Director of Agency Operations

City of New York•New York, NY

About The Position

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) invests in a network of community-based organizations and programs to alleviate the effects of poverty and to provide opportunities for New Yorkers and communities to flourish. The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) supports youth and community services through contracts with a broad network of community-based organizations (CBOs) throughout New York City. Our central task is administering available city, state, and federal funds to a wide range of quality programs that positively impact youth and communities. DYCD seeks a qualified candidate, with a proven record of success, to serve as a Director of Agency Operations. The role supports the Assistant Commissioner of Agency Operations in strengthening the agency’s contracting operations, with the goal of ensuring on-time contract registration and payment to DYCD’s network of CBOs. The Director is responsible for coordinating cross-functional teams involved in the contracting lifecycle, improving workflows and processes, and developing tools to track progress, risks, and performance. The Director will produce clear, executive-level summaries and dashboards to inform leadership decision-making and proactively flag issues or roadblocks. The ideal candidate is a collaborative and creative problem-solver who brings a systems-thinking approach to reimagining how contracting is managed, tracked, and continuously improved in a complex environment.

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.

Responsibilities

Support the Assistant Commissioner of Agency Operations in managing agency-wide contracting operations, coordinating the end-to-end contracting lifecycle across DYCD, from planning and procurement through execution, registration and payments.
Convene and coordinate cross-functional teams involved in the contracting workflow including program, legal, finance, procurement, and external oversight agencies to ensure alignment, clear communication, and timely completion of deliverables.
Assist in evaluating and improving contracting processes, identifying inefficiencies, risks, and bottlenecks, and proposing creative, data-informed solutions to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
Design, implement, and maintain contracting tracking tools, including dashboards and performance metrics, to monitor contract status, timelines, milestones, and risks across the agency.
Prepare executive-level summaries, dashboards, and briefings for the Assistant Commissioner and senior leadership that clearly flag progress, emerging issues, and roadblocks, along with recommended mitigation strategies.
Serve as a strategic and analytical thought partner to the Assistant Commissioner, bringing a creative lens to reimagining how contracting data is tracked, analyzed, and leveraged for operational decision-making.
Support the development of standard operating procedures and best practices for contracting and reporting to ensure consistency across teams.
Advance change management and continuous improvement efforts by facilitating collaboration, building consensus on process enhancements, and promoting adoption of new tools and workflows.
Project Manage high-priority Requests for Proposals as they arise, managing timelines and deliverables and coordinating internal teams.
Work with leadership to ensure that resources are adequately deployed to meet the agency’s contracting objectives as determined by the Administration and the Commissioner.