Supportive housing is one of the most consequential interventions available to people experiencing homelessness with behavioral health needs. DMH’s supportive housing portfolio represents a significant public investment and touches the lives of thousands of New Yorkers living with mental illness or substance use conditions. This bureau chief will have the opportunity to build something new: establishing the bureau’s infrastructure, culture, and strategic direction, and creating the systems and relationships that will shape the Division’s housing work for years to come.
Position Summary:
The Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Housing Services is a newly established senior leadership role within the Division of Mental Hygiene (DMH) at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. This position leads a new bureau created to consolidate and elevate the Division’s supportive housing work under unified, expert leadership bringing together policy, planning, procurement, contract management, and quality improvement into a coherent program portfolio.
Success in this role over the next three to five years means a bureau that is nationally recognized for excellence in supportive housing practice; a contract portfolio characterized by financial stability, high-quality services, and strong tenant outcomes; and a DMH voice that is consistently heard and respected in city and state housing policy conversations.
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Bureau Leadership and Team Development
- Recruit, hire, develop, and retain a high-performing bureau team; establish internal structures, workflows, supervisory practices, and a bureau culture that reflects DMH’s commitment to equity, excellence, and accountability.
- Build the bureau’s operational infrastructure, including policies and procedures, data systems, performance management frameworks, and inter-agency protocols.
- Serve as a senior leader within DMH, contributing to division-wide strategic priorities and cross-bureau initiatives.
Interagency Policy Coordination
- Engage with city and state agency partners including DSS (HRA and DHS), HPD, OMH, OASAS, and others to coordinate housing policies that expand and sustain affordable and supportive housing for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness who have mental illness or substance use conditions.
- Navigate and leverage NYC’s complex supportive housing policy landscape, including key initiatives such as NYC 15/15, CityFHEPS, the Supportive Housing Loan Program, and relevant components of the 1115 Medicaid Waiver.
- Represent DMH in policy forums, working groups, and legislative contexts; engage effectively with elected officials, advocates, and community stakeholders to advance the Division’s housing agenda.
Service Model Development and Quality Improvement
- Identify, develop, and implement supportive housing service models grounded in evidence and best practice that promote health, recovery, and housing stability for tenants.
- Champion tenant voice and lived experience in the design, evaluation, and improvement of supportive housing programs; engage tenants, tenant councils, and advocacy organizations as genuine partners.
- Lead a robust system of contractor accountability, technical assistance, and quality improvement, including systematic data collection, analysis, and application to service improvement and policy decisions.
- Ensure that all program models reflect a health equity and anti-racist framework, with culturally responsive services tailored to the communities DMH serves.
Fiscal Sustainability and Financial Oversight
- Develop and implement supportive housing fiscal models that ensure the safety and habitability of housing for tenants and financial sustainability for contracted service providers, property managers, and landlords.
- Address maintenance needs, plan for capital improvements, and engage in long-term fiscal planning to meet rising personnel and non-personnel costs across the contract portfolio.
- Oversee the bureau’s budget and contract portfolio; exercise sound fiscal judgment and stewardship of public resources.
Procurement and Contract Management
- In collaboration with the Agency’s Chief Contracting Officer, develop and execute a plan to expand access to supportive housing through current and future Requests for Proposal.
- Lead all aspects of the procurement process: advocate for adequate funding, establish RFP requirements, ensure competitive and equitable procurement, and maximize contract awards to qualified vendors.
- Manage efficient program development timelines so that service providers can enroll new tenants as quickly as possible into high-quality programs that offer safe, supportive, and dignified housing.
External Affairs and Thought Leadership
- Promote public understanding of DMH’s supportive housing programs through public speaking, publications, media engagement, and participation in professional conferences and associations.
- Contribute to the broader field of supportive housing through policy advocacy, applied research, and engagement with national networks and peer jurisdictions.
Required:
- Significant senior leadership experience in supportive housing, affordable housing, or homeless services, with demonstrated expertise in program design, operations, and policy.
- Deep familiarity with the NYC supportive housing ecosystem, including key agencies, funding streams, regulatory frameworks, and community stakeholders.
- Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams; strong supervisory, mentorship, and organizational development skills.
- Experience with public sector procurement and contract management, including RFP development, vendor oversight, and fiscal accountability.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to engage credibly with government partners, community advocates, elected officials, and tenants.
- Commitment to health equity, anti-racism, and the meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience of homelessness and behavioral health conditions
Preferred Skills:
- Advanced degree in public health, public administration, social work, urban planning, law, or a related field.
- Experience working in or with NYC or NYS government agencies, including OMH, OASAS, HRA, DHS, or HPD.
- Background in behavioral health service delivery or policy, including understanding of the intersection of mental health, substance use, and housing.
- Familiarity with Medicaid financing mechanisms relevant to supportive housing, including HARP, Health Home, and the 1115 Waiver.
- Experience with data systems, program evaluation, and quality improvement methodologies.
Why you should work for us:
- Loan Forgiveness: As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal/state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs that lessen your payments or even fully forgive your full balance. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website (https://studentaid.gov/pslf/)
- Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:
o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund.
o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
o a tax-deferred savings program and
o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
- Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
- Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.
Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC. Our mission is to safeguard the health of every resident and cultivate a city where everyone, regardless of age, background, or location, can achieve their optimal health. We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice initiatives. As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.
Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers!
Commitment to Equity:
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.
The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Sye-Eun Ahn, Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, at [email protected] or