DISCLAIMER: Only candidates with permanent Civil Service status in the Computer Systems Manager title, those reachable on the Computer Systems Manager list, or those serving in a comparable civil service title can be considered for this position.
THE AGENCY
The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the future of New York City, working to create thriving and dynamic neighborhoods with access to housing and jobs, resilient infrastructure, and a vibrant public realm. The Department engages communities to develop inclusive plans, expands housing access and economic opportunity, and plans for long-term sustainability.
DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of hundreds of land use applications. The Department also advises on citywide strategic and capital planning, analyzes data, conducts policy analysis, and creates open data and civic engagement tools.
The Department of City Planning offers staff meaningful opportunities to help shape the future of New York City and address some of its most pressing challenges. The Department values public service, collaboration, and creativity, and supports professional development. Learn more about DCP at www.nyc.gov/planning.
THE DIVISION
Information Technology Division’s (ITD) vision is to become a dynamic and vibrant technology delivery organization of the New York City government that leads business transformations and technology innovations to enable citizen-centric smart urban planning, while promoting a culture of collaboration, talent development, and equity. ITD is responsible for developing technology solutions to support agency needs and citywide asks, including City Charter mandates, grant funding requirements, and citywide geospatial services, and maintaining systems infrastructure and endpoint assets, to optimize operational efficiency, promote innovation, and collaborate with other city agencies to enhance service accessibility to citizens. The division provides necessary computing infrastructure and productivity-enhancing technology tools in a hybrid mode (on premise and in the cloud), to support DCP’s interdisciplinary staff across five boroughs, including planners, urban designers, project managers, and executive management. The division is comprised of experienced and talented software engineers, geographic specialists, service engineers, and technology leaders who specialize in managing system infrastructure, cyber security, geospatial data engineering, application services, and portfolio management.
THE ROLE
ITD is seeking a Senior Director of Enterprise Application Services (EAS) to lead and manage its application development portfolio. This is a senior technology leadership role responsible for overseeing multiple software engineering teams that deliver mission-critical applications across the Microsoft .NET/C#/SQL Server/Azure stack, Open-Source technology stacks, and off-the-shelf Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions including Microsoft Dynamics 365. The Senior Director will report to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and will be a key member of the ITD leadership team, driving enterprise application strategy, architectural governance, secure development practices, and the delivery of scalable, reliable software systems in support of DCP’s planning and operational goals.
ITD is at the forefront of shaping the city's future, building the digital infrastructure that powers land use review, neighborhood and urban planning, and community development decisions affecting millions of New Yorkers every day. The Senior Director of Enterprise Application Services will have the opportunity to lead a talented, mission-driven team responsible for a diverse portfolio of enterprise applications and critical citywide systems, including Geosupport and geospatial services, to help drive innovation, modernize essential services, and deliver technology solutions that empower planners, policymakers, and communities across the five boroughs. This role is ideal for a visionary technology leader who is passionate about building high-performing teams, advancing modern application development practices to build new digital capabilities to enable and expedite reforms to deliver affordable housing and solve complex urban challenges.
Under general direction, with wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment, the responsibilities of the Senior Director of EAS include, but are not limited to, the following:
Strategic and Technical Leadership
- Define and drive the enterprise application services strategy, roadmap, and architectural direction in alignment with DCP’s business goals and ITD’s technology vision.
- Lead, mentor, and grow high-performing software engineering teams responsible for custom application development, open-source solutions, and SaaS/PaaS platform implementations.
- Establish and enforce enterprise architecture, solution architecture, and application architecture standards, patterns, and governance processes across all development teams.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and architectural approaches and provide executive-level recommendations to drive continuous improvement and modernization of DCP’s application portfolio.
- Champion Agile and Scrum delivery methodologies across all teams, ensuring consistent adherence to sprint planning, retrospectives, and iterative delivery practices.
- Oversee the full Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) processes, including requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
Application Development and Engineering
- Oversee the design, development, testing, and deployment of enterprise applications using the Microsoft .NET/C#/SQL Server/Azure technology stack.
- Direct Open-Source technology teams leveraging frameworks and platforms such as Python, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Linux-based infrastructure, and containerized cloud deployments.
- Govern the configuration, customization, and integration of off-the-shelf PaaS solutions, with particular emphasis on Microsoft Dynamics 365 (CRM/ERP modules) and the Microsoft Power Platform.
- Lead design and development of browser-based, map-integrated, responsive web applications, integrating complex GIS datasets and geospatial JavaScript libraries.
- Ensure all application systems are designed and implemented for performance, scalability, high availability, accessibility (ADA/WCAG), and business continuity.
- Lead architectural planning for cloud and hybrid (on-premise/Azure cloud) solutions, incorporating Azure App Service, Azure SQL Database, Azure Functions, Azure DevOps, and related services.
- Define, standardize, and enforce coding standards, documentation practices, code review processes, and automated testing frameworks across all development teams.
Security and Compliance
- Embed security-by-design principles throughout the SDLC, ensuring all applications comply with NYC Citywide Cybersecurity standards, OWASP Top 10 guidelines, and applicable federal and state regulatory frameworks.
- Partner with the ITD Infrastructure and Security Management (ITD-ISM) team and NYC Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) Cyber team to implement threat modeling, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, business continuity/disaster recovery (BCP/DR) planning, and security patching protocols.
- Establish and oversee role-based access controls, identity and access management (IAM) integrations, and data privacy protections across all managed systems.
- Ensure all applications maintain audit trails, logging, monitoring, and incident response procedures consistent with agency and citywide security policies.
PMO Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
- Collaborate with the ITD Project Management Office (PMO) to align application delivery with established project management standards, governance frameworks, and portfolio reporting practices.
- Partner with DCP business owners, planners, urban designers, executive leadership, and shared services under PMO to gather requirements, define project scope, manage stakeholder expectations, communicate delivery status, and perform QA/QC processes.
- Prepare technical and administrative recommendations for executive management to inform technology investment decisions, procurement actions, and vendor selection.
- Manage vendor relationships, service-level agreements (SLAs), contracts, and associated budgets to ensure technical quality and cost-effective delivery.
- Support capital and expense plan development for product builds, platform subscriptions, professional services engagements, and infrastructure investments.
People Management and Team Development
- Directly manage a team of IT architects, technical leads, software engineers, and database developers across multiple application development units, including both City staff and contracted consultants as needed.
- Allocate resources strategically across competing project priorities, balancing maintenance and operations commitments with new development initiatives.
- Establish clear performance expectations, allocate resources effectively, provide constructive feedback, and develop individualized professional growth plans to enhance team capabilities.
- Foster a high-performance culture rooted in accountability, inclusivity, collaboration, continuous learning, innovation, and knowledge sharing aligned with DCP’s organizational values.
- Conduct formal performance evaluations in accordance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies and Human Capital (HC) processes within designated timeframes.
- Drive recruitment, onboarding, and retention of high-performing EAS staff talent in a competitive market.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development guidance to EAS staff.
- Identify future