Senior Expeditor and DOB Liaison

City of New York•Queens, NY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the nation’s oldest and largest public housing authority with more than 177,000 apartments, and responsibility for administering a citywide Section 8 leased housing program that serves over 150,000 additional tenants. NYCHA’s mission is to provide quality housing for New Yorkers that is sustainable, inclusive, and safe, while fostering opportunities for economic mobility. NYCHA’s Asset & Capital Management (A&CM) Division leads the Authority’s capital, sustainability and resiliency programs that comprise a $6 billion capital projects portfolio – one of the largest in NY State – as well as a range of activities related to property modernization and strategic asset management. A&CM aims to preserve and modernize NYCHA buildings and apartments through strategic portfolio planning, comprehensive design standards, innovative financing and project delivery models, strong partnership with NYCHA residents and other stakeholders, and effective program and project management of capital investments. The Division also positions NYCHA’s housing portfolio for the future by piloting and scaling-up sustainable and resilient technologies and practices, improving residents’ quality of life while enhancing building performance. The work culture of the Division is strongly customer service oriented, collaborative and delivery focused. More information can be found on our website at: Modernizing NYCHA Properties. The Architecture & Engineering Services Department (AES) partners closely with other A&CM departments to deliver capital projects and other strategic initiatives. AES provides design services as well as oversight of architecture and engineering firms involved in projects, while setting overall design standards and performance requirements that apply to all NYCHA modernization programs. This includes expediting services and other interagency coordination related to regulatory compliance, code and standards analysis, and technical investigation and advisory services. The departments are organized into three main teams that comprise a number of architecture, engineering, landscape and urban design studios, as well as other specialized units. Reporting to the Director of Architecture Services & Oversight, the Senior Expeditor/DOB Liaison is responsible for providing coordination with governmental agencies having jurisdiction over NYCHA’s capital projects. This individual’s responsibilities include assisting NYCHA Departments within A&CM to obtain approvals from and to clear violations issued by various city and state agencies having jurisdiction (AHJ) over capital projects, including the Department of Buildings (DOB), the Fire Department, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, and others. This work is typically time sensitive and is in support of several different departments and divisions of NYCHA, requiring the Senior Expeditor/DOB Liaison to possess and demonstrate good organizational and communication skills, as well as the ability to represent and promote NYCHA’s interests in connection with capital projects approvals with the DOB. Specific project work includes regulatory agency-related applications, approvals, violations dismissal, Code interpretation and other interactions with AHJs related to the renovation and restoration projects for NYCHA’s portfolio of buildings and grounds in all five boroughs to meet existing and developing maintenance needs, compliance with local laws of the city, and the changing programmatic needs of NYCHA. The Senior Expeditor / DOB Liaison will act as NYCHA’s representative within the Department of Buildings. The role will be based at NYCHA’s Long Island City offices, but will also require the individual selected to spend approximately 2 days per week in the DOB’s Manhattan Office where the Senior Expeditor / DOB Liaison will be embedded within the DOB. This arrangement further aids in ensuring project priorities, applications and permitting related to NYCHA capital and operations work are effectively addressed with DOB teams. The role requires technical knowledge and understanding of New York City’s building codes as well as DOB filing requirements and procedures. The role therefore requires strong communication skills with an ability to prioritize and effectively communicate NYCHA priorities with another agency.

Requirements

A valid New York State Registration as an Architect is required.
Candidates must have six ( 6 ) years of full-time paid experience in architectural work, at least two (2) years of which shall have been as an administrative architect.
Exemplary Communication Skills & Collaborative Approach: Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders across diverse backgrounds. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
Effective Manager & Change Agent: A creative thinker and structured problem-solver, able to drive change and innovation while effectively juggling diverse responsibilities and multiple, competing priorities. Demonstrated track record of facilitating large-scale organizational initiatives with a focus on project management, stakeholder buy-in, cross-functional teaming, process streamlining and efficiency improvements, and resource optimization.
Subject Matter Expert: Demonstrated managerial skills, team and task management and including data-driven planning and related software skills. Strong understanding of Building Code and other regulatory agency compliance matters and processes in public sector capital construction and development programs ideally in New York City. Deep experience with business process reengineering, lean methodologies, and application to various functional and operational areas.

Nice To Haves

Candidates with permanent civil service status in the titles of Administrative Engineer (NM) 1, Administrative Project Manager (NM) 1, Administrative Construction Project Manager (NM) 1 will be also considered.
Candidates serving in the title of or who meet the qualification requirements for Administrative Inspector (Buildings) (NM) 1 will also be considered.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with NYCHA’s professional and technical staff assigned to address the regulatory activities involved with obtaining approvals, sign offs, and violation resolution for NYCHA capital projects and NYCHA properties. Act as agency liaison to DOB which includes physical presence at DOB at least two days per week.
Provide consulting and advisory services for NYCHA staff from A&CM and other NYCHA Divisions to help clear existing violations, close open applications, provide Code compliance advice and Code interpretation, provide expediting services to file new projects, and devise strategies for obtaining approvals from all relevant AHJs.
Provide accurate record keeping of the Senior Expeditor / DOB Liaison’s own work, utilizing both existing NYCHA software platforms as well as self-created documentation to track the progress of the work. Collect and track key performance metrics to measure the performance of Senior Expeditor / DOB Liaison’s work, and when appropriate, recommend new policies and procedures to improve performance of the work.
Coordinate with the Director of Architecture Services and Oversight and other NYCHA Departments to communicate progress of the work. Establish schedules and deadlines for the work in collaboration with the Director of Architecture Services and Oversight and leaders of other departments who might rely on the services provided by the Senior Expeditor / DOB Liaison’s. Review, with the support of the Director of Architecture Services and Oversight, work progress and manage resources accordingly.
Act as liaison to senior level staff at the Department of Buildings and other agencies having jurisdiction to proactively solve issues that need to be elevated above the AES studio staff level.
Effectively communicate and work within the Department of Buildings to advise DOB and NYCHA staff on project status and prioritize issues for escalation and resolution.
Undertake site visits as needed to observe existing conditions of projects.
Participate in design reviews of AES projects to ensure Code conformance of design documents. Review and ensure resolution of Code compliance issues, assist in obtaining approvals from agencies having jurisdiction over capital projects, meet as necessary with NYC DOB plan examiners, inspectors, and staff members from other regulatory bodies to help expedite approvals and sign offs of NYCHA project applications, and provide other assistance as required to further the work A&CM.
Organize project meetings for staff, and when necessary, outside agencies to resolve problems.
Advise the Applicant of Record for NYCHA capital projects concerning the best strategies to use to obtain timely approvals from regulatory agencies.
Represent the Department of Architecture and Engineering Services at interdepartmental meetings.

Benefits

NYCHA provides benefits that include a choice of medical coverage plans, deferred compensation plans and a defined pension benefit plan as a member of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS).

Stand Out From the Crowd

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

Upload and Match Resume