Chief Operating Officer

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) mission is to protect public health and the environment by supplying the highest-quality drinking water; treating and recovering valuable resources from wastewater to protect New York City’s waterways; minimizing exposure to air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution; and constructing dependable infrastructure to foster a more resilient New York City for generations to come. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with more than 5,000 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. DEP annually collects $3.8B in revenues, primarily through customer billing. These funds support DEP’s operations and its $31B Ten-Year Capital Construction Plan.

DEP is seeking a dynamic, visionary executive with experience in the water and wastewater sector to serve as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Reporting directly to the DEP Commissioner, the senior executive of the Agency, the Chief Operating Officer will be responsible for the daily operational performance of the water and wastewater utility function of DEP, including overseeing the key operating bureaus as well as capital construction. The COO is primarily responsible for managing the Agency’s day-to-day water and wastewater utility functions in an efficient, safe, and compliant manner. The COO’s area of responsibility spans approximately 4,800 employees and an annual operating budget of approximately $1.6 billion.

The COO will provide leadership, direction and oversight to eight of DEP's divisions, each of which is led by a Deputy Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Water Supply, Bureau of Water & Sewer Operations, Bureau of Wastewater Treatment, Bureau of Engineering Design & Construction, Bureau of Police & Security, Bureau of Sustainability, Bureau of Coastal Resilience, and the Office of Environmental Health & Safety. The COO will also oversee fleet operations and the Agency’s emergency operations. The COO will advise DEP Commissioner on all matters related to the operational management of the utility, including serving as incident commander during extreme conditions and emergency events.

In this capacity, the COO supports the integration of coastal resilience planning and infrastructure delivery with DEP’s core water, wastewater, and stormwater operations. The COO works closely with the DEP Commissioner, the Chief of Staff, the Chief Financial Officer, and the General Counsel to ensure policy and operational alignment and to deliver cross-agency initiatives. The COO will also be responsible for leading change management efforts and fostering a culture of innovation, using data-driven decision-making to drive performance improvements and process efficiencies.

The COO will provide briefings to staff at the Mayor’s Office and the City Council and will represent the Agency at meetings with community officials and the public, some of which occur during evenings and weekends.

EXECUTIVE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER - 95202