Legislative Director/Counsel

Job Description:

Senator Elect Grace Lee (Senate District 27) is building her incoming Senate office and seeks an experienced, strategic, and detail-oriented Legislative Director/Senior Counsel.

Senator Elect Grace Lee will represent Senate District 27 beginning in January 2027. The district covers Lower Manhattan, including Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Tribeca, the Financial District, and parts of the West Village. Her agenda is focused on cutting costs for working families, affordable housing, environmental conservation, healthcare, funding public schools, expanding social services, and providing excellent constituent services.

The Legislative Director/Senior Counsel leads the office’s legislative, legal, and budget work in Albany. They manage competing priorities and timelines, solve problems, and keep the Senator and Chief of Staff updated on every active project. This position reports to the Chief of Staff.

Daily work and responsibilities will vary, but the primary responsibilities include:

• Lead the Senator’s legislative agenda. Develop priorities and strategy with the Senator and Chief of Staff, and turn them into bills, budget requests, and advocacy campaigns.
• Draft and advance legislation. Work with the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission, write sponsor memos and co-sponsorship requests, secure Assembly sponsors, and move bills through committee and to the floor.
• Provide legal analysis and advice. Review bill language for legal soundness, analyze how proposals interact with existing statutes, regulations, and case law, draft amendments, and advise the Senator on the legal implications of bills, budget language, and votes.
• Manage the Senator’s work in Albany. Track bills, committee agendas, and the floor calendar. Prepare the session binder, briefing memos, talking points, and floor remarks. Staff the Senator in committee meetings, conference, and floor debate.
• Advance the Senator’s budget priorities. Analyze the Executive Budget and the Senate one-house budget, and advocate for district funding and policy priorities through budget negotiations.
• Build and manage coalitions with advocates, unions, community organizations, Senate colleagues, and Senate Majority staff, and represent the office in meetings.
• Coordinate with state and city agencies on policy and implementation. Work with the district office to turn constituent and community issues into legislative solutions.
• Supervise legislative staff, fellows, and interns.
• Draft correspondence, presentations, and other materials as needed.

Qualifications:

Ideal candidates will possess:

• A minimum of two years of full-time legislative or legal experience in government, campaigns, or advocacy, or law. Experience with the New York State legislative and budget process is strongly preferred.
• For the Legislative Director title: a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. A master’s in public policy or public administration is a plus.
• For the Senior Counsel title: a J.D. and admission to the New York State Bar, or pending admission. Experience with legislative drafting, statutory interpretation, or legal research is a plus.
• Knowledge of New York City and New York State politics and of the district’s priority issues.
• Exceptional writing skills, including bill memos, briefings, and talking points, with a very high level of attention to detail.
• Experience working directly with an elected official or principal.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with advocates, colleagues’ offices, and key stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage simultaneous projects, prioritize, and meet tight and unpredictable deadlines.
• Supervisory experience.
• Strong public speaking and interpersonal skills.
• Flexibility about work hours, including long session days and occasional evenings and weekends.
• Professional working proficiency in Cantonese, Mandarin, or Spanish is a plus.

Benefits:

• Compensation is commensurate with experience; $75,000 - $90,000 per year.
• Excellent government benefits include:
  • Personal, sick, and vacation time, as well as paid state holidays
  • State pension and deferred compensation plan
  • Health, life, vision, and dental insurance
  • Health savings account
  • Pre-tax transit benefit

Position Details: This is a full-time position based in Albany or the Lower Manhattan district office, with regular travel to Albany during session. The start date is on or about January 4, 2027.

To Apply: Email a resume to sd27jobs@gmail.com with the subject line “Legislative Director/Counsel.”

The New York State Senate is an Equal Opportunity Employer: We do not permit discrimination based on race, age, creed, color, religion, gender/sex, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, national origin, predisposing genetic characteristics, or physical or mental disability, domestic violence victim status, arrest/criminal conviction record, pregnancy and related conditions, gender identity or expression, sexual harassment, immigration status, or hair texture or protective hairstyles.

• Compensation is commensurate with experience; $75,000 - $90,000 per year.
• Excellent government benefits include:
  • Personal, sick, and vacation time, as well as paid state holidays
  • State pension and deferred compensation plan
  • Health, life, vision, and dental insurance
  • Health savings account
  • Pre-tax transit benefit