Job Description

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION

The Executive Director serves as the agency's chief executive officer and principal advisor to the Board, responsible for advancing the Board's strategic vision, operational effectiveness, public credibility, and oversight mission. The Executive Director provides executive leadership across all agency functions, including operations, policy, investigations, monitoring, external affairs, intergovernmental relations, communications, and regulatory compliance.
This position requires an accomplished executive leader with exceptional strategic, managerial, political, and interpersonal skills. The successful candidate must be capable of navigating highly complex governmental, operational, and public-facing environments while maintaining the Board's independence, integrity, and institutional credibility.
The Executive Director will maintain regular engagement with senior leadership of the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) and Correctional Health Services (CHS) regarding matters impacting conditions of confinement, operational practices, safety, compliance with the Board's Minimum Standards, and broader correctional policy initiatives. The role requires the ability to establish professional and productive working relationships with agency leadership while exercising independent oversight authority and ensuring accountability.
The Executive Director will serve as the Board's senior representative and public-facing leader, cultivating and maintaining effective relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including City Hall, the New York City Council, DOC, CHS, oversight entities, labor representatives, advocacy organizations, impacted communities, and the media. The ideal candidate will possess the judgment and diplomacy necessary to engage constructively with stakeholders holding competing priorities while advancing the Board's mandate and preserving its independent oversight role.
The Executive Director will also play a central role in strengthening the Board's visibility, transparency, and public engagement efforts. This includes overseeing external communications, public reporting, testimony, and stakeholder engagement strategies; serving as a spokesperson for the agency; and ensuring that the Board's work, findings, and policy positions are communicated clearly, accurately, and effectively to governmental, stakeholder, and public audiences.

Key responsibilities include:
-Providing visionary and strategic leadership to advance the Board's oversight, monitoring, investigative, and regulatory priorities in a dynamic and high-profile policy environment;
-Managing and overseeing agency staff in partnership with the Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel and Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating
Officer, including establishing organizational priorities, setting performance expectations, supporting staff development, promoting accountability, and ensuring effective coordination across operational, monitoring, investigative, legal, policy, and administrative functions;
-Building and sustaining productive partnerships with government agencies, elected officials, policy leaders, advocacy organizations, community stakeholders, and institutional partners while maintaining the Board's independence and accountability mission;
-Serving as the Board's primary spokesperson and representing the agency at public hearings, Board meetings, intergovernmental meetings, media engagements, and external stakeholder forums;
-Advising Board members on emerging operational, legal, political, and policy matters impacting the City's correctional system and ensuring members are equipped with timely, accurate, and comprehensive information to support effective governance and decision-making;
-Leading agency communications and public affairs strategies to strengthen transparency, public trust, and awareness of the Board's mission, findings, and policy recommendations;
-Managing sensitive and high-profile matters with sound judgment, discretion, political awareness, and crisis-management capabilities, particularly those involving investigations, incidents, litigation, operational emergencies, or significant media scrutiny;
-Fostering a high-performing, mission-driven organizational culture grounded in professionalism, accountability, collaboration, equity, and continuous improvement; and
-Developing and mentoring senior staff while ensuring strong internal operations, effective cross-functional collaboration, and organizational resilience.
-Conducting regular and ongoing visits to Rikers Island and other Department of Correction facilities to maintain operational awareness, engage with facility leadership and staff, observe conditions firsthand, and support the Board's oversight and monitoring responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The Board seeks a highly accomplished, strategic, and mission-driven executive with demonstrated leadership experience in complex governmental, oversight, legal, regulatory, correctional, public policy, or public-sector environments. The successful candidate must possess the executive judgment, operational acumen, and political sophistication necessary to lead a high-profile independent oversight agency operating within a dynamic and highly scrutinized public environment.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to public service, accountability, transparency, and criminal justice reform, while maintaining the ability to lead effectively through collaboration, strategic decision-making, and organizational management.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS INCLUDE:
-Advanced degree required; Juris Doctor, master's degree in public administration, Criminal Justice, Public Policy, Law, or a related field preferred;
-Significant executive-level leadership and management experience, including oversight of staff, operations, budgets, strategic initiatives, and organizational planning; Experience working with a Board is preferred.
-Demonstrated experience managing and developing multidisciplinary teams within complex governmental, legal, regulatory, investigatory, oversight, or operational environments;
-Expertise related to correctional systems, criminal justice reform, public oversight, law enforcement accountability, government operations, labor relations, investigations, compliance, or public administration;
-Ability to effectively engage with senior leadership at the Department of Correction, Correctional Health Services, City Hall, oversight entities, elected officials, advocates, labor representatives, and community stakeholders while maintaining the Board's independence and oversight responsibilities;
-Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to manage high-profile, politically sensitive, and operationally complex matters with sound judgment and discretion;
-Demonstrated experience navigating public-sector governance structures and working effectively with boards, commissions, elected officials, and senior governmental stakeholders;
-Outstanding written, verbal, interpersonal, and public communication skills, including experience with public testimony, media engagement, public presentations, and stakeholder communications;
-Proven ability to foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, collaboration, transparency, and continuous organizational improvement;
-Strong operational and managerial capabilities, including experience overseeing compliance functions, policy implementation, organizational administration, and cross-functional coordination;
-Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive leadership practices; and
-The willingness and ability to respond to emergent and high-priority operational matters, including maintaining a visible presence at correctional facilities and participating in urgent agency response efforts when necessary.
-The successful candidate must possess the executive presence, credibility, resilience, and leadership maturity necessary to lead within a highly visible oversight environment where public trust, stakeholder engagement, operational accountability, and institutional integrity are critical to the agency's mission and effectiveness.

More information about the Board is available on its website: http://www.nyc.gov/html/boc/html/home/home.shtml

Appointments are subject to Office of Management and Budget approval.

LOCATION :

2 Lafayette Street, NYC (with periodic travel to Rikers Island)

TO APPLY:

For City employees: Go to Employee Self-Service (ESS) at www.nyc.gov/ess and search for Job ID# 781416

For all other applicants: Go to cityjobs.nyc.gov and search for Job ID#781416

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (BOARD OF C - 61132

Qualifications

1. A license to practice law in the State of New York plus a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of full-time paid experience in some aspect of the criminal justice system, one year of which must have been in a responsible executive, managerial or consultative capacity; or
2. A satisfactory equivalent. However, all candidates must have two years of full-time paid experience as described above, one year of which must have been in a responsible executive, managerial or consultative capacity.

Additional Information