ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR INTAKE, ASSESSMENT AND CAPACITY MANAGEMENT - New York City, NY : Job Details

The Division of Shelter Intake is responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the agency's Single Adult, Adult Families and Families with Children's intake and assessment sites, both directly run and contracted providers. This Division is responsible for ensuring that the City's most vulnerable population can access shelter, per eligibility criteria, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This division will consolidate all of DHS' intake and assessment positions, which includes all the Preventive Assistance for Temporary Housing (PATH); and the Intake, Assessment & Capacity Management. The selected candidate will report to the Deputy Commissioner of Shelter Intake. This senior management position will be responsible for planning, implementing, overseeing, and assessing the performance of the following program areas: intake and assessment of single homeless adults, shelter operations, regulatory compliance, access to entitlement and employment services for clients, and the re-housing of shelter clients.

Under the executive direction of the Deputy Commissioner of Shelter Intake, with extensive latitude for action and decision making, the Associate Commissioner heads the Office Of Intake, Assessment And Capacity Management whose day-to-day activities allow for the smooth and effective operation through temporary shelter and program services of the division's four (4) intake centers, including homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing efforts at the front door, serving approximately(13,600) clients, and the 30th street men's shelter, which is the agency's single largest shelter, serving over (800) clients. The Associate Commissioner is accountable for meeting all mandates which ensure that clients within the system are provided a bed each night through the coordination of all shelter vacancies, placements, and night transportation services within the 13,600-bed shelter system for single homeless men and women, which is comprised of 120 facilities throughout the city, including 1,500+ hotel beds.

The Department of Homeless Services is recruiting for one (1) Administrative Director of Social Services M-5 to function as an Associate Commissioner for Intake, Assessment and Capacity Management, who will:

* Lead, administer and direct the day-to-day operations of temporary shelter and program services to New York City's single adult and adult family homeless populations, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year; is accountable for a budget of over $200 million (including contracts with non-profit providers) and a staff headcount of 300+ employees.

* Administer all activities of capacity management, which manages and monitors the placement and movement of 13,600 clients nightly to ensure the effective utilization of system capacity; and a quality assurance unit which provides monitoring and technical assistance for the entire single adult portfolio to ensure client, facility and capacity management business processes are supported through, and reflected in the agency's Client Assistance and Re-housing Enterprise System (CARES).

* Ensure the effective utilization of capacity using capacity management plans, projections, and aggressive vacancy control; works closely with the division of Capacity Planning and Development (CPD). directs staff to ensure clients within the system are provided a bed each night, as per legal mandate; coordinates all shelter vacancies, placements, and night transportation services within the 13,600-bed shelter system for single homeless men and women, which is comprised of 120 facilities throughout the city, including 1,500+ hotel beds. this unit also produces and distributes nightly shelter statistics which track the system's census and capacity.

* Determine the scope of work undertaken by setting priorities and direction for the assigned area of responsibility; ensures mayoral and commissioner initiatives and other essential agency activities and assignments pertaining to adult services are carried out in a thorough and effective fashion.

* Be responsible for ongoing evaluation and improvement of the assessment process, which helps to locate an appropriate shelter program to overcome the contributing factors of homelessness, i.e., substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, and/or lack of employment. While assigned to an assessment shelter, clients receive medical and psychological evaluations, case management services, which include benefits and entitlements assistance, referrals for community-based support services and rehousing assistance, which, in the past year alone, has facilitated more than 1,300 permanent housing placements. clients who lack immediate rehousing options are referred to a program shelter for continued services, towards the goal of self-sufficiency.

* Govern all designated program and staff efforts needed to provide shelter and related social services to single adult men and women in both the directly operated and contracted facilities throughout the city and ensures compliance with court orders such as the Brad H and Callahan consent decrees and regulations governing the right to shelter and shelter conditions; manages and oversees shelter operations to ensure facilities meet established standards; ensures compliance with NY city and NY state rules and regulations promulgated by the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), NYC Department of Buildings, NYC Fire Department and NYC Department of Sanitation. Manage and oversee the shelter contracting process, including the budgeting, financial and legal aspects; and coordinates with the agency chief contracting officer, legal, budget/finance, internal audit and operations contract management staff to ensure compliance with contract terms and conditions.

* Develop programmatic goals to address emergent needs. implements significant reforms, as it pertains to assigned area of responsibility, throughout the adult family shelter system related to disability services.

* Be responsible for the authenticity and issuance of mission-critical data, including quantitative and qualitative data analysis, the evaluation of best practices, and the identification and assessment of operational improvement opportunities in order to reduce costs, consolidate and/or efficiently restructure services.

* Establish executive and management controls for the monitoring of all activities, to assure that operations are in a manner consistent with the mandates of the agency, federal, state, and city law, rules and regulations, court rulings affecting the provision of services to homeless adults, and in accordance with the agency objectives, as outlined in the strategic plan.

* Serve as a chief advisor to the deputy commissioner, commissioner and senior staff on program and policy issues related to intake, assessment and capacity management, and the formulation of criteria for evaluating the total range of services being provided to the city's homeless adults.

* Administer investigative processes to determine shelter eligibility and works to divert families back into the community when possible; develops, in conjunction with the legal division, training on all policies and processes pertaining to adult family eligibility processes.

Minimum Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and four years of progressively responsible experience, in a large governmental agency, business firm, civic or community organization operating in the area of social services, including one year at the administrative or managerial level; or

2. Education and/or experience equivalent to 1 above. Graduate education or a license may substitute for up to a maximum of three years of experience in the area of social services, but not for the one year of experience at the administrative or managerial level as described in 1 above, as follows:

(A) A master's degree from an accredited college or university in accounting, business, child welfare, counseling, economics, education, finance, human resources, labor relations, management, management science, nursing, operations research, organizational behavior, personnel or public administration, political science, psychology, sociology, social work, statistics, and/or urban studies may substitute for two years of experience; and/or

(B) Graduate education beyond the baccalaureate degree may be substituted at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university in the area(s) listed in 2(A) above for each year of experience up to a maximum of three years; or

(C) A valid New York State Registration as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) may substitute for three years of experience.

However, all candidates must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and one year of experience at the administrative or management level as described in 1 above.

Preferred Skills

* Executive-level experience - Strategic thinker and consensus builder who is knowledgeable about homeless policy and related program operations. - Possess extensive experience in program planning, implementation, evaluation, and operations management for programs targeted to homeless clients. - Exceptional oral and written communication skills in order to effectively convey the agency vision to staff, providers, and the public and a demonstrated ability to achieve desired outcomes. - Working knowledge of New York City and State regulations that govern DHS. - Experience working with homeless individuals and/or families. - Working familiarity with DHS policies and procedures. - Extensive experience in social services, health, or other human services operations and administration.

55a Program

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at

Residency Requirement

New York City Residency is not required for this position

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.