Associate Director of Rapid Response

About the role

The Associate Director of Rapid Response plays a critical role in ensuring that MOIA is prepared to respond quickly, effectively, and in coordination with partners to emerging issues affecting immigrant New Yorkers. This role leads the development and execution of MOIA’s rapid response function, including coordinating outreach, communications, and service delivery in response to time-sensitive situations such as federal enforcement actions, policy changes, and other urgent developments impacting immigrant communities. Working closely with the Director of Community Engagement and senior leadership, the Associate Director ensures that MOIA’s response efforts are organized, aligned across teams, and grounded in accurate, timely information. The role also works across City agencies, community partners, and advocacy organizations to ensure that responses are coordinated and that affected communities receive clear information and access to support.

Responsibilities

• Program Rapid Response Leadership and Coordination
  • Lead day-to-day management of MOIA’s rapid response function, ensuring readiness and effective execution.
  • Coordinate cross-team efforts during active response situations, including outreach, communications, and service delivery.
  • Serve as a key point of contact for internal and external stakeholders during rapid response efforts.
• Strategy and Systems Development
  • Develop and implement protocols, workflows, and tools to strengthen MOIA’s rapid response capacity.
  • Establish systems for tracking incidents, responses, and outcomes.
  • Identify opportunities to improve coordination, speed, and effectiveness of response efforts.
• Interagency and External Coordination
  • Coordinate with City agencies, community-based organizations, and advocacy partners to align response efforts.
  • Support the development of joint response strategies and ensure consistent messaging and approach.
• Community-Facing Response and Outreach
  • Ensure that outreach efforts during rapid response situations are targeted, culturally responsive, and accessible.
  • Support the dissemination of accurate information to affected communities through trusted channels.
  • Work closely with community engagement teams to ensure alignment with ongoing outreach efforts.
• Monitoring and Analysis
  • Track emerging issues, enforcement trends, and policy developments affecting immigrant communities.
  • Provide regular updates and analysis to inform leadership decision-making and proactive planning.
• Staff Leadership and Support
  • Supervise and support rapid response staff, including managers and/or organizers as applicable.
  • Provide guidance and coordination to ensure consistent and effective response efforts across teams.
• Flexibility and Additional Duties
  • Undertake additional projects and responsibilities as needed to meet evolving organizational priorities.
  • Support agency-wide initiatives and special projects as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; a master’s degree in a relevant field is preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in public service, community engagement, policy, or a related field.

Preferred Skills

• Experience managing projects or initiatives that require cross-team or cross-agency coordination.
• Experience supervising staff.
• Experience managing rapid response, crisis response, or time-sensitive initiatives.
• Strong coordination and stakeholder management skills across government and community partners.
• Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to synthesize information quickly and communicate clearly.
• Experience working with immigrant communities or in a public service context.
• Strong judgment and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Pay

$75,000.00 – $85,000.00