EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

NYC Department of Social Services; New York (NY); On-site; USD 125,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic team dedicated to enhancing emergency management in New York City. As the Executive Director of Strategic Operations, you will lead critical initiatives that shape the future of public safety. This role offers a unique opportunity to drive policy innovation and improve operational practices while collaborating with diverse professionals. You'll engage in strategic planning, deliver specialized training, and support the agency's mission during emergencies. If you are passionate about making a difference in public service and possess strong leadership skills, this is the role for you.

Qualifications

• 8 years of experience in emergency management or related fields.
• Proven ability to lead teams and manage large-scale projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-priority initiatives to strengthen emergency management operations.
• Develop policy and decision memos for City executives.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical Skills

Project Management

Public Speaking

Emergency Management

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree in relevant field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Tableau

Job description

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

3 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies through preparedness, education, and response. NYCEM is responsible for coordinating citywide emergency planning and response for all types and scales of emergencies. We are staffed by more than 200 dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including individuals assigned from other City agencies.

The Chief of Staff reports into the Commissioner’s office, and works closely with division and program heads and senior leadership to ensure the agency’s goals are met by fostering communication, transparency, and strategic support. This role oversees the Office of Strategic Operations.

The Office of Strategic Operations (OSO), led by the Executive Director, Strategic Operations, is responsible for managing high-priority agency-wide or citywide initiatives that support the growth of emergency management at both our agency and the City at large. OSO works to provide innovative proposals to continuously improve our internal, interagency, and externally facing operations.

To accomplish its goals, OSO is organized into three Units: Analysis and Evaluation, Strategy and Innovation, and Continuity of Operations (COOP).

The Executive Director of Strategic Operations, reporting directly to the Chief of Staff, leads high-priority initiatives to strengthen emergency management operations, drive policy innovation, and enhance continuity practices. This role involves implementing strategic projects, delivering specialized training and technical support, and fostering innovation within the agency, while supporting the Chief of Staff and ensuring seamless operations during her absence.

Reporting directly to the Chief Staff, the Executive Director, Strategic Operations will conduct the following duties:

Identify and implement strategic projects and programs to strengthen the City’s emergency management operations.

Work on high-priority initiatives and develop policy and decision memos for City executives.

Research novel approaches to surge City capabilities during an emergency (e.g., staff, resources, contracts).

Create and deliver trainings for agency and City staff on strategic planning, process improvement, data analysis, and other topic areas.

Support the development of the agency’s Innovation Program to encourage new idea generation and creative solutions.

Serve as a thought leader in the field of emergency management by promoting innovative approaches and practices.

Help to expand the City’s continuity practice through agency business impact analyses to ensure essential service delivery is maintained during any crisis.

Support the agency’s 2026 – 2028 Strategic Plan implementation and after-action reporting, as needed.

Support professional development opportunities for Office of Strategic Operations personnel.

Support the Chief of Staff and the Front Office by leading and overseeing special projects and strategic initiatives. This includes stepping in to cover for the Chief of Staff during her absence from the office, ensuring continuity and seamless operations in her absence.

• PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
  
  

The selected candidate will be assigned to an on-call Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team and will be expected to work non-business hours during some emergencies. These non-business hours include nights, weekends, holidays, and extended week hours outside of a 9AM-5PM schedule. The selected candidate will also participate in trainings to build skills and competencies in emergency response; will participate in drills and exercises associated with the on-call EOC team; and may volunteer to assist with Ready NY emergency preparedness presentations to external groups. EOC teams are on call for three weeks at a time, with six weeks off in between.

This position is supported with a federal Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant funding through 8/31/2026 with the possibility of an extension.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without employer support to be eligible for selection.

The selected candidate will be required to be in person in the office location three days per week, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances.

IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS JOB, PLEASE SUBMIT A SEPARATE COVER LETTER IN THE ATTACHMENTS SECTION OF THE APPLICATION PORTAL.

