Director of Recruitment and Retention

Job Description Hours: Full-Time – 35 Hours Work Location: 30-30 Thomson Avenue, LIC, NY 11101 Only candidates who are permanent in the Administrative Community Relations Specialist title or those who took and passed the open-competitive list (exam #6002) may apply. Please include a copy of your Notice of Results or indicate if you are permanent in the title. If you do not meet the previously mentioned civil service criteria, you will not be considered for an interview.

The New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), Division of Human Resources and Staff Development (HRSD), seeks to hire a Director of Recruitment and Retention to lead the agency’s recruitment and retention efforts and support the development and sustainability of a high-quality workforce.

Within DDC, HRSD provides comprehensive service and support to agency employees in a manner that promotes communication, transparency, collaboration, and professional growth. The Recruitment and Retention unit supports the agency’s workforce needs by developing and implementing responsive, innovative, and effective recruitment and retention strategies, policies, and processes. Under the direction of the Associate Commissioner of Human Resources and Staff Development, the Director will play a critical leadership role in shaping the agency’s workforce and culture, promoting career development, strengthening recruitment and retention practices, and advancing strategic human resources initiatives. The selected candidate will work closely with agency leadership, hiring managers, HRSD staff, and external partners to attract, develop, and retain talented professionals.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead and oversee agency-wide recruitment and retention strategies, including the development and implementation of creative, cost-effective, and no-cost approaches to attract qualified candidates in a budget-constrained environment. Utilize job boards, advertising, career fairs, professional networks, social media, online platforms, and other recruitment channels to expand the agency’s candidate pipeline.
• Oversee the submission and coordination of new hire and promotional personnel actions with applicable oversight agencies, including the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), ensuring timely and accurate processing.
• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of DDC’s annual Summer Internship Program, including recruitment, outreach, hiring coordination, and program-related activities.
• Partner with hiring managers and agency leadership to develop and execute targeted recruitment plans aligned with workforce plans, staffing needs, organizational priorities, and applicable agency and City policies and procedures.
• Lead recruitment event planning and logistics, including the coordination and participation in career fairs, hiring halls, hiring pools, interview events, networking opportunities, agency tours, and other recruitment initiatives designed to attract qualified candidates.
• Develop and coordinate recruitment marketing and outreach initiatives, leveraging social media, college and university partnerships, professional organizations, community networks, and other external recruitment channels to strengthen DDC’s visibility as an employer and improve recruitment outcomes.
• Supervise, train, mentor, and provide guidance to recruitment, retention, and DDC OMB team members. Establish and monitor work priorities, productivity, and performance; evaluate unit procedures and processes; identify opportunities for improvement; and recommend and support the implementation of operational enhancements.
• Collaborate with HRSD team members to monitor, coordinate, and track recruitment and civil service-related activities, initiatives, and key performance indicators (KPIs), including, but not limited to, DP-72s, maturations, provisional reduction actions, probationary reports, examination updates, and related workforce activities.
• Analyze recruitment and retention data and performance metrics to identify trends, assess the effectiveness of existing strategies, and recommend improvements that support workforce planning and organizational goals.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including City agencies, educational institutions, professional organizations, community partners, and other recruitment sources.
• Perform special projects and other related duties as assigned.

All applicants, including City Employees: Please go to NYC Government Jobs Explore Careers City of New York, go to Search for Open Jobs, and type in the Job ID # listed above. Submit job application as prompted. Do not apply via Employee Self-Service (ESS), e-mail, mail, or fax your resume to DDC directly.

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U. S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and four years of satisfactory, full-time community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibility for planning, organizing, coordinating, developing, evaluating and/or administering a large community service program or activity; or
• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and eight years of satisfactory, full-time experience as described in "1" above, at least two years of which must have been in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Undergraduate education above the high school level may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 4 years. Graduate education beyond the baccalaureate degree may be substituted for the community liaison, community organization or community relations experience, but not for the two years of broad administrative or policy-making experience described in "1" above, on the basis of 30 graduate credits from an accredited college or university (as described above) for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 2 years. However, all candidates must possess a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and two years of full-time experience in a broad administrative or policy-making capacity with responsibilities as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

• The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to effectively manage priorities and work collaboratively in a dynamic environment.
• Strong proficiency in CHRMS, PMS, HRIS, NYCAPS, and Microsoft Excel.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Citywide rules, regulations, policies, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable City directives.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage competing priorities, and make sound, data-informed decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with employees, management, and diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, including the capacity to interpret policies, identify issues, and develop effective solutions.

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

Educational credentials must be from a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accredited institution. Credentials from foreign institutions require independent equivalency verification from an approved evaluation service. A list of providers (fees apply) is available at: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dcas/downloads/pdf/employment/nyc-dcas-foreign-education-evaluation-guide.pdf.