Job Description

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

Sitting within the Strategy, Products and Innovation division, the Strategic Planning Operations (SPO) unit leads the development, refinement, and stewardship of the agency's strategic direction, and serves as the hub for strategic direction, accountability, and organizational impact. This includes maintaining alignment between agency activities and strategic goals, translating leadership priorities into actionable frameworks, ensuring major initiatives move from concept to execution, and connecting planning, implementation, and measurement. SPO performs this function through two complementary internal capabilities that enable SPO to both understand outcomes and drive progress toward them: the Data & Metrics (DM) team generates insight into whether agency efforts are producing meaningful impact, while the Innovation & Implementation (I2) team focuses on translating strategy into operational change and delivering complex initiatives. Strategic Analysts on the I2 team will play a critical role in turning strategic priorities into real action and lasting change across the agency by helping divisions move complex initiatives forward, strengthening the agency's strategic capacity by improving how work gets done, and supporting problem solving and adaptive management when initiatives encounter obstacles.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Organizational Strategy Innovation:

- Curate problem-solving methods and approaches (e.g., people-centered design, whole systems thinking, etc.) in a central repository to support building a community of practice that enables teams to apply them to continuously improve agency impact.

- Conduct research, data collection, and strategic analysis of data to identify new business innovations and processes that support agency-wide strategy development.

- Organize and support stakeholder workshops, meetings and interviews to surface new opportunities and prioritize ideas generated, including coordinating key stakeholders, preparing materials, supporting facilitation, documenting action items, and synthesizing findings into prioritized recommendations.

- Document and analyze current practices and workflows that identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement, and draft recommendations for redesigned workflows by conducting research, troubleshooting specific issues, and/or proposing new operating procedures.

- Maintain a repository of process maps and redesigned workflows in updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensuring documentation is current and accessible.

- Draft communications (e.g., FAQs, briefs, memos) to build consensus and motivation across teams in adopting new processes and practices.

Project Implementation & Delivery Support:

- Support delivery of cross-functional initiatives and manage select workstreams and initiatives to keep scope, schedule, and quality on track and in alignment with the Strategic Plan.

- Develop and maintain project workplans and schedules to align time with key priorities, milestones, deadlines, and decisions.

- Maintain accurate data and dashboards that allows agency leadership to monitor initiative progress on an ongoing basis.

- Draft communications (e.g., presentations, reports, visuals) on initiative progress and strategic plan implementation.

- Gather and analyze quantitative and qualitative feedback from agency staff and stakeholders to assess adoption, identify challenges and through-lines, and recommend improvements.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES & OTHER BEHAVIORS (KSAOs)

We're seeking individuals eager to make an impact, even if they don't tick every box on our job description. We believe in the power of diverse perspectives and the unique blend of lived experiences, non-traditional education pathways, practical know-how, and a variety of skills and abilities that each candidate brings to the table. If you're ready to learn and grow with us, we encourage you to apply and be part of our dynamic team.

Knowledge

- Understanding of structural barriers to participation in local democracy and the importance of making local democracy more open, transparent, and equitable by removing those barriers, with a strong interest in learning about these issues.

- Familiarity with public sector, nonprofit, or mission driven organizational environments.

Skills

- Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills, with the ability to engage and listen effectively both in person, virtually and in hybrid environments.

- Strong facilitation skills, whether developed through community meetings, workshops, trainings, frontline service, or convenings.

- Ability to coordinate and support multiple responsibilities and deadlines simultaneously, manage logistics, and keep work moving towards deadlines with a focus on quality and follow-through.

- Strong critical thinking skills and the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources.

- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

- Clear written and verbal communication skills with an ability to translate complex or technical information into accessible language.

- Comfort using digital tools and willingness to learn new ones (Office 365, Miro, Monday.com, etc.).

Abilities

- Ability to work independently on tasks and as a team player across teams in a matrixed, hybrid environment.

- Ability to engage with curiosity, humility, and openness, with an awareness of access, equity, and power when collaborating with staff and stakeholders.

- Ability to support ideation, problem-solving, and creative approaches to improving processes and service delivery across multiple divisions/business units.

- Ability to apply systems thinking and identify patterns, connections, and gaps across functions of work among different stakeholders.

- Ability to navigate ambiguity, shifting priorities, and evolving needs as the agency moves towards a more continuous rather than static strategic planning process.

- Ability to conduct both quantitative and qualitative analysis appropriate for improvements to service delivery and how work gets done.

- Ability to follow through on commitments and ensure strong execution and reliability.

- Ability to identify risks, dependencies, and gaps before they become larger issues.

Other

- Experience with Office 365, work management platforms, and visual collaboration and diagramming tools.

- Commitment to actively building skills in design, engagement, facilitation, analysis and strategic planning.

- Openness to contribute creative ideas and drawing on one's lived experience, community background, or past roles to strengthen the team's insights and approach.

- Curious about community needs, civic participation, or public service delivery, and eager to learn and bring insights gained through work, lived experience, or community engagement.

- Excitement to work in an environment dedicated to serving and empowering New Yorkers as voters, contributors, and candidates in local democracy.

- Good listener who can absorb context before jumping to conclusions.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Familiarity with people- or community-centered design, engagement or facilitation practices that center dignity and iteration, with an interest in deepening this knowledge on the job.

- Proficient with Monday.com, Zoom, Miro, and Visio, a plus.

- Minimum 2 years of relevant experience, ideally in an environment that relied on facilitation, navigating complex stakeholder environments, building trust, and centering lived experiences.

- An associate degree or competition of 60 semester credits from an accredited college and four years of relevant full-time professional experience may also be considered as a preferred alternative to the minimum qualification pathways listed below.

While completing the application candidates are required to provide a cover letter via attachment or the 'Message to the Hiring Team' field on SmartRecruiters.

*THIS IS AN UPDATED POSTING, CANDIDATES WHO HAVE ALREADY APPLIED DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY*

ANALYST CFB AL 2&3 ONLY - 0660A

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