New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) helps New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies through preparedness, education, and response. NYCEM is responsible for coordinating citywide emergency planning and response for all types and scales of emergencies. We are staffed by more than 200 dedicated professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including individuals assigned from other City agencies.
The Office of the Chief Counsel provides legal advice to NYCEM executives and staff regarding critical, strategic, legal and policy issues facing the agency, engages in transactional work in support of the NYCEM mission and coordinates with the NYC Law Department, Office of the Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall, and other local, state and federal counsels regarding various legal issues ranging from emergency events to litigation, which impact the agency. The Office of Chief Counsel is comprised of the Legal Affairs Unit, the Civil and Human Rights Unit formerly known as the Disability, Access and Functional Needs Unit (DAFN), and the Records Management Unit.
The Records Management Unit is responsible for leading and managing the NYCEM records management program. It develops and implements policies and procedures to manage agency records throughout their life cycle, from creation to their final disposition, and works with units and personnel to ensure all staff are aware of and can apply records management best practices into their daily course of business.
The Office of the Chief Counsel is seeking a Deputy Director of Records who will oversee work of the Records Management unit and supervise the Records Program Manager and any temporary staff, including interns. The Deputy Director of Records will oversee the maintenance and management the agency’s electronic and physical records. This includes any day-to-day responsibilities and creating and implementing policies around agency records. The Deputy Director of Records will work with staff to ensure that all records are in compliance according to City policies and procedures.
Under the supervision of the Chief Counsel, the Deputy Director of Records will have responsibilities including but not limited to the following:
- Overseeing Records Management unit staff and interns.
- Managing and maintaining an electronic records management system, currently RecordPoint’s Records365.
- Performing day-to-day records management tasks and activities relating to storage, retrieval, retention and disposition of records.
- Training staff in the procedures related to policies governing the maintenance of all documents (both records and non-records, regardless of format) and ensuring staff are aware of their role in the management of agency records.
- Overseeing all Records Management unit functions and projects including but not limited to reviewing and updating the retention schedule as needed, applying retention to records in SharePoint using Records365, creating destruction and transfer requests, choosing a system to manage physical records (potentially Records365).
- Developing and implementing agency records management policies and related procedures as needed and performing yearly reviews and updates of established policies.
- Creating one page infographics to communicate important policies or procedures to NYCEM staff as needed.
- Overseeing all scanning projects which must follow the NYC Department of Records and Information Services’ (DORIS) processes and guidelines and be approved by DORIS before projects may commence. Potential scanning projects include eligible agency records with long-term retention periods or special scanning projects (e.g., activation records to be transferred to another City agency).
- Maintaining filing system procedures and classification indexes.
- Assigning and managing file space as well as inventorying boxes and preparing materials for storage or transfer to the NYC Municipal Records Center if needed.
- Working with staff to ensure all agency publications that are required to be submitted to the NYC Municipal Library are transferred to the Records Management unit for submission to the Library’s Government Publications Portal.
- Choosing, inventorying and cataloging materials in the agency library and managing patrons and the circulation of the collection utilizing ResourceMate Plus.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex assignments, exercise sound judgment, and communicate progress to leadership.
**PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
- As part of NYCEM's emergency response mission, this position participates on an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team. During emergency activations, team members may be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, or extended shifts in support of City response operations. Outside of activations, EOC members participate in periodic training and exercises to maintain operational readiness, and must volunteer to assist with three Ready NY emergency preparedness presentations per year. EOC teams are on call for three weeks at a time, with six weeks off in between.
Funding – This position is supported with a federal Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) through 9/30/2026 with the possibility of an extension; the employee will be responsible for training requirements associated with this grant.
- Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without employer support to be eligible for selection. Note that NYCEM does not participate in eVerify, which is required for the reauthorization of some visas.
- The selected candidate will be required to be in person in the office location three days per week, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances.
- We as an agency recognize that valuable leadership and analytical experience may be gained through public service, military service, academia, nonprofit organizations, the private sector, volunteer leadership, or other professional settings. Candidates are encouraged to describe transferable experiences that demonstrate their qualifications.
- NYCEM is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the application and hiring process for qualified applicants with disabilities.
- IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS JOB, PLEASE SUBMIT A SEPARATE COVER LETTER IN THE ATTACHMENTS SECTION OF THE APPLICATION PORTAL.
PREFERRED SKILLS
- Candidates should demonstrate qualifications through one of the following pathways or through an equivalent combination of education, training, certification, and professional experience. Candidates with relevant military, federal, state, or local government records-management experience are encouraged to describe how their education, training, credentials, and duties demonstrate the competencies required for this position.
o A master’s degree from an accredited college in library or information science AND at least three years of full-time records management experience; or
o A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and current status as a Certified Records Manager (CRM) in good standing, as granted by the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM), or comparable documented military or government records-management training, certification, and experience demonstrating substantially equivalent knowledge and competencies, and at least three years of full-time professional records-management experience; or
o A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college AND five years full-time professional experience in a records management setting.
- Knowledge of current records management standards and best practices. Familiarity with NYC policies and regulations a plus.
- Demonstrated use of an electronic content management system.
- Experience with Office 365, particularly with a third-party records management solution based off of the Office 365 platform. Experience with RecordPoint’s Records365 a plus.
- Experience with scanning projects. Familiarity with NYC Department of Records scanning guidelines a plus.
- Ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, including the occasional handling, storage, and retrieval of records and records-storage materials.
- Relevant professional, governmental, military, or institutional experience in records management, information governance, document control, archives, or related functions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills and demonstrated attention to detail.
- The ability to work individually or as part of a team.
NOTE: Candidates are not expected to possess every preferred qualification. Successful applicants may demonstrate equivalent knowledge, transferable experience, or the ability to quickly learn new systems and technologies.
In addition, the selected candidate will be able to demonstrate a proven ability in the following areas, from the agency’s performance management model:
- Competencies - everyone:
- Knowledge – possesses appropriate subject matter expertise.
- Work Ethic and Productivity – produces consistently high quality, accurate, and on-time deliverables; takes responsibility, is dependable, and accountable, and follows through; is responsive to requests from leadership.
- Strategic Problem Solving and Innovation – is thoughtful and deliberate in approach to solving problems; demonstrates innovation and creative thinking.
- Effective Communication – communication is clear, precise, and timely; understands their audience and display confidence in delivering their message.
- Teamwork – encourage collaboration and motivate others; is able to both lead and follow when necessary; is an active listener and consider a broad range of perspectives.
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