Public Design Commission Coordinator

DEPT OF PARKS & RECREATION; New York (NY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

City of New York Parks & Recreation seeks a Community Coordinator to act as the main liaison to the Public Design Commission, manage annual design submissions, and coordinate with designers and agencies. The role requires strong communication, policy familiarity, and project management experience.

Responsibilities include representing the agency at PDC meetings, preparing design teams for hearings, and supporting program administration while promoting design quality and interagency collaboration.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with NYC government and Parks & Recreation policies.
• Degree in landscape architecture, architecture, planning or fine arts.
• Five years of full-time high-level design or project management experience.
• Excellent communication skills including public speaking and writing.
• Experience with PowerPoint, Photoshop, InDesign, Word and Excel.
• Strong time management and recordkeeping abilities.
• Strong general management and problem-solving skills.
• Valid New York State driver license.

Responsibilities

• Serve as main contact to Public Design Commission and coordinate approvals.
• Maintain high-level relationships with staff and commissioners.
• Manage monthly design submissions with in-house and external teams.
• Coordinate responses during reviews and keep records up to date.
• Represent the agency at monthly PDC meetings with the Chief of Landscape Architecture.
• Prepare design teams to present at hearings and meetings with appropriate detail.
• Nominate projects for PDC Annual Awards and coordinate materials.
• Support Design Administration in reviews and presenter readiness.
• Assist with sharing Design Resources and ensure design quality and consistency.

Skills

Public speaking

Writing

Editing

Translating

Time management

Recordkeeping

General management

Problem solving

Education

Landscape architecture degree

Baccalaureate degree

Six years community work experience

Tools

PowerPoint

Photoshop

InDesign

Word

Excel

Job description

*ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT FULL-TIME ANNUALLY PAID PARKS EMPLOYEES*

Major Responsibilities

• Under the direction of the Deputy Chief of Landscape Architecture and Interagency Coordination, serve as the Agency’s main point of contact to the Public Design Commission (PDC). This role is responsible for ensuring the successful approval of 300+ annual design and for facilitating collaborative design policy and special projects with the commission.
• Maintain high-level relationships with staff and commissioners to ensure efficient communication during the review cycle.
• Manage monthly design submissions for all Parks’ units, public/private partners and sister agencies. This requires detailed coordination with in-house project managers and design consultants to ensure that scheduled milestones align, and all materials are complete, accurate and submitted on time.
• Coordinate responses during the review cycle to ensure they are accurate, match the Agency’s standard tone and ensure approval. Keep internal records of all correspondence, interagency status memos and approval certificates and manage project database.
• Represent the agency in person at every monthly PDC meeting along with the Chief of Landscape Architecture.
• Guide and prepare all design teams to succinctly convey proposed designs and provide appropriate responses at public hearings and committee meetings in coordination with the Chief of Landscape Architecture.
• Nominate agency projects and coordinate materials for awarded projects for PDC’s Annual Awards for Excellence in Design.
• Support Design Administration staff including all design review coordination and facilitating In-House and Commissioner reviews as needed. Coach and provide sessions to prepare presenters ahead of design reviews ensuring their level of detail matches the audience level.
• Support administrative duties related to the share Design Resources folder in order to promote a high level of design quality and consistency for in-house projects in coordination with the Director of Landscape Architecture Resources and the Chief of Landscape Architecture.

Work Location: Olmsted Center, Queens

*Current Employees please include your ERN on your cover letter and resume.

NOTE: All resumes must be received no later than the last day of the posting period. References will be required upon request.

Fees: Hired candidates will be subject to a processing fee between $40.00 to $101.00 based on the salary range of title. Hired candidates who are not currently employed by the City will be subject to a $104.50 background check fee.

nyc.gov/parks

COMMUNITY COORDINATOR - 56058

Minimum Qualifications

• 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
• 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
• 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.

Preferred Skills

• 1. Familiarity with New York City government and Parks & Recreation policies and procedures.
• 2. Degree in landscape architecture, architecture, planning or fine arts.
• 3. Five years of full-time high level experience in design or managing design projects.
• 4. Excellent communication skills, including public speaking, writing, editing and translating between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• 5. Experience with PowerPoint, Photoshop, InDesign, Word and Excel.
• 6. Strong time management, task prioritization and efficient recordkeeping abilities.
• 7. Strong general management and problem solving skills, including the ability to listen to and motivate others.
• 8. Valid New York State driver license.

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

Residency in New York City, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Putnam or Westchester counties required for employees with over two years of city service. New York City residency required within 90 days of hire for all other candidates.

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.