Public Design Commission Liaison

City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

City of New York seeks an Administrative Community Relations Specialist to serve as the primary liaison with the Public Design Commission and coordination hub for design review cycles.

The role requires strong communication, project coordination, and policy-making capabilities to ensure timely, accurate submissions and effective stakeholder engagement across Parks & Recreation programs.

Qualifications

• Requires a baccalaureate degree and four years of community liaison/relations experience, with two years in admin/policy-making capacity.
• Or a four-year high school diploma plus eight years of related experience, with two years in admin/policy-making roles.
• Graduate education may substitute for experience, up to limits.
• Residency requirements may apply for City service.

Responsibilities

• Serve as main contact to Public Design Commission (PDC) and ensure approval of 300+ annual designs.
• Maintain high-level relationships with staff and commissioners for efficient review cycles.
• Oversee monthly design submissions with internal teams and consultants to meet milestones and accuracy.
• Coordinate responses during reviews to ensure accuracy and proper tone; maintain records and databases.
• Represent the agency at monthly PDC meetings with the Chief of Landscape Architecture.
• Prepare design teams to present at public hearings and meetings with appropriate detail.
• Nominate projects for PDC Annual Awards and coordinate materials.
• Support Design Administration in review coordination and presenter readiness.
• Maintain the Design Resources folder and promote design quality across projects.

Skills

Public speaking

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Public design policy

Coordination

Project coordination

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Four years community liaison/relations experience

Tools

PowerPoint

Photoshop

InDesign

Word

Excel

Job description

*ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT FULL-TIME ANNUALLY PAID PARKS EMPLOYEES* *This vacancy is only open to 1) current permanent Parks employees serving in the Administrative Community Relations Specialist civil service title or 2) on leave from the title or 3) permanent Parks employees in or on leave from a comparable title (e.g. Administrative Staff Analyst or Administrative Manager) or 4) Parks employees who are reachable on the Administrative Community Relations Specialist civil service list or a comparable civil service list or qualify for a comparable title. [Please indicate the exam title, the exam number, and your list number or comparable title on your resume.]

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.

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. 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 $107.50 background check fee.

nyc.gov/parks

MOVEMENT IN THE FACE OF CIVIL SERVICE LISTS IS PROHIBITED UNDER CIVIL SERVICE LAW.

ADMIN COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPEC - 1002F

Minimum Qualifications

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. 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. 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

• At least 2 years of consecutive city service.
• Familiarity with New York City government and Parks & Recreation policies and procedures.
• Degree in landscape architecture, architecture, planning or fine arts.
• Five years of full-time high level experience in design or managing design projects.
• Excellent communication skills, including public speaking, writing, editing and translating between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with PowerPoint, Photoshop, InDesign, Word and Excel.
• Strong time management, task prioritization and efficient recordkeeping abilities.
• Strong general management and problem solving skills, including the ability to listen to and motivate others.
• Valid New York State driver license.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including early mornings, evenings and weekends.

55a Program

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

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.