Director, Flood Risk & Mapping

About the role

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.

The Bureau of Coastal Resilience (BCR) was created in October 2023, fulfilling a major initiative in the PlaNYC strategy aimed at addressing the risks of current and future coastal flooding in New York City. BCR’s vision is for a vibrant, healthy and safe coastal environment that allows people and businesses to thrive in the face of a changing climate – and specifically to, sea level rise, high tide events and storm surge.

This requires a holistic, forward thinking, inclusive and equitable response to the risks of coastal flooding and an integrated approach to watershed management. BCR will develop and implement strategic planning initiatives and will be responsible for the operations and maintenance of coastal infrastructure assets along NYC’s 520 miles of shoreline.

BCR is committed to a coordinated approach to planning and response across NYC agencies, while working closely with community and partners.

The Director, Flood Risk & Mapping (“Director”) will be a key member of the BCR team and will lead BCRs flood risk analysis for coastal resilience, data management program, and will provide direction for external consultants.

The PM will have strong technical acumen in the field of hydraulics, hydrology and coastal flood risk mapping, and will be a thought partner in coastal resilience strategy development, working closely with the strategic planning and infrastructure operations teams within BCR, as well as with the academics in the field.

While the mandate of BCR is for coastal storm surge, tidal flooding and sea level rise, it is important that the Director collaborates closely with other bureaus within DEP who are working on stormwater and groundwater management.

The Director will be engaged in the following initiatives

• Leadership: Provide leadership and management for programs, projects and initiatives facilitating team efforts and helping to define goals, timelines, resource requirements and planning.
• Continuous Improvement: Support the Assistant Commissioner in the development of performance metrics and Key Performance Indicators.
• Budgeting and Procurement: Provide capital and expense financial planning to ensure spend plans and commitment plans are successfully tracked and met. Support programmatic development and tracking of bid packages, change orders, payments and contract closeouts. Interface with financial and contracting offices both within and outside the Agency as appropriate.

The successful candidate will be a self-motivated individual with advanced communication skills and be able to translate complex technical information into general language for varied audiences. They will possess strong project management skills, be a critical thinker, and able to see the big picture and create planning scenarios that enable decision making in the face of an uncertain future due to climate change. The Director will work closely with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on the NYNJ Harbor and Tributary Study (HATS) as well as other USACE projects

Qualifications & Requirements

• A valid New York State License as a Professional Engineer and six (6) years of full-time satisfactory experience in chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, or plan examining work, at least two (2) years of which must have been in an executive, managerial, or administrative capacity.