Policy Director

About the role

The Agency You'll Join

The New York City Mayor's Office is responsible for overseeing city services throughout the five boroughs, coordinating public agencies and departments, and managing public property. The administration is leading the fight in making the city more affordable, reducing inequality, improving public safety, ensuring delivery of efficient and effective services, and working to make New York City's economy stronger. We value leadership, transparency, fairness, and efficiency as we actively seek diverse talents from various sectors to join our team. For current job opportunities, visit our careers page.

The Team You'll Work With

The Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning oversees key housing, land use, and planning agencies and initiatives, coordinating interagency efforts to preserve affordability, prevent displacement, and address the citywide housing crisis.

The Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants (MOPT), within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, advances policies and programs to strengthen tenant protections, promote housing stability, and ensure equitable access to safe and affordable housing for all New Yorkers. The Office works across City agencies as well as with community-based organizations, advocates, and the private sector to implement the City's housing agenda.

The Problems You'll Solve

The Policy Director will oversee initiatives critical to MOPT's mission. Under the direction of the Executive Director, the Policy Director will be a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director, help decide on MOPT's priority issues, and supervise Policy Advisors to lead projects. The Policy Director will be responsible for holding high-level relationships with key stakeholders across the NYC housing and tenant protection landscape and will support the Executive Director to be the public face of MOPT.

Responsibilities

Lead Policy & Strategy

• Anticipate emergent major challenges for tenants across New York City and develop MOPT policies and programs to address them.
• Bottom-line development of policy recommendations and briefing materials for senior leadership, including the Deputy Mayor and MOPT Executive Director.
• Advance the Housing Maintenance Legislative Task Force convened by MOPT.
• Develop and implement tools to track relevant city, state, and federal legislation, regulations, and national best practices in housing policy.
• Supervise Policy Advisors working deeply on specific MOPT priority issues.
• Ensure cross-alignment of MOPT policy initiatives with one another and larger mayoral administration priorities.
• Prepare the MOPT Executive Director for legislative hearings, coordinating closely with relevant Intergovernmental Affairs teams.

Oversee Key Tenant Protection Initiatives

• Oversee cross-agency initiatives from concept through implementation, ensuring alignment with mayoral priorities.
• Preservation strategies to stabilize buildings and portfolios in physical and financial distress in close coordination with tenant associations.
• Eviction diversion and homelessness prevention initiatives.
• Oversee project plans, timelines, and deliverables; track progress, solve and escalate challenges as needed.
• Coordinate with City agencies, external partners, and community stakeholders to advance policy initiatives.
• Prepare presentations, memos, and reports for internal and external audiences.
• Track budget requirements for policy initiatives.

Stakeholder Engagement & Interagency Coordination

• Serve as a liaison between MOPT, City agencies, tenant advocates, and community-based organizations at every stage of the policy development process.
• Facilitate interagency working groups and stakeholder meetings.

Staff Management & Team Operations

• Supervise and set clear goals for Policy Advisors and other team members.
• Hear, take, and give feedback effectively.
• Assist with hiring and training staff.
• Help define team priorities and improve internal operations.

About You

• You have strong relational skills and the ability to problem-solve.
• You have experience with policy analysis and development, including analyzing and drafting legislation, strategically coordinating with elected officials, crafting policy arguments, and supporting coalition building efforts.
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information and present information in a variety of formats.
• You have experience managing staff to deliver results.
• You have experience managing projects involving multiple stakeholders and agencies.
• You have experience managing negotiations between stakeholders with competing objectives and priorities.
• You can work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in public policy, urban planning, law, or related field preferred.
• 4+ years of relevant experience in housing policy, government, or a related field.

Additional Information

• In addition to the resume, a cover letter is required to apply.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Do you have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university?
• Do you have an associate degree from an accredited college or university along with two (2) years of experience with administrative, analytic, coordinative, supervisory or liaison responsibilities?
• Do you have a four-year high school diploma, or its educational equivalent approved by a state's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization along with four (4) years of experience as described in question "2" above?
• Do you have a satisfactory combination of education and/or experience equivalent to that described in questions "1," "2," and/or "3" above?