Preferred Skills

• Experienced manager with proven ability to lead a team and manage high-impact, large-scale projects from start to finish
• Analytical experience (both qualitative and quantitative) strongly preferred
• High-level of proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Tableau
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including experience writing and briefing summary reports and streamlining complex information into high-level reports for Executives
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced, high stress environment strongly preferred
• Comfortable with public speaking and executive briefings strongly preferred
• Previous experience in emergency management strongly preferred
• Familiarity with NYC, City Agencies, and City procurement processes strongly preferred
• Competencies - everyone:
• Knowledge – possesses appropriate subject matter expertise.
• Work Ethic and Productivity – produces consistently high quality, accurate, and on-time deliverables; takes responsibility, is dependable, and accountable, and follows through; is responsive to requests from leadership.
• Strategic Problem Solving and Innovation – is thoughtful and deliberate in approach to solving problems; demonstrates innovation and creative thinking.
• Effective Communication – communication is clear, precise, and timely; understands their audience and display confidence in delivering their message.
• Teamwork – encourage collaboration and motivate others; is able to both lead and follow when necessary; is an active listener and consider a broad range of perspectives.
• Competencies – managers:
• Strategic Planning – creates a strategic vision and plan for the unit and communicates a path toward it; ensures unit activities contribute to the articulated vision; aligns the unit’s goals with the broader HCM and agency goals.
• Decision Making – demonstrates confidence, decisiveness, adaptability, and good judgement; brings solutions not problems; makes informed, equitable, and sometimes difficult decisions.
• Relationship Building – values and seeks diverse perspectives by demonstrating awareness, sensitivity, and acceptance of cultural differences.
• Giving and Receiving Feedback – delivers specific and growth-centered feedback whenever the opportunity presents; listens and receives honest and open feedback without defensiveness; provides actionable and constructive suggestions, resources, and guidance on how to improve, enhance, or expand efforts.
• Communication {to unit} – Regularly communicates the alignment of individual work with unit and agency goals and how it connects to the broader mission of the agency; creates deliverables that are clear, well-written, appropriate to the topic, and targeted to the audience; models integrity and communicates truthfully and transparently, even when difficult or uncomfortable to do so.
• Coaching – Uses coaching techniques to support staff, helping them develop and enhance skills by demonstrating and working together; encourages staff professional development, working with staff to develop goals and recommending resources for learning; stays connected on tracking progress; recognizes individual strengths, challenges, and styles, and determines how best to support each person with these in mind; creates environment in which staff members feel open to seeking help, guidance, and support from colleagues or managers as needed.
• Team Management – Writes and conducts annual evaluations that include specific examples that demonstrate each individual’s progress toward attainment of goals as well as areas for continued growth; monitors and supports staff progress without micro-managing; mediates conflict among staff, negotiating compromises and solutions when conflicts arise; monitors workload and stress levels among staff members, makes efforts to reduce stress levels through flexible work schedules , listening, and redirecting workflows as possible; is well-versed in all agency policies and procedures; seeks guidance to support team members necessary
  
  

**Studies have shown that women, people of color, and other under-represented groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they are able to perform every task in the job description. We are interested in finding the best candidate for the job and will consider any equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education and experience to meet qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.**

EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS MANAGER - 94611

Minimum Qualifications

1 . A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and eight years satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the following: emergency management, fire or police services, public safety, public health, public administration, urban planning, engineering, or another specialized area to which the appointment is to be made. 18 months of this experience must have been in an executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory capacity. Supervision must have included supervising staff performing professional work in the areas described above; or

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the areas listed in "1" above, including the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory experience, as described in "1" above; or
• A master' s degree from an accredited college in emergency management, public administration, urban planning, engineering, economics, political science, the physical sciences, or related field, and three years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the areas described in "1" above, including the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory experience, as described in "1" above; or
• Education and/or experience equivalent to "1", "2", or "3" above. However, all candidates must have a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative, or supervisory 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.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Executive

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Management and Manufacturing

• Industries

  Government Administration

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