Executive Director of Policy and Procedures Unit

The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is an integral part of the City’s evolving criminal justice system, participating in reform initiatives and strategies aimed to move the City towards a smaller jail system without compromising public safety. The DOC is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for our employees, visitors, volunteers, and people in our custody. Importantly, safe jails enable DOC to provide people in custody with the tools and opportunities they need to successfully re-enter their communities. The DOC operates facilities and court commands across the five boroughs with more than 7,500 diverse professionals and knowledgeable experts.

The New York City Department of Correction is seeking a highly motivated, collaborative, and goal-oriented individual to join the Strategic Initiatives Unit in the role of Executive Director. The Strategic Initiatives Unit oversees critical programs and initiatives initiated to improve systems and encourage institutional reform. The Unit is responsible for managing projects and programs designed to innovate, transform, and improve operations in support of the Department’s overall mission. These may include short-term, high-impact, Department-wide initiatives, as well as large-scale multi-agency projects requiring coordination with both internal and external stakeholders. The Strategic Initiatives Unit is also responsible for policy management, development, and implementation. Reporting to the Assistant Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives with latitude to exercise independent judgment and decision-making, the selected candidate will play a critical leadership role.

The selected candidate’s responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Oversee, direct, and manage a team of professionals responsible for policy management
  
  

including tracking and managing all agency policies, operations orders, and memorandums;

• Work closely with all levels of the agency including senior leadership on policy development;
• Employ a holistic, project-based approach to policy development and project planning;
• Conduct analysis, monitoring, measurement, reviews, and continuous improvement of the
  
  

agency’s policies;

• Create systems to improve policy development and evaluation;
• Ensure policies are aligned with regulatory and oversight entities' standards and requirements;
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to translate Departmental goals into
  
  

actionable plans and policies;

• Develop process improvement strategies to enhance the creation of policies and promulgation
  
  

and access for employees;

• Deliver informed recommendations to align policy and program efforts with agency priorities;
• Recognize risks and mitigation strategies, and escalate issues and concerns to appropriate
  
  

stakeholders;

• Communicate transformative and innovative ideas to agency employees to support successful
  
  

project and policy implementation;

• Identify effective ways to minimize potential adverse effects of institutional change;
• Build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals, including internal
  
  

and external stakeholders;

• Initiate and lead policy working groups with policy-making stakeholders and front-line staff;
• Ensure timely promulgation, publication and distribution of all new policies; and
• Perform special projects and related duties as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• 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.
  
  

Note

Probationary Period

Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

Preferred Skills

• Master's Degree from an accredited college in Public Administration, Public Policy, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Law, or a related field. - Managerial experience in a group, community, educational, or institutional setting. - Strong interpersonal skills along with excellent written and verbal communication skills. - Experience developing teams with diverse skills and backgrounds. - Flexibility to be on call and work after business hours. - Outstanding analytic, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills. - Proven ability to successfully guide and manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously. - In-depth knowledge of current criminal justice reform initiatives and citywide goals and objectives. - Ability to work quickly under pressure and strict deadlines while still ensuring a high-quality work product. - Experience and proven ability to cultivate partnerships with diverse stakeholders and - Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
  
  

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.