Chief of Staff

City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Public service loan forgiveness

Job summary

The City of New York, through the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, seeks a Chief of Staff to oversee strategic coordination, legal affairs, communications, and operations. You will align teams with the Commissioner’s priorities, collaborate with City Hall and external partners, and foster an innovative, accountable team culture.

Key qualifications include senior leadership experience in government or international affairs, strong strategic and communication skills, and the ability to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years in government or international affairs.
• Advanced degree and 8+ years in government, international affairs, or related field.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive leadership experience.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience with increasing leadership responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Commissioner’s principal liaison to City Hall, City agencies, diplomatic missions, and external stakeholders.
• Oversee legal affairs, communications, and operations across functions.
• Drive implementation of the Commissioner’s priorities with aligned teams and resources.
• Coordinate work across teams and Deputy Commissioners on office-wide initiatives.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented workplace culture.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Cross-functional coordination

Strategic judgment

Executive coordination

Multilingual capacity

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Job description

The Agency You’ll Join: The New York City Mayor’s Office is responsible for overseeing city services throughout the five boroughs, coordinating public agencies and departments, and managing public property. The administration is leading the fight in making the city more affordable, reducing inequality, improving public safety, ensuring delivery of efficient and effective services, and working to make New York City’s economy stronger. We value leadership, transparency, fairness, and efficiency as we actively seek diverse talents from various sectors to join our team. For current job opportunities, visit our careers page.

The Team You’ll Work With: The Mayor’s Office for International Affairs connects New York City to the world by building partnerships with the international community, including the United Nations, foreign governments, consulates, trade missions, and global city networks. As home to one of the world’s largest immigrant populations and the headquarters of the United Nations, New York City is uniquely positioned to serve as a global center for solidarity, collaboration, and problem-solving. The Office advances the City’s priorities through international cooperation and city diplomacy, strengthening relationships between international partners, City agencies, and local communities. Through diplomatic engagement and global partnerships, the Office works to elevate the voices and diversity of New Yorkers while ensuring that global cooperation delivers tangible benefits for working people across the five boroughs.

The Problems You’ll Solve: The Chief of Staff oversees the strategic coordination and day-to-day operations of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. Working closely with the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners, the Chief of Staff ensures alignment across teams and oversees the Office’s legal affairs, communications, and operations. The role translates the Commissioner’s priorities into coordinated action, strengthens internal management and accountability, and fosters collaboration with City Hall, City agencies, and external partners to advance the Office’s mission. The Chief of Staff also cultivates a collaborative, creative, and solutions-oriented team culture that encourages innovation, shared ownership, and effective cross-office problem-solving.

Specifically, the Chief of Staff will:

• Serve as the Commissioner’s principal liaison to City Hall, City agencies, diplomatic missions, and key external stakeholders.
• Oversee the Office’s legal affairs, communications, and operations, ensuring effective coordination across functions.
• Drive implementation of the Commissioner’s priorities, aligning teams, resources, and deliverables around shared goals.
• Coordinate work across teams and Deputy Commissioners, ensuring alignment on office-wide initiatives and priorities.
• Foster a collaborative and creative workplace culture that encourages initiative, strengthens teamwork, and supports innovative approaches to advancing the Office’s mission.
• Establish project plans, timelines, and accountability mechanisms for key initiatives and strategic projects.
• Advise the Commissioner on strategy, organizational priorities, and emerging issues, and coordinate executive briefings and scheduling.
• Lead special projects and resolve cross-functional challenges on behalf of the Commissioner.

About You:

• You have demonstrated supervisory or management experience, including experience leading staff, coordinating teams, or overseeing organizational functions.
• You have demonstrated experience managing complex, cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• You have strong knowledge of New York City government and/or international institutions and multilateral fora; familiarity with international law or diplomatic protocol is a plus.
• You have excellent strategic, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior officials, City agencies, and external partners.

Special Assistant (MA)-MGRL - 0668A

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years of relevant experience in government, international affairs, public policy, project management, operations, or a related field; an advanced degree is preferred.
• Advanced degree and 8+ years of relevant experience in government, international affairs, public policy, project management, operations, or a related field.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive experience leading people and teams, with increasing responsibility for team performance, talent development, and organizational outcomes.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, with progressively increasing leadership and management responsibilities.

Preferred Skills

• Complex Project Management: You can manage high-priority initiatives from strategy through execution, with strong accountability for timelines and deliverables.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: You can coordinate teams and stakeholders around shared priorities and move complex projects forward.
• Strategic Judgment & Executive Coordination: You have strong organizational and strategic judgment, with the ability to manage competing priorities and support senior-level engagements.
• International Law & Diplomacy: You have knowledge of international law, diplomatic practice, and intergovernmental affairs is a plus.
• You have multilingual capacity.

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 the 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.