Job Description

About the Agency:

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) 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 is entrusted with fulfilling these objectives through the goals and strategies of Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, Mayor Adams’ comprehensive housing framework. To support this important work, the administration has committed $5 billion in new capital funding, bringing the 10-year planned investment in housing to $22 billion the largest in the city’s history. This investment, coupled with a commitment to reduce administrative and regulatory barriers, is a multi-pronged strategy to tackle New York City’s complex housing crisis, by addressing homelessness and housing instability, promoting economic stability and mobility, increasing homeownership opportunities, improving health and safety, and increasing opportunities for equitable growth.

Your Team:

The Office of Neighborhood Strategies (ONS) is charged with ensuring that HPD’s development and preservation efforts are guided by meaningful community engagement and coordinated with public investments in infrastructure and services, as put forth in the Mayor's Housing Plan. ONS is composed of two divisions and a cross-divisional unit reporting to the Associate Commissioner:

• The Division of Neighborhood Development & Stabilization (ND&S) leads the agency's commitment to neighborhood planning and strategic preservation through engagement with tenants, landlords, community leaders, and neighborhood stakeholders as we work to enable strong and healthy neighborhoods anchored by affordable housing.

• The Division of Planning & Predevelopment (P&P) is central to developing and managing HPD's housing production pipeline from project proposal phases through the land use review and entitlement process, to ensure that HPD's investments contribute to building strong, healthy, resilient neighborhoods in all five boroughs.

• The Strategic Initiatives Unit leads special ONS initiatives and provides essential technical, planning, and policy support to staff and the Deputy Commissioner of Neighborhood Strategies.

Your Impact:

As the Executive Director of Tenant and Owner Support Programs, you will lead a talented group of professionals in the Division of Neighborhood Development & Stabilization helping to ensure that HPD’s strategies and programs related to neighborhood planning, strategic preservation, and tenant and owner outreach/education strengthen the social, economic, and physical health of neighborhoods in a coordinated, holistic, and equity-driven manner. The Executive Director will report to the Assistant Commissioner for Neighborhood Development and Stabilization.

Your Role:

Your role will be to manage approximately 15 thoughtful, engaged project managers and planners organized into three teams:

• The Tenant Engagement and Special Projects Unit develops, advocates for, and implements innovative strategies to protect tenants from displacement, support struggling homeowners, and preserve affordability. The Unit collaborates with a wide range of community stakeholders to develop data-driven strategies that target neighborhoods with discrete housing challenges, and to ensure that HPD programs and policies reflect community needs and contribute to stable and equitable neighborhoods.

• The Owner Engagement and Events Unit informs New York City homeowners and landlords of their housing rights and responsibilities, and of the variety of governmental and non-profit organizational resources that are available to improve and maintain healthy, safe, and affordable housing. Outreach and education are accomplished through community resource fairs and clinics, participation in community events, property-management and healthy homes classes, and digital media. This unit also houses the Zombie Homes initiative and implements Local Law 125 of 2023, which mandated the formation of the Office of the Homeowner Advocate at HPD.

• The HPD Navigators Unit is a customer service team for all of HPD but housed within the Office of Neighborhood Strategies. Navigators answer inquiries that come from members of the public, either directly through the agency’s main phone line and email – 212-863-6300 (x6300) and askhpd@hpd.nyc.gov – or as referrals from HPD staff, other City agency staff, or partners. Additionally, Navigators serve as the face of HPD at public events.

Your Responsibilities:

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT

• Ensure compliance with Local Law 125 of 2023, which mandated the formation of the Office of the Homeowner Advocate at HPD.

• Oversee the development and implementation of strategies to proactively preserve affordable housing and ensure tenants and homeowners are protected from displacement:

o Provide guidance to the Directors concerning work plans and program budgets, procurement processes, monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, and communication strategies

o Obtain input from and build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders

o Identify and address risks, involving senior management and stakeholders as needed

• Key initiatives overseen by the Executive Director include the citywide Homeowner Help Desk, Partners in Preservation, HPD Navigator Program, and the Zombie Homes Initiative.

STAFF MANAGEMENT & COACHING

• Coach three Directors to be effective managers and leaders within HPD and the communities that we serve

• Identify staffing needs and lead hiring processes

• Create and maintain efficient operational procedures and drive innovations focused on internal operations of the three units

• Sign off on all deliverables before they leave the units

POLICY & PLANNING LEADERSHIP

• Conduct policy analysis on municipal, state, and federal legislation, share findings in memoranda and briefings, and provide comments

• At the discretion of the Assistant Commissioner, represent the division in high-profile interagency policymaking initiatives, and in meetings with elected officials

COMMUNICATIONS

• Create and review materials to be shared with the public or senior staff, such as presentations, memoranda, maps, and press releases

• Deliver presentations and facilitate conversations at public meetings and workshops

Preferred skills

• Subject-matter expertise: Thorough knowledge of New York City government and affordable housing, including understanding of anti-displacement strategies and issues impacting low-income tenants and homeowners; experience working with community-based organizations; a minimum of five years of professional experience in a related field; candidates with master’s degrees in political science, public administration, or urban planning are strongly preferred.

• Exceptional project management skills, including ability to execute. Proven ability to complex projects with multiple internal and external stakeholders; to receive direction and anticipate next steps; to think through, communicate, document, organize, and execute on project goals. Ability to manage up, down, and across teams.

• Outstanding communication skills: Extremely strong written, verbal, and presentation skills. Proven ability to produce and present high-quality materials in a variety of formats for internal and external audiences with varying levels of subject-matter expertise.

• Staff management experience: A minimum of three years of management experience. Ability to effectively coach staff, support their professional development, ensure accountability, and foster a collaborative working environment.

• Strong analytical skills. Ability to understand, analyze and communicate qualitative and quantitative information in a variety of formats.

• Good judgment: Ability to analyze a situation and understand what is needed, keen judgement about when additional input is needed, when to flag or resolve issues, and how to elevate when appropriate.

• Collaborative and creative spirit: Excited to be part of a team. Ability to hear, take, and give feedback effectively and productively; to motivate peers to get the job done.

Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with emphasis in transportation, city or urban planning, sustainability, civil or transportation engineering, urban studies or design, architecture, business or public administration, economics, operations research, organizational behavior, or a related field; and two (2) years of satisfactory, full-time experience in an area related to the above-described duties; or

2. A satisfactory equivalent of education and experience. However, all candidates must possess at least one year of the experience as described under “1”.

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.