Deputy Commissioner for Community Engagement

Job description

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 Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) was established in 1984 and incorporated into the New York City Charter in 2001 to promote the economic, civic, and social integration of immigrant New Yorkers, expand access to justice, and advance policies that strengthen immigrant communities across the city. MOIA serves as a bridge between city government and immigrant communities by advising on and supporting the development and implementation of policies and programs that improve access to services for immigrant New Yorkers and speakers of other languages. The office partners with City agencies and community organizations to strengthen language access, expand equitable access to services, and advance initiatives that support immigrant communities citywide. To learn more, visit: The Problems You’ll Solve: The Deputy Commissioner for Community Engagement leads MOIA’s work to ensure that immigrant New Yorkers can access City services, receive accurate information, and remain connected to City government particularly in moments of heightened need, fear, or enforcement activity. This role oversees constituency services, community outreach, and neighborhood-based engagement, and is responsible for building a coordinated, citywide approach that is proactive, responsive, and grounded in real-time conditions affecting immigrant communities. As a member of MOIA’s Executive Team, the Deputy Commissioner ensures that the agency maintains a strong on-the-ground presence, strengthens trust with immigrant communities, and builds clear pathways for community needs and concerns to inform agency priorities, policy decisions, and service delivery. The Deputy Commissioner reports to the Chief of Staff and works closely with the Commissioner and senior leadership to align community engagement efforts with policy, programs, and communications. Key Responsibilities: Community Engagement Strategy & Execution: - Lead and execute MOIA’s community engagement strategy, ensuring consistent and coordinated outreach across neighborhoods and populations. - Establish a proactive, relationship-driven model of engagement that moves beyond reactive service delivery. - Ensure engagement efforts are aligned with agency priorities and responsive to emerging community needs. Constituent Services & Access: - Oversee systems for responding to constituent inquiries and issues, ensuring timely, accurate, and culturally competent responses. - Establish clear performance standards and accountability mechanisms for constituent services. - Identify patterns in constituent needs and elevate systemic issues to inform agency strategy. Neighborhood-Based Outreach & Organizing: - Oversee borough-based and neighborhood-level engagement efforts that strengthen MOIA’s on-the-ground presence. - Ensure outreach strategies effectively reach underserved and high-need populations. - Build and maintain trusted relationships with community-based organizations, advocates, and local stakeholders. Community Insight & Feedback Loops: - Ensure community perspectives are consistently integrated into policy, program, and communications strategies. - Develop structured channels to gather and synthesize feedback from immigrant communities. - Translate community insights into actionable recommendations for agency leadership. Rapid Response & Community Readiness: - Lead community-facing response efforts during emerging issues affecting immigrant New Yorkers, including enforcement-related concerns. - Ensure accurate, timely information reaches communities through trusted channels. - Coordinate with internal teams to align outreach, communications, and service delivery during high-pressure moments. Cross-Agency Coordination: - Work with City agencies to ensure immigrant communities can access services and navigate systems effectively. - Drive resolution of cross-agency issues impacting constituents. - Ensure MOIA plays a central role in connecting community needs to citywide responses. Team Leadership & Management: - Supervise community engagement, outreach, and constituent services staff. - Build strong management structures that support coordination, accountability, and staff development. - Ensure team performance aligns with agency goals and community needs. About You: The ideal candidate is a senior leader with deep experience in community engagement, public service delivery, or government, and a strong understanding of the systems affecting immigrant New Yorkers. They bring strong judgment, operational discipline, and the ability to lead in high-pressure environments. They are both strategic and hands-on, able to set direction while ensuring effective execution on the ground. Specific Skills: - You have demonstrated experience overseeing community engagement, outreach, or constituent services functions at scale, preferably within government or a large, mission-driven organization. - You have proven ability to manage high-pressure, high-visibility work, including responding to emerging issues affecting communities. Additional Information - In addition to the resume, a cover letter is required to apply. Special Assistant (MA)-MGRL - 0668A - Bachelor's degree required. - 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in community engagement, public affairs, government, or a related field, including significant experience managing teams and leading complex initiatives. 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, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.