The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) invests in a network of community-based organizations and programs to alleviate the effects of poverty and provide opportunities for New Yorkers and Communities to flourish.
The Program Initiative Strategy & Implementation Specialist will play a key role in planning, coordination, and execution of citywide program initiatives that support DYCD’s youth services portfolio. This role is responsible for leading the operational strategy for new and emerging initiatives, ensuring they are translated into clear implementation plans, supported with tools and guidance for providers, and aligned with organizational goals.
The Specialist will work closely with internal DYCD teams, city partners, and community-based organizations to launch and support initiatives that strengthen program quality, provider capacity, and youth outcomes. This position also oversees development of rollout plans, communicates implementation expectations, and monitors progress across services. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Lead the strategic planning, coordination, and implementation of new DYCD initiatives, including development of action plans with timelines, milestones, deliverables, and responsibilities.
- Translate citywide priorities into clear operational steps and guidance for Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and DYCD staff.
- Coordinate with internal divisions and external partners to ensure aligned implementation.
- Create provider-facing resources such as implementation guides, FAQs, communication plans, and training materials.
- Support CBOs in planning and implementing curricula, as well as coordinating special events, field trips, employer worksite visits, family engagement events, and community career days.
- Support provider readiness through targeted technical assistance, office hours, listening sessions, and rollout support.
- Develop user-friendly program materials including lesson templates, family engagement guides, event planning toolkits, and visual resource sheets.
- Create digital and print content to support Literacy, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), career readiness, youth with varying support needs, and youth engagement initiatives.
- Monitor initiative progress, collect and synthesize field feedback, and provide regular reports to leadership on status, challenges, and recommendations for improvement.
- Assist in the implementation of special initiatives, including professional development activities, program site visits, and operational improvements.
- Conduct site visits as needed to provide on-site support.
- Organize implementation workgroups to address operational challenges and exchange best practices for quality program delivery.
- Track trends, produce reports, and provide recommendations to improve quality across the DYCD portfolio, while using data and feedback to inform program improvements and decision-making.
Minimum Qualifications
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
- High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
- Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.
Preferred Skills
A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
- High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
- Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.
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.