Public Design Commission Liaison

City of New York•New York, NY

10d•$80,000 - $90,000

About The Position

The Public Design Commission Liaison serves as the New York City Parks Agency’s main point of contact to the Public Design Commission (PDC), under the direction of the Deputy Chief of Landscape Architecture and Interagency Coordination. The role supports approval of more than 300 annual designs and facilitates collaborative design policy and special projects with the commission. The position is based at Olmsted Center in Queens and is open only to eligible current Parks employees or candidates meeting the stated civil service-list or comparable-title conditions. The liaison maintains relationships with PDC staff and commissioners; coordinates monthly design submissions and review-cycle responses; keeps correspondence, status memos, approval certificates, and project database records; and represents the agency at monthly PDC meetings. The position also prepares design teams for public hearings and committee meetings, coordinates agency nominations for the PDC Annual Awards for Excellence in Design, supports design-review coordination and presenter coaching, and assists with administration of the shared Design Resources folder to promote quality and consistency in in-house projects.

Requirements

Open only to current full-time annually paid Parks employees who meet one of the stated civil service eligibility conditions: serving in, or on leave from, the Administrative Community Relations Specialist title; serving in, or on leave from, a comparable permanent Parks title; reachable on the applicable civil service list; or qualifying for a comparable title.
Candidates must provide the exam title, exam number, and list number or comparable title on their resume, as applicable.
Qualification pathway 1: A baccalaureate degree from an appropriately accredited college or university, plus four years of satisfactory full-time community liaison, community organization, or community relations experience, including at least two years in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibility for planning, organizing, coordinating, developing, evaluating, or administering a large community service program or activity.
Qualification pathway 2: A high school diploma or equivalent approved by a State Department of Education or recognized accrediting organization, plus eight years of satisfactory full-time experience described in pathway 1, including at least two years in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with the specified responsibilities.
Qualification pathway 3: Equivalent education and/or experience. Undergraduate education above high school may substitute for qualifying community experience at 30 semester credits per year, up to four years; graduate education beyond a bachelor’s degree may substitute at 30 graduate credits per year, up to two years. Such education cannot substitute for the required two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience. All candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent and two years of full-time experience in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with the specified responsibilities.
Current City employees must include their ERN on their cover letter and resume.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Agency’s main point of contact to the Public Design Commission under the direction of the Deputy Chief of Landscape Architecture and Interagency Coordination.
Help ensure successful approval of more than 300 annual designs and facilitate collaborative design policy and special projects with the commission.
Maintain relationships with PDC staff and commissioners to support efficient communication during the review cycle.
Manage monthly design submissions for Parks units, public/private partners, and sister agencies, coordinating with project managers and design consultants to align milestones and ensure complete, accurate, timely materials.
Coordinate accurate review-cycle responses that match the Agency’s standard tone and support approval.
Maintain records of correspondence, interagency status memos, and approval certificates, and manage the project database.
Represent the agency in person at every monthly PDC meeting alongside the Chief of Landscape Architecture.
Guide design teams in presenting proposed designs succinctly and preparing appropriate responses at public hearings and committee meetings, in coordination with the Chief of Landscape Architecture.
Nominate agency projects and coordinate materials for the PDC Annual Awards for Excellence in Design.
Support Design Administration staff with design-review coordination and facilitate in-house and Commissioner reviews as needed.
Coach presenters and provide preparation sessions so their level of detail is appropriate to the audience.
Support administrative duties for the shared Design Resources folder to promote quality and consistency in in-house projects, coordinating with the Director of Landscape Architecture Resources and the Chief of Landscape Architecture.