Director, Fair Housing Policy & Investments

City of New York•New York City, NY

About The Position

About the Agency: The New York City Department of Housing Preservation & 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’s 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. The 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. Within OPS, the Division of Housing Equity (DHE) oversees the agency’s fair housing initiatives and obligations. Through its development and implementation of the City’s comprehensive five-year fair housing plan and regular related reports, the Division provides evidence-based recommendations for public investments that empower New Yorkers with realistic housing choices and ensure access to fundamental resources regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, religion, or other protected characteristics. Its work requires Division members to work across the agency to apply an equity lens in its effort to help advance HPD’s and the City’s policy agenda. Within DHE, the Fair Housing Policy and Investments (FHPI) team works at the forefront of some of the most challenging housing and affordable housing policy issues facing New York City. Alongside colleagues within OPS and throughout HPD’s other offices, the team focuses on confronting discrimination, segregation, and disparities in access to opportunity and on promoting programs and policy shifts that advance fair housing. The team conducts analysis on sophisticated fair housing issues, advises senior leadership across HPD teams and agency partners, and manages the Where We live NYC fair housing plan and related reports. The Director will manage FHPI staff directly and will report to the Assistant Commissioner of Housing Equity, under whose supervision the Director will do the following:

Requirements

For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of fair housing policy and a vision of how fair housing plays into difficult policy choices
Outstanding emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills
Creative problem solving skills
Resilience and grit
Strong familiarity with the New York City housing market and affordable housing industry
Research and critical thinking skills necessary to provide rigorous policy analysis and informed counsel
Very strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to take initiative and work independently as well as work collaboratively
Strong attention to detail, project management, and organizational skills
Passion for public service
Commitment to advancing equity and inclusion

Responsibilities

Oversee a team of analysts in developing and implementing the City’s fair housing investments, offering guidance and setting up staff and deliverables for success
Support the Assistant Commissioner in building and maintaining a strong team culture
Identify missing policies and tools to advance HPD’s fair housing priorities and collaborate with cross-agency teams to develop evidence-backed policy proposals
Ensure that deliverables are on track and flag any potential hurdles to achieving deadlines along with proposed solutions
Supervise the drafting of yearly reports to submit to council and the mayor, ensuring comprehensive and timely updates
Support program areas with the implementation and maintenance of systems to meet fair housing related targets
Ensure consolidated plans are completed on time and integrate the City’s fair housing goals
Collaborate closely within OPS, fostering learning and development across the team
Lead special projects and initiatives to affirmatively further fair housing, as needed

Stand Out From the Crowd

Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.

Upload and Match Resume