Background Review Manager, Assigned Counsel Plan

ABOUT THE OFFICE: Pursuant to Article 18B of the County Law, the Assigned Counsel Plan (ACP), in consultation with the Presiding Justices of the Appellate Divisions in the First and Second Departments has been providing quality legal services to indigent persons since

• All services provided by the Office of the Assigned Counsel Plan are funded by the City of New York through the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. The ACP provides compensation to private attorneys for representing indigent clients charged with criminal offenses. Attorneys are assigned matters by the Court and the Administrator’s Office when a conflict exists prohibiting the institutional providers from providing representation.

About the Role:

Under the supervision of the Director of Ancillary and Expert Services for the Assigned Counsel Plan, the Background Review Manager will support the review, credentialing, roster maintenance, and vendor onboarding functions for ACP experts, interpreters, investigators, court reporters, and panel attorneys.

The Background Review Manager will conduct background and credential reviews, maintain accurate records in ACP systems, coordinate with internal and external partners, and help ensure that ACP vendors are properly reviewed, documented, and entered into the appropriate systems for assignment and payment.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct background investigations into the qualifications, public records, credentials, and criminal histories of ACP experts, interpreters, investigators, and other ancillary service providers who apply for inclusion on ACP rosters.
• Review new applications for completeness and verify that applicants possess the required licenses, certifications, credentials, and experience for the category in which they seek to be qualified. This includes checking the qualifications, public records and criminal histories of those already on the expert roster, as well as verifying the credentials of court reporters, panel attorneys who represent adults in Family Court matters and panel attorneys who represent clients in criminal cases.
• Review and verify credentials for individuals already listed on ACP rosters, including experts, interpreters, investigators, court reporters, and panel attorneys who represent adults in Family Court and clients in criminal cases.
• Confirm that required documentation has been provided by the appropriate panel directors or administrators before panel attorneys are added to ACP rosters or vendor systems.
• Create, update, and maintain vendor profiles and accounts in ACP Cases, the voucher payment and case management system used to process assignments, billing, and vendor payments.
• Maintain comprehensive electronic and/or physical files for ACP vendors, including licenses, certifications, disciplinary history, background review documentation, and other required records.
• Maintain accurate rosters of experts and ancillary service providers by category of expertise for use by panel attorneys seeking expert assistance in their cases.
• Transmit requests for criminal background checks to outside agencies and review information received in response.
• Prepare written reports summarizing background review findings for review by the Director of Ancillary and Expert Services.
• Meet with the Director of Ancillary and Expert Services to review findings and conduct additional follow-up or investigatory work as needed.
• Work with technical staff to generate, update, and maintain panel attorney and expert rosters.
• Transmit required vendor documentation to Department of Finance staff for the assignment of vendor numbers through the NYC Financial Management System.
• Assist in training experts and ancillary service providers on the use of ACP Cases for billing and related processes.
• Troubleshoot expert billing issues and coordinate with appropriate ACP, fiscal, technical, or Department of Finance staff as needed.
• Review judicial orders of assignment authorizing the use of expert services in criminal matters for accuracy and completeness.
• Manually enter approved expert service orders into ACP Cases when required.
• Provide feedback to ACP Cases system developers to support improvements in system efficiency, accuracy, reporting, and user experience.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

**PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR RESUME AND COVER LETTER SPECIFIC TO THIS POSITION

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
• High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge of principles and practices associated with professional background checks, credential review, or applicant vetting.
• Familiarity with criminal justice, court, indigent defense, legal services, or public-sector operations.
• Strong research, analytical, writing, proofreading, and documentation skills.
• Ability to review records carefully and identify missing, inconsistent, or incomplete information.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, internet research tools, LexisNexis, Access, case management systems, or other database platforms.
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and multitasking skills.
• Ability to take initiative, prioritize assignments, work independently and collaboratively, meet deadlines, and maintain accuracy under pressure.
• Strong customer service skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with attorneys, experts, vendors, court personnel, City staff, and external partners.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and ability to handle confidential or sensitive information appropriately.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally 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.