Executive Director of Operations Research

The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is an integral part of the City’s evolving criminal justice system, participating in reform initiatives and strategies aimed to move the City towards a smaller jail system without compromising public safety. The DOC is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for our employees, visitors, volunteers, and people in our custody. Importantly, safe jails enable DOC to provide people in custody with the tools and opportunities they need to successfully re-enter their communities. The DOC operates facilities and court commands across the five boroughs with more than 7,500 diverse professionals and knowledgeable experts.

The Operations Research Team is tasked with improving the systems and processes within the Department of Correction, with a focus on decreasing violence, lowering operating costs, optimizing systems for key metrics, and identifying efficiencies that support meeting minimum standards for those in our care. It’s a small team, with an outsized impact, offering growth opportunities for the right candidate. The current team includes specialists with quantitative backgrounds in various mathematical and data-related fields that leverage data-driven approaches to accomplish these goals. Reporting directly to the Assistant Commissioner of Operations Research, the successful candidate for this position will have a strong working knowledge of traditional statistics, machine learning, causal inference, and / or modeling and simulation of real-world systems and use that knowledge to lead a team of specialized technical analysts.

More specifically, the ideal candidate will be able to perform a wide variety of job duties, including but not limited to:

- Lead a team that conducts advanced analysis using techniques such as machine
learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and time series forecasting with techniques
ranging from ARIMA models to neural networks.
- Research, develop and implement ways to improve operations across all of DOC’s
operations, ranging from ways to improve waiting times for visitors coming to Rikers Island
to optimizing schedules and escort routes in our facilities for services like recreation.
- Play a key role in developing and optimizing future operations as we transition to
Borough Based Jails.
- Tour facilities, interview front-line staff, and meet with leadership to understand how
the operations work in practice, what gaps or limitations there may be in the backend data,
and determine how to best address these challenges when developing solutions.
- Explore relevant data sets to identify areas for operational improvement, modeling
hypothetical changes, and then designing, running and evaluating pilot studies to test the
most viable candidate.
- Ensure timelines are met and products delivered meet all technical requirements
following best project management practices.
- Utilize predictive modeling, optimization techniques, and simulation to assess the
potential impact of proposed changes to operations or policy.
- Work closely with correctional leadership, IT, and other departments to align analytical
projects with operational goals.
- Manage partnerships with academic institutions and research organizations to apply
cutting-edge methodologies to correctional operations.

Preferred Skills

- Interest in working in a criminal justice field;
- Proficient in Python/R and SQL;
- Proficient in MS Excel, PowerPoint and Visio;
- Proficient in creating LaTeX documents;
- Proficient in Tableau or other Business Intelligence tools;
- Excellent writing, communication, analytic, research skills and ability to be detailed
oriented;
- Ability to establish positive working relationships with multiple units and different levels
of staff;
- Ability and willingness to take initiative and work collaboratively.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

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