Job Description

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) protects public health and the environment by supplying clean drinking water, collecting and treating wastewater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. We deliver 1.1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water per day to 8.5 million New York City residents and more than 1 million people in Upstate New York, and we collect and treat an average of 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater per day.

The Bureau or Wastewater Treatment (BWT) Is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all facilities related to the pumping and treatment of sewage within the city’s five boroughs. This includes 14 wastewater treatment plants, 6 sludge dewatering facilities, collections facilities (pumping stations, combined sewer overflow retention facilities, regulators, tide gates, etc.), wastewater laboratories and harbor vessels.

BWT is seeking to fill a senior management position, at the Assistant Commissioner level. This position will fall under executive direction of the Bureau’s Deputy Commissioner, with the widest latitude for independent initiative, judgment and decision making, and will perform difficult and responsible professional managerial work in the planning, organizing, and major operating functions of three Bureau directorates: the Directorate of Planning (new directorate), the Directorate of Regulatory Compliance, Strategy, and Innovation, and the Directorate of Environmental Health and Safety.

The Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Compliance will have authority and accountability for policy and procedure making, and the execution of the following responsibilities and activities within the new Planning Directorate including but not limited to directing:, facility planning level efforts, regional/system level planning efforts, and asset management planning efforts with the goal of developing and implementing strategies to ensure that the Bureau’s short and long term needs are properly identified, fully leveraged, accurately planned, and appropriately funded. This position will be responsible for developing planning documents and conceptual projects, and coordinating with the Assistant Commissioner of Engineering who is responsible for the development of a multi-billion dollar capital budget programs and the formulation of long range capital projects for: Capital Program Management including work executed by Bureau of Engineering Design and Construction (BEDC), New York Power Authority (NYPA), Job Order Construction Contracts, and Task Order Service Contracts. Responsibilities also include ensuring that planning efforts are aligned with bureau needs and regulatory strategies.

The Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Compliance will have authority and accountability for policy and procedure making, and the execution of the following responsibilities and activities within the Regulatory Compliance, Strategy, and Innovation Directorate including but not limited to directing wastewater treatment operations support, regulatory strategy, laboratory services operations, and pollution prevention and monitoring. This position will be responsible for assisting the Bureau’s Deputy Commissioner in ensuring that that all bureau facilities comply with all current permit requirements, including, but not limited to, total nitrogen requirements in the Upper East River and Jamaica Bay estuaries, and developing strategies to meet the potential future limits for total nitrogen, residual chlorine, and future contaminants of concern such as PFAS. Responsibilities also include representing the Agency and the Bureau in meetings with Federal, State, and Local government agencies and private companies to provide planning and regulatory compliance expertise and direction.

The Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Compliance will have authority and accountability for policy and procedure making, and the execution of the following responsibilities and activities within the Environmental Health and Safety Directorate including but not limited to emergency response and support, program development and communications, program assessment, and incident investigations. Responsibilities also include ensuring continuous improvement to reduce incidents and development of programs to improve EHS metrics.

Qualifications

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college in engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, business administration, or public administration, and ten years of full-time satisfactory experience in the planning, administering, coordination or execution of very large municipal wastewater related projects, five years of which must have been in an administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory capacity. Additional qualifications include regulatory compliance experience and water utility operations experience

Additional Information

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.