Senior Director of Public Engagement and Constituent Affairs

Important Note:

Candidates Must Be Permanent in the Administrative Community

RELATIONS SPECIALIST CIVIL SERVICE TITLE OR PERMANENT IN A COMPARABLE CIVIL SERVICE TITLE ELIGIBLE FOR A 6.1.9 TITLE CHANGE.

Please Include Your Employee Identification Number

(EIN) WHEN APPLYING AND INDICATE IN YOUR COVER LETTER YOUR PERMANENT CIVIL SERVICE TITLE.

The NYC Department of Finance (DOF) is responsible for administering the tax revenue laws of the city fairly, efficiently, and transparently to instill public confidence and encourage compliance while providing exceptional customer service.

DOF’s Community Affairs Division serves as a primary liaison between the agency and the public, elected officials, community organizations, and other government partners. The division is also responsible for public outreach and engagement, constituent services, and direct customer assistance related to the programs and the services administered by the Department of Finance.

Through its Outreach, Constituent Services and Correspondence functions, Community Affairs works to increase public awareness of DOF programs and benefits, assist New Yorkers in assessing agency services, respond to constituent inquiries and concerns, and strengthen relationships with external stakeholders. The division also coordinates with elected officials, community-based organizations, sister agencies and other partners to ensure information and services are accessible to communities throughout New York City.

Community Affairs Unit is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as the Senior Director of Public Engagement and Constituent Affairs. The ideal candidate will provide senior-level leadership and oversight of agency engagement and interactions with elected officials, community organizations, advocacy groups, government partners, and the public, ensuring engagement is consistent, responsive, and effective.

Reporting to the Assistant Commissioner, the Senior Director will develop outreach strategies, oversee constituent response operations, monitor public concerns, and advise executive leadership on issues affecting customers and stakeholders. Duties and responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive public engagement strategy aligned with agency priorities.
• Establish performance goals, service standards, and operational metrics for outreach and constituent service activities.
• Advise executive leadership on emerging community concerns, constituent trends, and stakeholder issues.
• Lead agencywide outreach initiatives, public education campaigns, workshops, and community forums.
• Represent the agency at public meetings, hearings, conferences, and community events.
• Develop strategies to improve public awareness of agency programs, services, and initiatives.
• Oversee the intake, tracking, escalation, and resolution of constituent inquiries, complaints, and service requests.
• Ensure timely and accurate responses to inquiries received through elected officials, government agencies, community organizations, and the public.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the agency and external stakeholders.
• Foster collaborative partnerships with city, state, and community-based organizations.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and recommendations for agency leadership.
• Prepare senior staff for City Council hearings and other public engagements.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive training program for external partners and ensure outreach is accessible to diverse communities.
• Use data to identify community needs, service gaps and opportunities for targeted outreach.
• Identify and escalate emerging constituent, community and stakeholder issues, and coordinate with agency leadership and operational division to support timely resolution.
• Direct and oversee the agency’s Outreach, Constituent Services and Correspondence units.

Additional Information: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed between the City and the Collective Bargaining Unit representing employees serving in the civil service title.

This position will require employees to have access to Federal Tax Information (FTI) and is subject to an additional background investigation before appointment. The candidate(s) will be required to pass the FTI background investigation as a term and condition of employment.

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

• Minimum of 4 years providing direct outreach to New Yorkers for Homeowner and Rent Freeze benefits administered by the Department of Finance
• Minimum of 4 years of supervisory experience managing outreach teams.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and ensure timely completion of projects.

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.