Civil Service Title: COMMUNITY ASSOCIATE

Level:       00

Title Code No:  56057

Salary:  $37,217.00 / $42,799.00* - $50,000.00

Office Title:  Court Navigator

Work location:  42 Broadway, New York, NY  

 

Division/Work Unit: Office of Labor Policy and Standards

Number of Positions: 1

Job ID: 415839

Hours/Shift: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCA licenses more than 81,000 businesses in more than 50 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources and, by helping to resolve complaints, DCA protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. Through its community outreach and the work of its offices of Financial Empowerment and Labor Policy & Standards, DCA empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need to be educated consumers and to achieve financial health and work-life balance. DCA also conducts research and advocates for public policy that furthers its work to support New York City’s communities. For more information about DCA and its work, call 311 or visit DCA at nyc.gov/dca or on its social media sites, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The Office of Labor Policy and Standards (“OLPS”) is responsible for enforcing the city’s municipal labor laws such as the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act, Fair Workweek Laws, Commuter Benefits Law, and the Freelance Isn’t Free Act. OLPS also works closely with stakeholders on outreach and public education efforts to reach vulnerable workers and conducts research and data analysis to support enforcement and make policy recommendations. OLPS’ Division of Paid Care assists workers submit complaints regarding federal, state, and local labor and employment law violations and helps the Office coordinate with other government agencies, worker advocacy groups, as well as community, labor, and employment organizations.

OLPS is seeking a highly organized and motivated person to be a Court Navigator for the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, which is a first-of-its-kind law that creates wage theft protections for freelance workers in New York City. This law allows freelance workers to file complaints with OLPS alleging violations of the law and establishes a court navigation program through which OLPS will provide information and assistance to freelance workers in New York City relating to the law, court system, court forms and services, employee and independent contractor status, and identification of attorneys. 

The Court Navigator will be a problem solver who will help ensure that freelance workers are paid for their work and will be the direct line of contact for freelance workers using the law to collect money owed to them. The court navigation program will not provide legal advice but will help manage complaints from freelance workers and connect freelance workers with the resources to enforce their rights in court.

 

Responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to:

 

·        Communicating with freelance workers from a wide range of industries by phone, email, and in person regarding complaints, court navigation, and informational surveys;

·        Using the OLPS’ case management systems to perform data entry and closely track complaints, responses, surveys, and survey responses;

·        Managing complaints from freelance workers and sending required notices, supporting documents, and surveys to freelance workers and hiring parties;

·        Communicating with hiring parties regarding complaints submitted by freelance workers;

·        Monitoring and tracking the filing of civil actions by freelance workers;

·        Assisting in development of easy-to-understand guides and other educational materials for freelance workers to understand their rights and the resources available to help pursue money owed to them through the civil court system and other forms of dispute resolution;

·        Providing information and assistance to freelance workers about their rights under the law, the court system, court resources, employee misclassification, and referrals to attorneys and other service providers;

·        Assisting with OLPS’ outreach and education program to inform both freelance workers and hiring parties about their rights and responsibilities under the law;

·        Assisting with OLPS’ overall intake and referral programs including but not limited to fielding calls from the public, conducting intake interviews over the phone and in person, performing data entry, taking complaints, and providing referral information on a variety of issues;

·        Assisting with other projects for OLPS as needed;

·        Working collaboratively with staff across OLPS’ investigation, enforcement, outreach, research, and policy teams.

1.     High school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community centered activities related to duties described above; or

2.      Education and/or experience which is equivalent to “1” above

PLEASE NOTE: New York City residency is required within 90 days of appointment. However, City employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

·        Knowledge of worker misclassification issues and experience identifying employee and independent contractor status;

·        Experience talking with members of the public about legal rights and responsibilities;

·        Public speaking and the ability to provide know-your-rights style presentations to both freelance workers and hiring parties;

·        Experience working with a complex case-management database and proficiency with Microsoft Office;

·        Ability to work cooperatively in a dynamic environment where a program is still under development;

·        Fluency in a language other than English. 

 

For Non-City/External Candidates: Visit the External Applicant NYC Careers site and type “Consumer Affairs” on the search line. Then locate the Job ID number.

For Current City Employees: Visit Employee Self Service (ESS) to view and click on Recruiting Activities, Careers, and search by Job ID number.

A RESUME AND COVER LETTER ARE REQUIRED.

 

*55-a Candidates: NYC Department of Consumer Affairs is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage 55-A candidates to apply to our positions in order to be given the opportunity.

 

**LOAN FORGIVENESS: The federal government provides student loan forgiveness through its Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) to all qualifying public service employees. Working with DCA qualifies you as a public service employee and you may be able to take advantage of this program while working full-time and meeting the program’s other requirements. Please visit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program site to view the eligibility requirements: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

 

Post Date: 10/07/2019

Post Until: 12/06/2019

JVN: 415839

 

DCA and the City of New York is an equal employment opportunity employer.