Director of Strategy

About the role

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) seeks a Director of Strategy to join the Workforce Connect team. This role supports the integration of COMPASS expansion into high school work-based learning programs, focusing on early career exposure and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research and literature reviews to determine best practices and design programs, including stakeholder interviews and data analysis.
• Lead program design development processes for all Workforce program areas across DYCD, including SYEP, WLG, and WIOA youth programming.
• Support COMPASS expansion through strategic partnerships with the Youth Services team to bridge career exploration for middle school students to high school work-based learning programs.
• Liaise with the Bureau of Planning, Program Integration, and Evaluation (PPIE) team to ensure consistent implementation practices across DYCD.
• Facilitate meetings with multiple units to create and/or revise program goals, requirements, policies, and procedures.
• Draft RFPs, concepts papers, and other procurement documents for Workforce programs.
• Coordinate with program and fiscal teams to develop budgets for programs and initiatives.
• Liaise with DYCD leadership and external oversight to create explanations and justifications for new program models and changes.
• Analyze and review budgets for long and short-term fiscal planning and expense management.
• Provide budget projections and comparisons for special projects.
• Interpret budgets and fiscal documentation to forecast or explain spending trends and plans for program needs.
• Manage external relationships with other City government agencies and City Hall on workforce development strategies and data coordination.
• Create user-friendly materials summarizing program models and policies for Community-Based Organizations and the general public.
• Develop Workforce's presentations for trainings and pre-proposal conferences to describe RFPs and answer questions from various stakeholders.
• Support the integration of new programs into DYCD's ecosystem of services.
• Develop and update agency-wide policies, standards, frameworks, toolkits, and other best practices to foster consistency and incorporate emerging best practices, learning, and innovation across program areas.
• Set and track team priorities and goals and align to agency priorities.
• Actively maintain connections to all Workforce teams to understand their priorities and projects, leverage their expertise, and intentionally represent the unit across projects.
• Review and rate proposals, assist with grant-writing, participate in workgroups with other units and divisions within DYCD, and interact with other City agencies to coordinate joint initiatives.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• A master's degree from an accredited college in economics, finance, accounting, business or public administration, public health, human resources management, management science, operations research, organizational behavior, industrial psychology, statistics, personnel administration, labor relations, psychology, sociology, human resources development, political science, urban studies or a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school, and one year of satisfactory full-time professional experience in one or a combination of the following: budget administration, accounting, economic or financial administration, fiscal or economic research; management or methods analysis, operations research, organizational research or program evaluation; personnel or public administration, recruitment, position classification, personnel relations, labor relations, employee benefits, staff development, employment program planning/administration, labor market research, economic planning, social services program planning/evaluation, or fiscal management, or in a related area;
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and three years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in the areas described in "1" above;
• An associate degree or completion of 60 semester credits from an accredited college and five years of satisfactory full-time professional experience as described in "1" above;
• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's department of education or a recognized accrediting organization and seven years of satisfactory full-time professional experience as described in "1" above;
• A combination of education and/or experience equivalent to "1", "2", "3", or "4" above, where college education may be substituted for professional experience at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college for one year of experience.

Qualifications

Preferred Skills:

• Bachelor's Degree required, Master's Degree Preferred (social service, public administration, education, or related human service field)
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• Excellent project management skills, including ability to develop and manage processes involving multiple stakeholders and deadlines
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and multi-tasking skills, including the ability to take initiative, problem solve, prioritize duties and deadlines, balance competing priorities, work independently and with teams
• Ability to engage diverse stakeholders and communities
• Knowledge and/or experience in workforce development programs including those that address barriers to employment
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and consensus-building skills
• Experience leading decision-making meetings and using strategies to reach consensus
• Direct program experience
• Familiarity with the use of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and intermediate Excel, Google Suite

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, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. The City of New York is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please notify the agency representative at the time of interview.