Agency Description:


The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city's housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love.


- We maintain building and resident safety and health.

- We create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability.

- We engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity.



Your Team:


The Office of Development (OOD) leads the agency’s effort to create and preserve affordable housing in collaboration with other HPD offices as well as other city, state and federal agencies. The OOD is comprised of eight divisions that administer a range of programs. These divisions include New Construction Finance, Special Needs Housing, Housing Incentives, Building and Land Development Services (BLDS), Homeownership Opportunities and Preservation, Preservation Finance, Portfolio Management and Conversions, and Compliance and Enforcement.


The Division of Building and Land Development Services provides architectural, engineering, cost valuation, environmental planning, and construction support services to the various divisions within HPD’s Office of Development. BLDS is the largest division within the Office of Development with over 120 staff composed of seven units which include: the Bureau of New Construction Design Review Services, the Bureau of Preservation Design Review Services, the Bureau of Engineering, the Bureau of Construction Services, the Environmental Planning Unit, the Policy Unit, and the Program Management Unit.


The Assistant Commissioner for Pre-Development Services will oversee the following teams:

1. Bureau of New Construction Design Review, which reviews Requests for Proposals related to proposed developments on city-owned sites and conducts design reviews for HPD-assisted new construction projects to ensure compliance with the HPD Design Guidelines for New Construction, NYC Zoning Resolution, and applicable accessibility requirements.

2. Bureau of Preservation Design Review, which conducts inspections for the J-51 program and design reviews of HPD-assisted preservation projects for compliance with HPD Design Guidelines for Preservation and applicable accessibility requirements.

3. Bureau of Engineering, which reviews and conducts inspections of building systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural systems, to ensure alignment with HPD standards and applicable codes and requirements, and provides cost valuation services for HPD-assisted projects.

4. Program Management Unit, which provides interagency assistance and coordination with various city agencies to ensure timely advancement of projects in pre-development.

5. Environmental Planning Unit, which conducts environmental reviews pursuant to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and assists with policies related to environmental matters.


Your Role:


As Assistant Commissioner for Pre-Development Services, you will report directly to the Associate Commissioner of BLDS and play a pivotal leadership role in advancing New York City’s affordable housing goals. You will assist the Associate Commissioner with implementing the goals and objectives of the Agency and the division, and have the opportunity to shape policy, improve processes, and oversee the production of affordable housing that strengthens neighborhoods and serves New Yorkers across all five boroughs.


The Assistant Commissioner for Pre-Development Services will work closely with the Associate Commissioner to lead the division’s pre-development efforts and will oversee five interdisciplinary teams comprising architects, engineers, cost estimators, planners, and program managers responsible for advancing HPD projects through the pre-development phase. These teams ensure that affordable housing developments meet HPD requirements and applicable standards, while coordinating with agency partners to resolve technical and regulatory issues that arise during the pre-development phase of projects.


The ideal candidate should have a background in Architecture, Urban Planning, Construction Management, Engineering, or related field, and possess a thorough understanding and strong knowledge base of New York City building codes and design standards for new construction and preservation of multifamily housing; Federal, State, and City environmental and accessibility regulations that apply to HPD-assisted housing; as well as extensive experience in managing a large team with various technical disciplines.



Your Responsibilities:


- Provide leadership and technical expertise in managing a large portfolio of affordable housing projects in pre-development that require various technical reviews, including design and engineering review, environmental review, and cost valuation, and ensure that projects in the HPD pipeline meet their critical milestones and deadlines.

- Oversee and coordinate the efforts, policy initiatives, and operations of five technical teams that ensure project adherence to applicable design, engineering, and environmental requirements and standards.

- Perform managerial duties, including providing guidance to teams in achieving agency goals, establishing appropriate productivity measures, promoting collaboration among staff, and evaluating staff performance.

- Work closely with senior teams across the Office of Development and various teams within the agency to meet project pipeline and portfolio milestones and provide technical expertise in design strategy and policy development matters.

- Utilize technical best practices and standards to guide the delivery of high quality, cost-effective, and sustainable affordable housing production.

- Prepare management and data analysis reports and presentations for the Associate Commissioner and senior management teams.

- Drive Process and Performance Improvements: Analyze workloads and workflows across teams to identify process enhancements and assist in developing and implementing management tools and dashboards to enhance quality assurance and portfolio performance.

- Cross-Agency Collaboration: Lead coordination with internal/external stakeholders to align goals, initiatives, and processes. Build and maintain relationships and interface with NYC Agencies, including but not limited to, the Department of Buildings, Fire Department, Department of Environmental Protection, and others as necessary, to advance housing production across the city.

- Work closely with external partners, including developers, architects, and contractors, to resolve issues that may arise during pre-development.


Preferred skills


1. Strong knowledge of New York City affordable housing development policies and practices, design and construction codes, and housing regulations.

2. Demonstrated leadership experience managing diverse technical teams.

3. Proven ability to manage large portfolios, track performance, and produce clear reports for executive decision-making.

4. Excellent leadership, writing, organizational, communication, and negotiation skills.

5. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, negotiate with diverse technical specialists, apply independent judgment in technical matters, take initiative, and work effectively with others.

6. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Word) and familiarity with project management and data systems.

7. A Motor Vehicle Driver License valid in the State of New York may be required for certain assignments. If required, this license must be maintained for the duration of the assignment.


Authorization to work in the United States is required for this position. The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development does not provide sponsorship for international employees for visa applications, extensions, or status changes, including H-1B visas. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet all qualifying requirements for this position at the time of application.

ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER (COMMUN - 95552

A Master’s Degree from an accredited college in public administration, business administration, engineering, architecture, or comparable field, plus three years of satisfactory experience of a nature to qualify for the duties and responsibilities of the position, at least 18 months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial, or executive capacity or supervising personnel performing activities related to the duties of the position; or


2. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and five years of satisfactory experience of a nature to qualify for the duties and responsibilities of the position, at least 18 months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial, or executive capacity or supervising personnel performing activities related to the duties of the position.

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.