Director of Strategy

ONLY CANDIDATES WHO ARE PERMANENT ASSOCIATE STAFF ANALYST OR WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR APPOINTMENT FROM THE OPEN COMPETITIVE OR PROMOTIONAL ASSOCIATE STAFF ANALYST LIST WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) invests in a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) to alleviate the effects of poverty and to provide opportunities for New Yorkers and communities to flourish. DYCD’s initiatives include COMPASS, the City’s comprehensive afterschool system, Beacon Community Centers, adult and youth literacy programs, youth employment programs, services for runaway and homeless youth, antiviolence initiatives, and community development programs. DYCD also collaborates with other City agencies on a range of mayoral initiatives to improve City services and ensure greater opportunities for minority and immigrant youth and families. Workforce Connect (a division of DYCD) is comprised of a portfolio of Youth and Adult Workforce Development programs including those that focus primarily on in-school youth such as the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and Work, Learn and Grow (WLG) as well as programs for Out-of-School Out-of-Work (OSOW) adults and young adults such as Advance & Earn and Train & Earn. These programs provide OSOW young adults aged 16-24 a career pathway through a continuum of services including academic instruction, GED test preparation, work readiness training, college and career exploration, paid work experience, advanced occupational training and industry credential attainment. DYCD’s newest workforce development initiative CRED NYC (Community Resources for Employment and Development), will offer participants ages 18-40, involved in the criminal justice system or impacted by community violence, work readiness and occupational training, internships, job placement support services such as mental health counseling and connections to social services and resources such as housing, life coaching, academic support, legal support, access to healthcare. DYCD is seeking to hire a Director of Strategy as part of Workforce’s Office of Policy, Operations, and Data Analytics team which focuses on policy development, project management, intra- and inter-agency coordination, and strategic planning. This role will be supporting our work with populations including but not limited to those served in high school and postsecondary programming and by our OSOW and CRED programming. A key function of this role is implementing an integration between COMPASS expansion related to middle school career exploration into high school work-based learning programming; considerations include program design for early career exposure, data analysis and sharing towards tracking middle school students going into SYEP, and other strategies to ensure program connections. This individual will have knowledge and experience in the workforce development field and/or experience working with different populations that have barriers to employment. The role will require stakeholder engagement, fiscal planning, policy research and writing, and project management. The Director of Strategy will be a key member of Workforce Connect collaborating across all teams. Reporting to the Assistant Commissioner of Policy, Operations, and Data Analytics, the Director of Strategy will assume the below responsibilities: Program Design Conduct research and literature reviews to determine best practices, design and plan programs, including but not limited to focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and data analysis (e.g., census bureau, labor market, internal system data). Lead program design development processes for all Workforce program areas across DYCD, including in-school and out-of-school programs such as SYEP, Work, Learn, & Grow and WIOA youth programming Support the COMPASS expansion through the development of strategic partnerships with the Youth Services team to bridge career exploration programming for middle school students to high school work-based learning programs Liaison with DYCD’s Bureau of Planning, Program Integration, and Evaluation (PPIE) team as a representative from the Workforce team on policies and procedures to encourage consistent implementation practice across DYCD with respect to the Workforce team, including indicators related to COMPASS expansion on early career exposure programming. Facilitate meetings with multiple units to create and/or revise program goals, requirements, policies, and procedures. Draft RFPs, concepts papers, and other procurement documents for Workforce programs for youth and young adults. Coordinate with program and fiscal teams to develop budgets for programs and initiatives. Liaise with DYCD leadership and external oversights to create explanations and justifications for new program models and program model changes. Budget & Fiscal Planning Analyze and review budgets for long and short-term fiscal planning and expense management for all programs. Responsible for all ongoing and year-end fiscal tracking and reporting, including but not limited to, accruals, surplus need and encumbrances. Prepares analytical and specialized report, correspondence, and memoranda regarding fiscal and budget matters for executive management. Provide budget projections and comparisons for special projects. Interprets budgets and fiscal documentation to forecast or explain spending trends and spending plans for program needs. Serve as the liaison between Workforce and the DYCD Bureau of Budget and Finance ensuring program compliance with all agency financial policies and procedures. Provide interpretation and analysis of fiscal policies and procedures to executive management. The Director of Strategy is responsible for all internal and external audit requests. Communication Manage external relationships with other City government agencies and City Hall on workforce development strategies and data coordination Prepare high-level reports, presentations, and policy briefings for leadership, elected officials, and oversight bodies. Create user-friendly materials summarizing program models and policies for Community-Based Organizations and the general public. Develop Workforce’s presentations for trainings and pre-proposal conferences to describe RFPs and answer questions from various stakeholders. Program Integration Support the integration of new programs into DYCD’s ecosystem of services, including new Workforce programs. Develop and update agency-wide policies, standards, frameworks, toolkits, and other best practices to foster consistency and incorporate emerging best practices, learning, and innovation across program areas. Management Set and track team priorities and goals and align to agency priorities. Develop processes and templates for team deliverables as needed. Actively maintain connections to all Workforce teams to understand the priorities and projects of the Unit, leverage Unit expertise, and intentionally represent the Unit across projects. Sets clear goals and expectations for team members by defining roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics during onboarding and ongoing performance reviews and adjust based on team capacity. Additional tasks including reviewing and rating proposals, assisting with grant-writing, participating in workgroups with other units and divisions within DYCD, and interacting with other City agencies to coordinate joint initiatives.

ASSOCIATE STAFF ANALYST - 12627