Executive Director for Intergovernmental Affairs and Community Engagement

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS SERV.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) seeks an executive leader to serve as the agency's first Executive Director for Intergovernmental Affairs and Community Engagement, building a citywide presence and coordinating intergovernmental, legislative, and community affairs.

The role will establish partnerships with elected officials, community boards, and city offices, directing strategy and ensuring SBS programs connect with policy and outreach initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent plus relevant community liaison/relations experience.
• Experience in intergovernmental affairs or working with elected officials preferred.
• Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills required.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage SBS relationships with elected official offices, community boards, and City Hall offices and represent the agency at meetings and events.
• Set the vision and strategy for an integrated intergovernmental and community engagement operation.
• Drive SBS's legislative and regulatory agenda and shape the agency's position on policy debates across city, state, and federal government.
• Foster close collaboration with Deputy Commissioners and program leads to align IGA and outreach with agency programming.
• Ensure field presence delivers visible impact for officials and communities citywide through events and initiatives.
• Lead continuous improvement with strong systems, standards, and accountability for impact.

Skills

Legislative process knowledge

IGA & community engagement

Research & analysis

Verbal & written communication

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Time management

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Agency Description

The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building a fairer economy in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

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Job Description

SBS is seeking a dynamic, experienced leader to serve as the agency's first Executive Director for Intergovernmental Affairs and Community Engagement, building a well-recognized citywide presence for SBS. The Executive Director will oversee intergovernmental, legislative, and community affairs in coordination with SBS leadership, advocates, small businesses, neighborhood development partners, and jobseekers, and will establish a feedback loop between the agency's public-facing teams and its programmatic interventions. The ideal candidate brings personal, preexisting relationships with elected officials and community leaders across the five boroughs; direct experience in small business advocacy as a leader of a trade association, merchant association, or BID, or as a small business owner themselves; and prior experience working closely with enforcement agents at regulatory agencies to help inform SBS's policy agenda.

• Build and manage SBS's relationships with elected official offices, community boards, and relevant City Hall offices (including the Mayor's Office of City, State, and Federal Legislative Affairs and the Mayor's Office of Mass Engagement) and represent the agency at meetings, hearings, and events.
• Set the vision and strategy for an integrated, citywide intergovernmental and community engagement operation.
• Drive SBS's legislative and regulatory agenda, advancing proposals that reflect small business, workforce, and neighborhood development needs, and shaping the agency's position on legislation, rulemaking, and emerging policy debates across city, state, and federal government.
• Build close working relationships with Deputy Commissioners and program leads across SBS to ensure the agency's IGA and community engagement strategy informs and connects to agency programming.
• Ensure SBS's field presence delivers visible impact for elected officials and communities in every district, while its large-scale agencywide events extend that impact citywide.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring their team operates with strong systems, standards, and accountability for impact.
• Responsible for special projects assigned by the Commissioner and/or Chief of Staff as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

1. 1. 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
2. 2. 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
3. 3. 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

• Understanding of the legislative process in the city, state, and federal governments
• Experience working in intergovernmental affairs or with elected official offices
• Excellent research, analytical and problem-solving skills required
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in team environment
• Strong project management and time management skills
• Ability to prioritize assignments, handle multiple projects simultaneously to completion, and work under pressure against tight deadlines
• Ability to actively listen, synthesize information and communicate effectively with all levels of staff and external stakeholders
• Ability to research complex issues and synthesize information into internal and external communications quickly and effectively and
• Discretion and excellent judgment to handle sensitive and confidential matters
• Ability to work flexible hours and occasional weekends

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.