Job Description

About the Agency:

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development promotes quality and affordability in the city's housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love.

• We maintain building and resident safety and health

• We create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability

• We engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity.

HPD’s Office of Policy & Strategy (OPS) leverages its expertise to guide and support HPD and its many offices in their efforts to deepen their impact, optimize their efficiency, and become more data-driven, compliance-attentive, climate-adaptive, and mission-focused. To do so, OPS collaborates with staff and senior leadership from across the Agency, as well as with representatives from other Agencies. OPS carries out its work through delivery of rigorous data, policy, and financial/credit analysis; technical and statistical research; compliance awareness and adherence; and techniques in program visioning and design to all HPD’s areas of practice.

The Chief of Staff (COS) will report to the Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Policy and Strategy and will support the operations of the entire office. The COS will be primarily responsible for keeping the team organized and aligned around strategic priorities, creating structure for complicated and cross-sectional projects, supervising the executive office team, and tracking progress against short- and long-term deliverables. The COS will have the opportunity to work with team members at all levels, as well as engage with the agency’s senior leadership. They will work very closely with the Deputy Commissioner on a daily basis in a rigorous, growth-oriented, and supportive environment.

The Chief of Staff will:

• Help the Deputy Commissioner and OPS leadership identify priorities, strategically align their time with those, and revisit them regularly to assess progress;

• Work with the Deputy Commissioner and OPS leadership to translate the agency’s agenda into team priorities and work plans;

• Prepare for and coordinate highly effective and well-orchestrated internal and external meetings and manage follow up and follow through;

• Develop strong communication channels so that information flows across HPD offices throughout OPS and team members feel included, updated and aligned;

• Manage initiatives that help improve the effectiveness, coordination and inclusive culture of the entire team;

• Work with chiefs of staff from other offices and other team members on inter-office initiatives to advance OPS priorities and improve the agency’s effectiveness, coordination and inclusive culture;

• Supervise executive office team members providing leadership and support and ensuring growth opportunities for every member;

• Represent the Deputy Commissioner at internal and external meetings and events, as needed;

• Other priority initiatives for the Deputy Commissioner, as needed.

Preferred skills

The ideal candidate will be a/have:

• Orientation to systems and process-thinking, including a love for solving problems and creating structure and order and exceptional organizational and project management skills;

• Exceptional leadership and people skills, someone who builds relationships, influences others to achieve outcomes and thrives in a team environment;

• Strong written and verbal communication skills;

• Self-awareness, emotional intelligence and grit;

• Interest in professional growth and development, openness to learning new skills, taking on new challenges, giving and receiving feedback;

• Ability to adapt and work under pressure and restrictive deadlines, in an atmosphere of intense activity;

• Passion for public service;

• An equity lens and a deep commitment to radical inclusivity.

Qualifications

1.A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and three years of full-time satisfactory professional experience in the development, appraisal, financing, negotiation, or disposition of real estate, or in real estate law, or in urban planning or analytical or coordination work related to housing programs; or

2. A four year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and seven years of full-time satisfactory experience as described in "1" above; or

3.A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Graduate study in the field of urban studies, city planning, business or public administration, finance, architecture, engineering or other related fields may be substituted for up to one year of the required experience on the basis of 30 credits equaling one year of experience. Graduation from an accredited law school may be substituted for one year of the required experience. However, all candidates must have at least two years of experience as described above.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.