Executive Deputy Commissioner

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) mission is to protect public health and the environment by supplying the highest-quality drinking water; treating and recovering valuable resources from wastewater to protect New York City’s waterways; minimizing exposure to air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution; and constructing dependable infrastructure to foster a more resilient New York City for generations to come. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with more than 5,500 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system's 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City. DEP annually collects $4.8B in revenues, primarily through customer billing. These funds support DEP’s operations and its $33B Ten-Year Capital Construction Plan.

DEP is seeking an Executive Deputy Commissioner to serve as the Commissioner’s principal partner in advancing agency priorities, driving cross-cutting initiatives, and supporting the management of one of the nation’s largest public utilities. The Executive Deputy Commissioner will support the day-to-day management of the agency while leading DEP's long-term environmental and resilience strategy and lead regulatory and development-facing functions that enable the City’s long-term growth and environmental objectives. Areas of responsibility are expected to include climate and resilience strategy, environmental policy, regulatory and development-facing functions, permitting and enforcement modernization, large capital projects, and implementation of major cross-agency priorities.

The position serves as a senior representative of the Commissioner and requires regular engagement with City Hall, external stakeholders, regulators, partner agencies, elected officials, and community leaders.

Key Responsibilities: Executive Leadership & Agency Management

• Serve as principal advisor to the Commissioner on agency strategy, management, and execution.
• Support day-to-day agency leadership and oversee major cross-cutting initiatives requiring coordination across multiple bureaus.
• Work closely with executive leadership, including the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief of Staff.
• Support organizational change initiatives and implementation of agency restructuring efforts.
• Represent the Commissioner in internal and external meetings as appropriate.

Policy, Climate, and External Strategy

• Advance DEP's long-term climate, resilience, and environmental strategy.
• Guide policy development related to environmental planning, resilience, regulatory compliance, and long-term infrastructure planning.
• Support implementation of priority initiatives related to environmental justice, sustainability, and citywide growth.
• Lead or support negotiations and coordination with external agencies and regulatory partners.

Permitting, Regulatory, and Development-Facing Functions

• Oversee initiatives intended to modernize and improve permitting, inspections, and regulatory processes.
• Support coordination across development-facing functions that enable housing, infrastructure delivery, and economic growth.
• Improve transparency, accountability, and service delivery across customer and permitting functions.

Interagency & Stakeholder Coordination

• Serve as a senior liaison with City Hall, State and federal agencies, and external partners.
• Support strategic partnerships and external engagement efforts.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college and 4 years of satisfactory experience of a nature to qualify for the duties and responsibilities of the position, at least 18 months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial, consultative or executive capacity or supervising personnel performing activities related to the duties of the position; or
• A combination of education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have the 18 months of administrative, managerial, executive, consultative or supervisory experience described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

• 15 years or more of relevant management experience.
• Demonstrated executive leadership experience at large, complex organizations with ability to lead across organizational boundaries.
• Strong strategic planning and implementation capabilities.
• Experience leading organizational transformation and managing change.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, high-profile environment.
• Experience navigating policy, operations, and political considerations.
• Familiarity with infrastructure, utilities, environmental policy, regulatory systems, or public sector operations preferred.

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

DEP is an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to the diversity of our organization and workforce. Your voluntary response to the NYCAPS on-line application section for referral information will assist us tremendously in our ability to track the success of our outreach recruitment efforts. Please be sure to indicate your source of referral to this job.

For more information about NYCDEP, visit us at: www.nyc.gov/dep Driver License Requirement: At the time of appointment to certain positions, candidates may be required to possess a Motor Vehicle Driver License valid in the State of New York. If required, employees must maintain this license for the duration of employment.

We appreciate your interest and thank all applicants who apply, but only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

All appointments are subject to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval.