Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives

About the role

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the nation's oldest and largest public housing authority with more than 177,000 apartments, and responsibility for administering a citywide Section 8 leased housing program that serves over 150,000 additional tenants. NYCHA's mission is to provide quality housing for New Yorkers that is sustainable, inclusive, and safe, while fostering opportunities for economic mobility. NYCHA's Asset & Capital Management (A&CM) Division leads the Authority's capital, sustainability and resiliency programs that comprise a $6 billion capital projects portfolio - one of the largest in NY State - as well as a range of activities related to property modernization and strategic asset management. A&CM aims to preserve and modernize NYCHA buildings and apartments through strategic portfolio planning, comprehensive design standards, innovative financing and project delivery models, strong partnership with NYCHA residents and other stakeholders, and effective program and project management of capital investments. The Division also positions NYCHA's housing portfolio for the future by piloting and scaling-up sustainable and resilient technologies and practices, improving residents' quality of life while enhancing building performance. The work culture of the Division is strongly customer service oriented, collaborative and delivery-focused. The Chief Asset & Capital Management Officer (CACMO) is seeking to hire a Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives to oversee a small team leading key strategic initiatives driving growth and transformation in the A&CM division, from within the Office of the CACMO. These initiatives will initially focus on the following areas, with additional initiatives added to the scope of responsibility over time: - Cross-divisional program management office (PMO) to strategically coordinate scale-up of A&CM priority capital programs (Clean Heat for All, Hurricane Ida Resiliency & Mitigation, etc.) and build alternative project delivery capability across the division. - Strengthening handover of newly built capital assets to operations and maintenance teams, including supporting integration with operation and maintenance procedures and work order systems, staff training, and other related areas for new technologies. - Identifying high-impact artificial intelligence use cases across major application types (digital assistants, customer interfaces, process and workflow automation and reengineering) and areas of application such as architecture and engineering design, construction and project field management, and submittal and invoice validation and other back off type functions. The Senior Director will ensure strategic and operational alignment across the Division's senior leadership, and with senior counterparts in other NYCHA's divisions involved in these strategic initiative areas. Candidates for the Senior Director position should therefore have excellent strategic, analytical, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, demonstrated experience successfully leading major capital programs and operational change initiatives, and ability to effectively represent A&CM within the organization. Specific experience with building capital projects delivery capacity and alternative project delivery capabilities, operating and maintaining large capital assets, sustainability and resiliency, and architecture and engineering, are also critical. Key day-to-day responsibilities include: - Serve as a thought partner to the CACMO and other A&CM senior leadership on strategic issues and division-wide strategies, priorities and performance management. - Identify and coordinate implementation of policy, procedural and systems improvements in AC&M departments and working with other divisions. - Join meetings and touchpoints with executives and senior staff in other NYCHA divisions in relation to specific strategic initiatives, ensure effective agenda-setting, preparation and follow-up by team members. - Actively guide team members in structuring analysis or operational approaches, develop outputs and effectively coordinate activities across diverse teams, coach and support team members to do the same. - Address high-priority requests and urgent coordination needs, working closely with senior staff within AC&M Divisions, across NYCHA, and externally. NOTE: IF THIS APPOINTMENT IS MADE ON A PROVISIONAL BASIS PURSUANT TO §65 OF THE NYS CIVIL SERVICE LAW, NO TENURE OR PERMANENCE ACCRUES TO AN INCUMBENT IN THIS POSITION BY VIRTUE OF SUCH APPOINTMENT. NOTE: This position is open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate in your cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a Program. For detailed information regarding the 55-a Program, click on the link below: https://bit.ly/55aProgram Additional Information 1. Submit resume, a cover letter detailing your relevant experience and accomplishments, and con