Assistant Commissioner, PEA

Department-of-Finance; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work up to 2 days per week

Job summary

NYC Department of Finance is seeking an Assistant Commissioner for the Property Exemptions Administration to provide executive leadership and strategic oversight of the City’s real property exemption programs, ensuring fair, accurate, and lawful administration of exemptions and benefits.

The role reports to the Deputy Commissioner of the Property Division and focuses on improving efficiency, governance, and customer service across exemption processing and related operations.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree and two years of executive/managerial public admin experience OR
• Bachelor’s degree and four years of professional experience including 18 months in executive/supervisory capacity

Responsibilities

• Serve as a key member of DOF’s leadership team, advises executive leadership, elected officials, municipal partners, and stakeholders on exemption matters, operational priorities, legislative impacts, and opportunities for modernization.
• Direct the Unit’s operations, policies, and performance of PEA, while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and City standards.
• Direct and oversee all aspects of the City’s real property exemption programs, including application review, eligibility determination and program administration.
• Establish strategic priorities, operational goals, and performance standards to ensure efficient, transparent, and customer-focused service delivery.
• Lead, supervise, and develop professional and administrative staff responsible for exemption processing and customer service.

Education

Master’s degree in economics, finance, business or public administration, human resource management, management science, operations research, organizational behavior, political science, urban studies or a closely related field

Bachelor’s degree with 4 years of professional experience including 18 months in executive/supervisory capacity

Job description

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 Property Valuation and Tax Mapping is responsible for valuing more than one million properties in the city and overseeing assessments and valuations in a fair and equitable manner. The valuations enable the efficient and effective collection of property tax revenues for New York City.

The Property Exemptions Administration (PEA) oversees and executes property tax benefits for a diverse array of entities and individuals. PEA’s core responsibilities encompass the examination, processing, and management of applications for exemptions and abatements. These benefits extend to commercial and industrial properties, residential multi‑family construction, new one‑to‑two‑family construction, government entities, and non‑profits, as well as renters and homeowners, including members of the clergy, seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. PEA is committed to ensuring the accessibility of property tax benefits for all eligible constituents.

PEA is seeking a forward‑thinking public sector leader with expertise in real property assessment administration and a proven track record of strong executive management skills, to serve as Assistant Commissioner. The ideal candidate will bring professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to equitable administration of property exemption programs while guiding teams through continuous improvement and organizational growth. Additionally, the ideal candidate will provide executive leadership and strategic oversight for the City’s property exemption programs, ensuring the fair, accurate, and lawful administration of property tax exemption services.

Reporting to the Deputy Commissioner of the Property Division, the selected candidate’s duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:

ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, PROPER - 95089

• Serve as a key member of DOF’s leadership team, advises executive leadership, elected officials, municipal partners, and stakeholders on exemption matters, operational priorities, legislative impacts, and opportunities for modernization.
• Direct the Unit’s operations, policies, and performance of PEA, while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and City standards.
• Direct and oversee all aspects of the City’s real property exemption programs, including application review, eligibility determination and program administration.
• Establish strategic priorities, operational goals, and performance standards to ensure efficient, transparent, and customer-focused service delivery.
• Lead, supervise, and develop professional and administrative staff responsible for exemption processing and customer service.
• Provide expert guidance on complex exemption matters involving statutory interpretation, eligibility requirements, documentation standards, and appeals.
• Ensure uniform application of policies and procedures across all exemption activities.
• Partner with executive leadership, legal counsel, and external governmental agencies to advance strategic initiatives and resolve complex property tax exemption matters.
• Analyze legislation developments, operational metrics, audit findings, and industry trends to identify risks, improve program performance, and recommend policy enhancement.
• Develop and implement process enhancements, technology initiatives, and workflow improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy.
• Prepare executive-level reports, presentations, recommendations, and briefings for senior leadership and public officials.
• Represent the Department at meetings, hearings, community forums, and professional events related to property taxation and exemptions.
• Maintain a strong culture of accountability, professionalism, integrity, and excellence in public service.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Foster collaboration across Property, Legal Affairs, IT Customer service and external agencies.
• Develop succession plan through mentorship and staff development.
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvements and exceptional public service.
• Promote consistent training and knowledge transfer to preserve institutional expertise.
• Encourage innovation while ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements and public accountability.
• Manage resources effectively to support operational objectives and the Division’s priorities.
• Assure quality data to help make data driven decisions.

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

1. A Master’s degree from an accredited college in economics, finance, business or public administration, human resource management, management science, operations research, organizational behavior, political science, urban studies or a closely related field, and two years of satisfactory full‑time professional experience in or a combination of the following: economic or financial administration, fiscal or economic research, management or method analysis, operations research, organizational research or program evaluation in public administration, 18 months which must have been in an executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory capacity. Supervision must have included supervising staff performing professional work in the area described above; or
2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college in the areas described in “1” above and four years of professional experience in the areas described in “1” above, including 18 months of experience in an executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory capacity.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with property assessment systems and exemption administration platforms.
• Experience working with elected officials, auditors, attorneys, and government stakeholders.
• Ability to balance regulatory compliance with service excellence.

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.