ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL

Position No: 125-610

Position Title:  Director of Natural Resources and Native American Affairs

Salary Range: Commensurate with Experience. Click for Total Rewards Calculator

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Status: Full-Time with State Benefit Package Recruitment: Internal/External

Location: 500 North 9th Street, Bismarck, ND

Selecting Supervisor: Claire Ness, Chief Deputy Attorney General

Summary of Work:

The Attorney General is the chief legal officer for the state of North Dakota, and the Attorney General’s Office serves more than 70 state agencies, boards, and commissions, as well as the University System. The Attorney General is dedicated to deliver the highest quality professional and ethical legal services to state officials, agencies, and people of the state of North Dakota.

The Natural Resources and Native American Affairs Division, a division of the North Dakota Office of Attorney General, is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as the Director of the Division.  This position provides leadership, direction, and management for the Natural Resources and Native American Affairs (NRNA) Division within the Office of Attorney General. The NRNA Division delivers legal services to state agencies involved in the stewardship and regulation of North Dakota’s natural resources. These agencies include the Industrial Commission (comprised of the Governor, Attorney General, and Agriculture Commissioner) which oversees the State Mill and Elevator, Department of Mineral Resources, and Pipeline Authority; Department of Environmental Quality; Department of Water Resources; Parks and Recreation Department; Game and Fish Department; various commodity boards; and other related entities.

Key Responsibilities of the Director of NRNA include:

• Participating as a member of the Attorney General’s Office leadership team.
• Providing leadership, guidance, and strategic direction to the NRNA Division to ensure clients receive excellent legal services and to foster a collaborative, high‑performing team environment.
• Managing the division’s state and federal budgets.
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with state and federal partners.
• Overseeing administrative case management and tracking systems.
• Leading and participating in appellate advocacy.
• Managing outside counsel engagements.
• Researching proposed legislation and providing testimony at legislative hearings.
• Carrying out additional duties as assigned by the Attorney General.

Division staff, including the Director, have the opportunity to participate in local, regional, and national training courses on subjects relevant to their portfolios and on topics such as general counsel training, advanced litigation skills such as deposition training, appellate advocacy, e-discovery, and negotiations.

In addition to the monthly salary based upon experience and demonstrated competency, this position includes fully paid health insurance for employee and family, the option to participate in employee-paid dental and vision for employee and family, participation in the state NDPERS defined benefit retirement plans, as well as the option to participate in the 457 deferred compensation plan, and the option to contribute to a medical spending account.  The position also includes annual and sick leave benefits.

Employees in this position are eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

Location of Work:

This is an in-person position located in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Licensure to practice law in North Dakota is required no later than six months after acceptance of the position.
2. Three years or more of legal experience. Five years or more is highly preferred.
3. Experience supervising employees is preferred.
4. Excellent analytical and advocacy skills.
5. Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage detailed information efficiently and accurately.
6. Demonstrated leadership ability with strong skills in planning, organizing, coordinating, directing, and overseeing
7. High ethical standards.
8. Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills.
9. Ability to establish and maintain effective and collegial working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, employees, client agencies, legislators, and the public.
10. Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
11. Successful completion of the interview process, reference checks, consumer credit, and standard background and criminal record checks to determine the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform Director tasks.

 About TeamND

“Far and away the best prize life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

More than 7,500 talented, hard-working people across sixty-three agencies have come together as Team North Dakota. At Team ND, we are driven to succeed through gratitude, humility, curiosity and courage. Our purpose is to empower people, improve lives, and inspire success. Join us in being legendary.

Total Rewards: The State of North Dakota is committed to providing team members with a strong and competitive rewards package that support you, your health and your family.

Considering a new position on Team ND? How does your current position stack up? Use our Total Rewards Calculator to estimate.

Application Procedures

 Applicants are screened based on qualifications, successful completion of the interview process and a background and criminal investigation. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. The Office of Attorney General does not provide sponsorships.

Application package must be received by 11:59 PM on the closing date listed on the opening. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED

ONLINE AT: www.nd.gov/careers

Documents to be submitted:

• Resume
• Cover letter with a summary that clearly explains how the applicant’s work experience is related to the summary of work and minimum/preferred qualifications
• 3 Professional References
• Law School Transcripts (copies or unofficial versions are acceptable for the initial application process but when the top candidate is given a conditional employment offer, they are required to present official transcripts)

The North Dakota Office of Attorney General prohibits candidates from plagiarizing any portion of their employment application and interview process to include responses to questions in which you must provide a narrative and/or verbal response.  You must create your own responses originally and not copy or adapt them from other sources.  While the North Dakota Office of Attorney General encourages you to create your narratives and interview responses with great care, including correct use of grammar and style, you are prohibited from using any artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool, to include but not limited to ChatGPT.  Any information you provide during the application and interview process is subject to verification.  The North Dakota Office of Attorney General will discontinue your candidacy if we find you have violated this prohibition on use of AI tools in the application and interview process.

All hiring decisions are subject to approval by the Attorney General.  No offer of employment is final or binding until approved by the Attorney General.

Anyone needing assistance or accommodations during any part of the application or interview process please contact Ashley, Office of Attorney General: E-mail: aeisenbeis@nd.gov; phone: (701) 328-1256 or TTY: 1-800-366-6888.

• Learn more about Office of Attorney General at: https://attorneygeneral.nd.gov/
• Learn more about Employment Benefits

at: https://www.nd.gov/omb/public/careers/team-nd-benefits

• Visit North Dakota State government: http://www.nd.gov

To learn more about living in North Dakota, visit https://findthegoodlife.com

Equal Employment Opportunity

 The State of North Dakota and this hiring agency do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), genetics, religion, age or disability in employment or the provisions of services and complies with the provisions of the North Dakota Human Rights Act.

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 23-12-10.