Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives

The Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives will serve as a key member of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS), contributing to the implementation of MOS’s strategic goals and priorities. The Deputy Director will be responsible for integrating environmental justice and workforce development perspectives into the City’s sustainability planning and decision-making processes. Additionally, the Deputy Director will lead a team of policy advisors working with agency partners to ensure the City’s climate policies are implemented on time and on budget. The ideal candidate is a visionary sustainability-minded professional who fosters interagency collaboration, can advance data driven analyses that inform decision-making, and most importantly, will lead a multi-talented team. They will have experience in and/or knowledge of urban planning, environmental policy, public administration, community and economic development, or related fields, and ideally has had prior experience working with multiple government agencies in the City of New York and using a systems approach to effect change.

The Deputy Director will be passionate about sustainable urban development, the betterment of New York City neighborhoods, and advancing the adoption of new technologies in urban policy and government. The ideal candidate will be capable of guiding the development and delivery of data products, analytical tools, planning analyses, and presentations to the senior most members of government. They will have a proven track record of managing interdisciplinary teams, and will demonstrate extensive experience in building lasting partnerships inside and outside their organization to extend their team’s reach.

The position reports to the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and will oversee a team of two Policy Advisors. The selected candidate will be part of a friendly and dynamic team, and be willing to adapt as priorities change.

Key Responsibilities

General:

¿Think creatively to design organizational solutions that enable new sustainability innovations and policy solutions that reduce systemic inequality and build individual and community sustainability;

¿Lead the development and implementation of programs designed to improve the sustainability, health, equity, and resiliency of New Yorkers;
¿In collaboration with the MOS Director and other internal and external stakeholders, lead the development, execution and management of policies and programs to further the City’s OneNYC goals;
¿Supervise directly two team members and work with a team of 20+ staff, providing thought partnership to maximize intra team collaboration and project synergies;
¿Provide timely updates to the MOS Director and other stakeholders on the status of policies, unanticipated challenges and strategies for addressing those challenges;
¿Stay abreast of the issues, systems and policies impacting the sustainability of New York City and of new ideas, technologies and research;
¿Draft, proofread and/or edit a range of materials, including but not limited to requests for proposals, grant proposals, publications, reports, program documents, policy memos, and presentations;
¿Implement and manage special projects as needed.

Environmental Justice:

¿Discuss and explore the links between sustainability, environmental quality, and social justice to promote dialogue, increased understanding and appropriate action;

¿Provide leadership, direction, and guidance on environmental justice priorities for MOS

¿Research, develop, and recommend ways to integrate environmental justice into the City’s climate goals, initiatives, and programs.

¿Build and manage relationships with community based organizations, environmental justice groups, and other external stakeholders.

Partnerships:

¿Build and manage relationships with City agencies, community based organizations, funders, grantees, and other external stakeholders and act as a liaison internally with other agencies and Mayor’s Offices.
¿Create strong collaborations across agencies to drive the City’s sustainability priorities.

Minimum Qual Requirements

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory, full-time experience of a nature to qualify for the duties of the position, at least 18 months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity or supervising personnel performing activities related to the duties of the position; or

2. Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” above. However, all candidates must have the 18 months of administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory experience described in “1” above.

Preferred Skills

¿ Proven experience effectively managing teams and supporting team members in achieving ambitious objectives;
¿ Demonstrated success using a systems approach to affect change and develop and evaluate program models, select and successfully operationalizing innovative programs, and manage a team of diverse skill sets;
¿ Ability to leverage data to drive program planning and implementation;
¿ Proven ability to successfully manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously and to organize and drive projects to timely completion;
¿ Experience and proven ability to cultivate partnerships with diverse stakeholders including elected officials, local businesses, advocacy organizations, think tanks, community groups, etc.;
¿ Excellent organizational and communication (written and oral) skills;
¿ Outstanding analytic and problem-solving skills; a creative thinker and self-starter; highly flexible;
¿ Attention to detail and ability to work quickly under pressure while still ensuring a high quality work product;
¿ Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and G Suite.
¿ A graduate degree from an accredited college in city planning, urban planning, public policy, law, urban design, architecture, transportation engineering, public administration, economic development, energy, engineering, or related fields.

To Apply

Please go to http://www.nyc.gov/careers and search for Job ID # 425567

For current City employees please go to http://www.nyc.gov/ess and log into Employee Self Service.
NO PHONE CALLS, FAXES OR PERSONAL INQUIRIES PERMITTED. NOTE: ONLY THOSE CANDIDATES UNDER CONSIDERATION WILL BE CONTACTED

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.