Customer Service Representative/Administrative Assistant

NYC Department of Social Services; All (MO); On-site; USD 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

The NYC Department of Social Services is seeking a Customer Service Representative for the Compliance & Enforcement unit. This role involves assisting property owners with housing incentive programs, ensuring compliance, and providing excellent customer service to the public. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills and experience in community work. Join us to make a direct impact on housing stability in New York City.

Benefits

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Qualifications

• Two years of experience in community work or related activities.
• Proficient in housing incentive program policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Respond to inquiries from the public regarding housing programs.
• Provide technical assistance to owners and attorneys.
• Track customer inquiries and provide status updates.

Skills

Customer Service

Communication

Technical Assistance

Education

Baccalaureate Degree

High School Graduation

Tools

SharePoint

HPDInfo

Job description

About the Agency:

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation Development (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city's housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love.

- We maintain building and resident safety and health
- We create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability
- We engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity.

HPD is entrusted with fulfilling these objectives through the goals and strategies of “Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness,” Mayor Adams’ comprehensive housing framework. To support this important work, the administration has committed $5 billion in new capital funding, bringing the 10-year planned investment in housing to $22 billion the largest in the city’s history. This investment, coupled with a commitment to reduce administrative and regulatory barriers, is a multi-pronged strategy to tackle New York City’s complex housing crisis, by addressing homelessness and housing instability, promoting economic stability and mobility, increasing homeownership opportunities, improving health and safety, and increasing opportunities for equitable growth.
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Your Team:

The Office of Development leads the agency’s effort to develop affordable housing, through new construction and preservation of existing affordable housing. The Division of Housing Incentives offers tax incentives, tax credits, and zoning bonuses in order to facilitate affordable housing development and preservation.

The Division of Housing Incentives is composed of four units:
- Compliance & Enforcement
- Tax Incentives
- Tax Credits
- Inclusionary Housing

The Division’s Compliance & Enforcement (C&E) unit was created in 2017 as a result of a Mayoral mandate to ensure that residential property owners receiving 421-a property tax benefits follow the laws, regulations, and agreements governing the tax benefit. C&E is staffed by two attorneys, four paralegals, an analyst supervisor, ten analysts, a customer service aide, and an intake specialist, and is headed by an Assistant Commissioner.

Your Impact:

To date, C&E’s work has resulted in over 3,000 buildings coming into compliance with the requirements of the 421-a program. This compliance effort, still on-going, has directly impacted the occupants of over 63,000 residential units that are now rent-stabilized. As the Customer Service Representative, you will directly assist owners who have housing incentive benefits to bring their buildings into compliance, benefitting tenants and the community with rent-stabilized apartments. Your assistance will be essential in helping them understand housing incentive programs and their obligations.

Your Role:

As Customer Service Representative for C&E, your primary responsibilities will be to respond to members of the general public promptly and courteously; track customer inquiries, and provide owners, file representatives, and attorneys with status updates on pending compliance dockets in a timely manner, including accessing HPDInfo to generate document checklists. You will also become knowledgeable and proficient in housing incentive program policies, procedures, and requirements, including the programs 421-a, J-51, 485-x, 467-m and Inclusionary Housing, in order to clearly and accurately respond to general inquiries and applicants having difficulty understanding the application process.

Your responsibilities include:

- Respond to applicants, owners, and members of the general public promptly and courteously in person, by telephone, and by electronic means, supporting 421-a and other housing programs providing important community benefits;
- Field inquiries to the C&E team’s general email inboxes;
- Escort clients to and from the reception area and conference room(s);
- Log and scan all incoming mail;
- Be knowledgeable and proficient in 421-a, J-51, and other housing incentives program policies, procedures, and requirements, in order to clearly and accurately respond to general inquiries and owners having difficulty understanding the application process and/or why their applications are incomplete;
- Provide technical assistance to owners, their file representatives, and attorneys regarding the 421-a, J-51, and other housing incentives programs and their requirements;
- Make recommendations on C&E policies and procedures relating to the customer service role;
- Track customer inquiries, and provide applicants, owners, file representatives, and attorneys with status updates on their pending applications and compliance dockets in a timely manner, including accessing the HPDInfo system to generate document checklists;
- Help with data entry, generally, and inputting data into SharePoint, specifically relating to incoming mail, whether virtual or in hard copy;
- Ensure that documents are received and properly recorded in a timely manner, by entering application and tracking information into database(s), organizing and maintaining a filing system, and opening, sorting, and distributing mail;
- Provide authoritative interpretation of complex problems relating to building owners coming into compliance with the requirements of the 421-a, J-51, and other Housing Incentives programs; and
- Assist the Assistant Commissioner and other senior staff with special projects, as needed.

COMMUNITY COORDINATOR - 56058

Minimum Qualifications

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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.

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.