Attorney Manager (Private Property Blight Czar)

Graduation from a school of law approved by the American Bar Association; current membership in the Missouri Bar in good standing or licensure in another state with eligibility for reciprocity in Missouri; plus seven years of legal practice in municipal law, real estate litigation, code enforcement, receivership or municipal redevelopment. Qualifying experience must include proven ability to lead cross-departmental teams, convene external stakeholders and manage complex municipal policy initiatives. Preferences: Previous supervisory/management experience in a legal practice setting.

The City Counselor’s Office is seeking a highly qualified Attorney and operational leader to serve as Special Counsel to the Mayor for Vacancy (Private Property Blight Czar). This leadership role directs the City’s comprehensive vacant property enforcement strategy, serves as the single accountable leader for high priority blighted private properties citywide, and builds permanent institutional capacity to return vacant properties to productive use.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Legal Enforcement: Direct strategic code enforcement, implement the City’s receivership program, coordinate tax foreclosures, collections, and secondary legal remedies.
• Team Supervision and Operations: Supervise dedicated vacant property inspectors and coordinate operations with legal, inspection, paralegal, and data staff.
• Blight Czar Oversight: Serve as the single accountable leader focused on the top 100 privately owned blighted properties citywide, with a strategic emphasis on Northern St. Louis while addressing priorities across all wards.
• Cross-Agency Leadership: Convene and lead a cross-agency task force comprising key City departments, the Board of Aldermen, and essential partners, specifically Legal Services and the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC).
• Fund and Program Management: Oversee implementation of the Vacant Property Remediation Fund and establish long-term sustainable funding models for citywide vacancy reduction, including collaboration with the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA).
• Data Integration: Utilize Neighborhood Stat profiles, Citizens’ Service Bureau (CSB) complaint volumes, CityStat metrics, and Neighborhood Improvement Specialist (NIS) field assessments to drive targeted case selection and portfolio enforcement.

Other Duties as Assigned:

• Collateral and related duties will be assigned as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Utilization: Requires the ability to perform mid to upper-level data analysis including the ability to coordinate, strategize, systematize and correlate, using discretion in determining time, place and/or sequence of operations within an organizational framework. Requires the ability to implement decisions based on such data, and oversee the execution of these decisions.
• Human Interaction: Requires the ability to apply principles of negotiation within the context of legal guidelines.
• Equipment, Machinery, Tools and Materials Use: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or provide simple but continuous adjustment on equipment, machinery and tools such as a computer, calculator, copy and fax machines, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
• Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize reference, descriptive, consulting, design and advisory data and information such as legal briefs and opinions, statutes and ordinances, contracts, and legal research materials.
• Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; calculate percentages and decimals and may use basic algebra.
• Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or synthesis functions involving planning and directing of interrelated activities or multiple departments. Ability to deal with several concrete and abstract variables in working out approaches to major problems.
• Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the direction, control and planning of an entire program or multiple programs.
• Environmental Factors: Work is normally performed in an office environment under generally safe and comfortable conditions where exposure to irate individuals poses a very limited risk of injury.
• Physical Requirements: Tasks require the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work. Tasks may involve extended periods of visual concentration at a keyboard or workstation.
• Sensory Requirements: Requires the ability to recognize and identify individual characteristics of colors, shapes, and sounds, associated with job-related objects, materials and tasks.