Director, Community Engagement and Capacity-Building, Office of the Executive Deputy Commissioner

City of New York • New York, NY

4d • $98,159 - $112,883

About The Position

The Director, Community Engagement and Capacity-Building, in the Office of the Executive Deputy Commissioner, leads community research, needs assessment, surveillance, evidence-informed capacity-building, lived-expertise engagement, policy translation, partnership coordination, and evaluation initiatives focused on suicide prevention. The role integrates information from communities and stakeholders with epidemiologic data, surveillance findings, and research evidence to identify needs, gaps, disparities, assets, and intervention opportunities. It applies health equity and community context considerations, including attention to populations disproportionately affected by suicide or underrepresented in traditional data sources.

The Director leads the Office’s Lived Expertise Advisory Board and develops processes to incorporate lived experience and community knowledge into research priorities, program design, policy recommendations, and prevention strategies. The position works with Office leadership, Department bureaus, City agencies, community organizations, healthcare systems, academic institutions, schools, advocacy organizations, and other partners to translate findings into citywide suicide prevention initiatives and to support implementation of evidence-informed approaches.

The role also develops work plans, implementation strategies, and performance measures; monitors and evaluates initiative reach, effectiveness, equity, and community responsiveness; recommends improvements to programs, partnerships, and resource allocation; and supervises assigned staff. The NYC Health Department provides a premium-free health insurance plan, a defined benefit pension plan, a tax-deferred savings program, a Worksite Wellness Program, and potentially other health, fitness, and financial benefits. Depending on the position, employees may be able to work from home up to two days during the week. Eligible prospective City employees may also qualify for federal or state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs.

Requirements

• For appointment to Assignment Level II and above, a doctorate in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental, or social science and one year of full-time responsible supervisory, administrative, or research experience in the appropriate field; or a master's degree in an appropriate field and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field; or equivalent education and/or experience.
• Candidates qualifying through the equivalency provision must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field and at least two years of the specified research experience.
• Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I may substitute for the experience required under the doctorate or master's degree pathways.
• A minimum probationary period of one year applies to appointments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience implementing suicide prevention programming, training, and capacity-building efforts.
• Experience leading community engagement, coalition-building, capacity-building, or public health initiatives.
• Experience working with communities and populations disproportionately affected by suicide or other adverse health outcomes.
• Experience engaging individuals with lived expertise in program or policy development.
• Experience supervising staff and managing complex, cross-sector initiatives.
• Experience developing or coordinating training, technical assistance, or community capacity-building initiatives.
• Knowledge of behavioral health, trauma-informed practice, and health equity.

Responsibilities

• Lead systematic collection and assessment of information from communities, organizations, and stakeholders to identify suicide prevention needs, gaps, assets, and emerging concerns.
• Coordinate community needs assessments, listening activities, surveys, focus groups, and other information-gathering approaches, particularly for populations and settings disproportionately affected by suicide.
• Integrate community-generated information with epidemiologic data, surveillance findings, and research evidence in collaboration with Office research, surveillance, and subject matter experts.
• Identify trends, disparities, service gaps, and intervention opportunities and translate findings into prevention planning and practice recommendations.
• Ensure information-gathering approaches reflect community context, health equity, and populations underrepresented in traditional data sources.
• Lead strategies to strengthen community capacity based on identified needs, surveillance findings, research evidence, and community priorities.
• Coordinate access to evidence-informed training, technical assistance, tools, and other resources responsive to capacity gaps.
• Support implementation and adaptation of evidence-informed suicide prevention practices across diverse settings with subject matter experts and community partners.
• Monitor implementation and emerging evidence to identify opportunities to strengthen or modify community-based approaches.
• Promote culturally responsive and equitable prevention approaches that account for differences in risk, protective factors, access to resources, and community context.
• Lead the Office’s Lived Expertise Advisory Board and related engagement activities to incorporate lived experience and community knowledge into suicide prevention planning.
• Develop processes to gather, synthesize, and apply lived expertise to research priorities, program design, policy recommendations, and prevention strategies.
• Ensure people with lived expertise and communities disproportionately affected by suicide have meaningful opportunities to shape Office priorities and initiatives.
• Promote trauma-informed, equitable, and culturally responsive approaches to engaging with and interpreting community knowledge.
• Translate findings from community assessments, surveillance, research, and stakeholder engagement into recommendations for policy, programs, services, and prevention planning.
• Work with Office leadership, Department bureaus, City agencies, and external partners to apply evidence and community-informed findings to citywide suicide prevention initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to adapt or scale prevention strategies based on evidence, population needs, and implementation experience.
• Prepare analyses, recommendations, and briefings for Office leadership that synthesize research evidence, surveillance data, community perspectives, and health equity considerations.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with community organizations, healthcare systems, academic institutions, schools, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary initiatives combining community knowledge, public health surveillance, research, and implementation expertise.
• Facilitate information-sharing and collaboration among partners to identify emerging issues, research needs, and opportunities for coordinated prevention action.
• Represent the Office in community, professional, academic, and public forums and communicate evidence and findings accessibly to diverse audiences.
• Develop work plans, implementation strategies, and performance measures for community engagement and capacity-building initiatives.
• Establish processes to monitor activities, assess implementation, and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Coordinate the collection and review of qualitative and quantitative information to assess reach, effectiveness, equity, and community responsiveness.
• Use monitoring and evaluation findings to recommend adjustments to programs, partnerships, and resource allocation.
• Supervise assigned staff and direct and oversee community research, engagement, and capacity-building activities.

Benefits

• Potential eligibility for federal or state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs.
• Premium-free health insurance plan.
• Additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union or benefit fund.
• Public sector defined benefit pension plan.
• Tax-deferred savings program.
• Worksite Wellness Program.
• Depending on the position, ability to work from home up to two days during the week.
• Job security compared to private sector employment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director