on the supplemental questionnaire will impact the assessment of an applicant's qualifications and acceptance in the selection process.

The acceptance of an employment application depends upon whether or not an applicant has provided adequate information that clearly demonstrates meeting the Selection Requirements for the position as stated above. Please complete the application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and completely. The information provided in the supplemental questionnaire must be reflected in the application to be considered.

Applications submitted without the complete work history and the supplemental questions completed in their entirety will be rejected as incomplete. "See application" or "See resume" or copy and paste of work experience is not sufficient or qualifying responses.

Resumeswillnotbeacceptedinlieuofthecompletedapplicationorsupplementalquestionnaire.

EDUCATION:

In the space provided for education, include the names and addresses of schools attended, and number of credits, degree, and/or certificate(s) earned.

In order to receive credit for any college course work, or college degree, such as an Associate, Bachelor, Master, Doctorate degree, or for completion of a certificate program, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma, official and/or unofficial transcripts, or an official letter from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization or official certificate(s) at the time of filing or within ten (10) business days from application submission date.

Applicants must provide the appropriate attachments during the application submission, email the documentation tohumanresources@lacera.gov within ten (10) business days of filing. Failure to provide the appropriate documentation may result in your application being rejected as incomplete and will be removed from consideration.

Accreditation Information: Accredited institutions are those listed in publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE)
Applicants must provide the appropriate attachments during application submission, email the documentation tohumanresources@lacera.govwithin ten (10) business days of filing. Please include the examination title and number on the documentation.
Failure to provide the appropriate documentation may result in your application being rejected as incomplete and will be removed from consideration.
Work Experience:

Your employment history should be listed in order beginning with the most recent.

For each job held, provide the name and address of your employer, your job titles, beginning and end dates, description of work performed, salary earned, and reason for leaving.

If you have worked in more than one position for one employer, please list each job title and/or area of assignment separately to demonstrate your experience in various assignments/occupational areas.

Part-time experience will be evaluated based on its fractional equivalent of a 40-hour workweek. All required experience must be paid.

All required experience must be paid.

This position may require working evenings, weekends, and holidays.

TO APPLY ONLINE GO TO:www.lacera.gov and click on the Careers link, orwww.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacera.Faxed, emailed, or hard copy (paper) applications will not be accepted.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIESFor candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
Candidate(s) who complete examination process with acceptable results will be considered by the Department hiring authority. Upon a conditional offer of employment, a comprehensive background investigation will be conducted, which includes verification of experience, and/or education, credit history, and fingerprinting through the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please note that all information included in the application materials is subject to VERIFICATION at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. FALSIFICATION of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION or RESCISSION OF APPOINTMENT. Utilizing verbiage from the Classification Specification, Selection Requirements, and/or Desirable Qualificationsserving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED. Applications may be rejected at any stage of the examination process.
SPECIAL INFORMATION
Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO)
LACERA is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. LACERA will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.
Requests for accommodation:humanresources@lacera.gov
Teletype Telephone: (800) 899-4099
Department Contact Name: Sharon Norton
Department Email: humanresources@lacera.gov