Jobs

Job Vacancy

General Counsel (revised/repost)

Opening Date: February 27, 2024    Closing Date: Open until filled     Expected Start Date: Two weeks from date of offer

Starting Salary: $100,000-$135,000

Job Description

The General Counsel provides legal services for the agency, serving as a member of Sunset’s executive team to provide information and advice about legal issues impacting the agency. The General Counsel helps to ensure the Sunset Advisory Commission meetings are conducted in accordance with all relevant requirements, including open government laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Texas parliamentary procedure. 

Unlike a traditional General Counsel role, the Sunset General Counsel assists Sunset’s review teams with their evaluations of state agencies for efficiency, effectiveness, fairness, and accountability. The General Counsel does this by interpreting relevant state laws and conducting legal research and analysis to support review teams’ development of their report findings and recommendations. Areas of focus include:

• Becoming familiar with the statutes and rules of state agencies under Sunset review.
• Identifying other applicable laws relevant to the review of a state agency (e.g., federal law or another state agency’s statute).
• Responding to policy analyst questions including those related to statutes, contracts, attorney general opinions, open records, administrative law processes (e.g., rulemaking, contested cases), and confidentiality agreements.

To give policy analysts a general understanding of legal topics related to state agencies, the General Counsel provides high-level staff training on topics such as: 

• Reading state statutes and rules.
• The legislative process.
• State statutes including the Administrative Procedure Act, Open Meetings Act, and Public Information Act. 
• Open records decisions and letter rulings. 
• Attorney general opinions.
• The General Counsel serves as a liaison to the Texas Legislative Council for bill drafting and analyses, and to other legislative oversight agencies as needed. 

We are a fun, hard-working team of intellectually curious people who believe in our mission to improve government operations. The Sunset Commission is an equal opportunity employer.

Required Qualifications 

Education and Licensure

• Juris Doctor degree and active State of Texas Bar license in good standing.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of state constitution, statutes, and rules of statutory construction. 
• Knowledge of House and Senate rules and legislative drafting principles.
• Knowledge of Texas public information and open meetings laws and requirements.
• Knowledge of the Texas Administrative Procedure Act, including the state agency rulemaking and contested case processes.
• Knowledge of human resources law as it pertains to a Texas state agency.
• Skill to conduct reliable legal research.
• Skill to produce requests for attorney general opinions, responses to public information requests, and any legal materials necessary to help represent Sunset in litigation.
• Ability to manage time to handle competing work priorities.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive agency matters.
• Ability to provide legal counsel and advice to the Executive Director and Sunset Commission members, and others as needed in a professional and respectful manner.

Benefits

• State of Texas benefits package, including health insurance, employer-matched retirement plan, and paid vacation and sick leave. Dental, vision, and disability insurance; health and dependent care savings accounts; 401(K); and an employee assistance program are also available. 
• Small, professional office located in the Capitol Complex in downtown Austin with parking. 
• Hybrid remote work based on needs of job. 
• Merit increases, bonuses, and opportunities to advance based on individual performance and initiative. 
• Emphasis on professional development, both through in-house training and opportunities to attend external training sessions, workshops, and seminars.
• $2,000 relocation bonus for new hires residing 250 miles or more from Austin, TX.

How to Apply

Our initial application process has two steps. Please read the following instructions carefully before you begin the process.

Step 1

Please submit the following documents to sunset@sunset.texas.gov in Word or PDF format.

1. State of Texas application
2. Your resume 
3. Three references with email addresses and phone numbers

If you do not provide all three documents, your application will not be considered further. Please do not submit a cover letter.

Step 2

Applicants who meet the minimum requirements will receive a confirmation email containing three questions designed to assess their interest in Sunset and approach to the job. You will receive the email within one business day of submitting the documents required under Step 1. Please be sure to check your spam folder for any correspondence from Sunset.

To be considered further, you must submit your responses to the three questions within 48 hours of the email timestamp. Please do not start the application process unless you will have time to answer the questions within the required timeframe. Once submitted, you will not be allowed to revise your responses.

What Happens Next?

A selection committee of Sunset staff will evaluate and score the responses. Based on their qualifications and responses, selected applicants will then be interviewed and undergo a background check.

Hiring Schedule

Sunset typically posts job announcements during the summer after a legislative session (odd-numbered years). However, hiring for Policy Analysts occasionally occurs at other times. Hiring for administrative staff is on an as-needed basis. Information about upcoming hiring and all job postings will be on this page and Work in Texas as soon as available. Please check back regularly.

Policy Analyst Description

Policy Analysts work in teams to review and evaluate the operations of Texas state agencies. Key job duties include developing background research, participating in interviews, analyzing policy and program issues, and developing recommendations to improve agencies under review. Experience in or knowledge of state government and the legislative process, and Masters-level education are preferred.