Associate Commissioner of Application Development

City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 103,000 - 229,000; Full time

Job summary

City of New York seeks an Associate Commissioner of Application Development within the Technology and Innovation Division to lead five branches, manage the lifecycle of enterprise applications, and partner with the CTO to modernize the agency's IT landscape. The role requires extensive experience in application development, DevOps, and senior leadership within a large public sector environment.

The position oversees modernization initiatives, budget planning, vendor coordination, and the

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 4 years in administration, management, or executive capacity.
• Completion of 18 months in administrative leadership or supervisory roles is required.
• U.S. work authorization is mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the Application Development unit and report to the CTO.
• Lead the full IT project lifecycle from intake to rollout.
• Develop multiyear plans for prioritizing, resourcing, and budgeting initiatives.
• Foster collaboration, transparency, and staff development across five branches.

Skills

Application development

IT leadership

DevOps / CI/CD

Data modeling

Relational databases

New York City systems (NYCAPS)

Project management

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Cloud platforms

Vendor management

Job description

Associate Commissioner (DDC) - 06986

Hours: Full-Time Position – 35 Hours. Work Location: 30-30 Thomson Avenue, LIC, NY 11101.

The Technology and Innovation Division (T&I) within the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) seeks to hire an Associate Commissioner of Application Development.

DDC is the City's primary capital construction agency, responsible for delivering safe, sustainable, and innovative public buildings and infrastructure across the five boroughs. Partnering with client agencies, design professionals, and the construction industry, DDC manages a broad portfolio of projects-from firehouses, libraries, and community centers to roadways, sewers, and resiliency initiatives-helping to shape a more equitable, efficient, and resilient city. Through its commitment to design excellence, technological modernization, and public service, DDC ensures that critical civic projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standards of quality.

The Technology and Innovation (T&I) Division serves as DDC's centralized Information, Technology, and Telecom operation, organized into three core units: Network, Infrastructure and Security; Service Delivery; and Application Development. Together, these units provide the hardware, software, enterprise applications, and data ecosystem that support the agency's daily operations. In addition to maintaining core systems, the division leads strategic modernization efforts aimed at improving efficiency, strengthening security, and advancing programmatic excellence across the agency.

The Associate Commissioner of Application Development oversees the Application Development unit and serves as a key executive within T&I, reporting directly to the CTO. The unit comprises five director-led branches that collectively manage a portfolio of more than fifty enterprise applications supporting diverse agency functions. These applications range from administrative systems - such as HRIS and contracting tools - to complex project management platforms supporting scheduling, cost controls, and construction operations. The unit is responsible for sustaining and optimizing existing applications, providing user support, triaging bugs, and managing enhancement requests. It also leads the development of new applications, overseeing the full IT project lifecycle from intake, requirements gathering, and RFP development, through procurement, vendor management, development sprints, testing, implementation, and rollout.

The Associate Commissioner is responsible for both the day-to-day leadership of the five branches and for serving as a strategic partner to the CTO. Currently, the agency faces a wide array of competing application development needs, including new modules for project management systems, HRIS enhancements, contracting and budgeting workflow tools, expanded data management capabilities, and the integration of AI features such as document OCR, chatbot functionality, and LLM based use cases. Developing a multiyear plan for prioritizing, resourcing, and budgeting these initiatives - while aligning them with agency goals and T&I's broader modernization agenda - will be the position's most urgent and critical responsibility.

The Associate Commissioner will work closely with the CTO to foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and continuous learning, where staff at all levels are encouraged to share ideas and contribute to solutions. The AC is expected to be transparent, approachable, and intentional in communicating priorities and decisions, while actively seeking feedback and input from staff.

Moreover, candidates for this position should have experience managing a diverse staff, providing support and mentorship, and effectively planning growth opportunities for employees, while ensuring personal goals are aligned with organizational success.

Please note: All candidates must be currently authorized to work full-time in the United States (U.S.). In compliance with Public Law 99-603, candidates are required to present original documents proving citizenship or the legal right to work in the U.S. DDC is unable to support or sponsor any visa application or visa extension, including but not limited to OPT/STEM visas, H-1B visas, F-1 practical training, permanent residence sponsorship, or any proposed change of visa type. DDC does not offer a training program as required by U.S. immigration law and is not hiring temporary employees. Candidates must have proper work authorization when an employment offer is made.

Additionally, 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-foreigneducation-evaluation-guide.pdf.

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of experience of a nature to qualify for the duties 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

Preferred qualifications for this position include:

• 10+ years of experience in application development, software engineering or similar field
• 7+ years of experience managing a core IT function data, applications, infrastructure ... etc
• Knowledge and experience with New York City Government's administrative systems (NYCAPS, PMS, FMS, PASSPort, etc.)
• Expert level understanding of modern best practices in DevOps, Cl/CD automation and IT project management
• Expert level understanding of modern application development frameworks
• Expert level understanding of relational databases and data modeling
• Expert level understanding of modern data analytics and business intelligence frameworks
• Experience with construction or infrastructure operations project management practices and software
• Skilled and comfortable presenter and public speaker with experience leading high-level meetings
• Experience juggling multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

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.

$103,355.00 – $228,632.00