Associate Director of Street Activity Permit Office

The Agency You’ll Join:
The New York City Mayor’s Office is responsible for overseeing city services throughout the five boroughs, coordinating public agencies and departments, and managing public property. The administration is leading the fight in making the city more affordable, reducing inequality, improving public safety, ensuring delivery of efficient and effective services, and working to make New York City’s economy stronger. We value leadership, transparency, fairness, and efficiency as we actively seek diverse talents from various sectors to join our team. For current job opportunities, visit our careers page.

The Team You’ll Work With:
New York City is the backdrop for many iconic events. From special events like the annual New Year's Eve Celebration in Times Square, New York City Marathon, and community events such as block parties and street festivals, the Mayor's Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management (CECM) supports all applicants as they plan their upcoming events. CECM provides oversight on all event permitting activities; advises and assists the Mayor in the coordination of policies, procedures, and operations in relation to permitting; and reviews the coordination of street activities and pedestrian plaza events. CECM also works directly with other city agencies to ensure active communication with residents, community boards, and business improvement districts, so events in our city are both safe and enjoyable for all. The Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO) is an office within CECM. The function of SAPO is to issue permits for street festivals, block parties, farmers' markets, commercial or promotional events, and other events on the City's streets, sidewalks, and pedestrian plazas while protecting the interests of the City, the community, and the public.

The Problems You’ll Solve:
Reporting to the Director of Street Activity Permit Office, the Associate Director of Street Activity Permit Office is responsible for assisting the Director with the daily operations of the SAPO office, including collaborating with the Associate Director and supporting the supervision of seven (7) Managers. The Associate Director of Street Activity Permit Office is also responsible for managing the SAPO Plaza program, supporting other DOT programs, and assisting in the issuing of permits for the use of city streets and sidewalks in all five boroughs for commercial/promotional and civic events, as well as street fairs, block parties, and farmers' markets.

Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Responsible for citywide plaza permitting, including coordinating with event producers and applicants, pre-event planning, logistical coordination, site evaluations, invoicing, permit execution, and post-event debriefings.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with Community Boards, NYPD Precincts, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and Maintenance Partners responsible for pedestrian plazas, including attending meetings related to event permitting.
- Maintain comprehensive knowledge of all active and permitted special events taking place on pedestrian plazas citywide.
- Partner with Citywide Supporting Agency leads to stay informed on agency-specific permit policies, rules, and regulations as they apply to pedestrian plaza events.
- Assist in the execution of all permits for the use of city streets, sidewalks, and pedestrian plazas in all five boroughs for commercial/promotional and civic events, as well as DOT Programs. This includes accurate data entry and maintenance of detailed application records within the CECM database.
- Oversee the processing of race permits, including accurate data entry and maintenance of detailed application records within the CECM database, and maintain comprehensive knowledge of all active and permitted races.
- Attend all event meetings, walkthroughs, and conference calls in support of new and existing DOT program permits.
- Conduct on-site visits with the CECM Events Director to assist with compliance audits of SAPO plaza events and ensure appropriate actions are taken in accordance with agency policies and regulations.
- Work with the SAPO Director to provide data and reporting necessary to evaluate event compliance with SAPO and other City Agency rules and requirements.
- Review event documents and consult with event producers on updates and/or changes to documents prior to interagency meeting presentations.
- Provide direction and guidance to event producers, city agencies, elected officials, and the public on the rules, regulations, and procedures involved with the permitting and coordination of events.
- Coordinate with the SAPO Director and Director of Operations on all SAPO FOIL requests.
- Attend on-site visits as needed to assist with compliance audits of all SAPO events and ensure appropriate action is taken based on individual agency policy, rules, and regulations.
- Work closely with the primary permitting agencies (SAPO, DPR, NYPD, MOME, and DCAS), and connect event producers with support permitting agencies (DOB, DCWP, DEP, DOHMH, DSNY, SBS, DOT, FDNY, HRA, State Health, State DOT, and SLA)
- Present new and existing SAPO policies to external and internal stakeholders, including Agency partners, Community Boards, BIDs, Producers, and Elected Officials.
- Work with the Executive Director and SAPO Director on policymaking for SAPO special projects and new strategic initiatives
- Assist SAPO staff with executing the permits when the Director of SAPO is out of the office or unavailable.
- Assist with special projects as needed.

About You:
- You have outstanding organizational, time-management, and multi-tasking skills, with the ability to work independently, as well as within a team environment.
- You must have the ability to understand verbal and non-verbal communication while making the best decision for both agencies and producers.
- You have strong interpersonal and problem-solving abilities with a global perspective, anticipating needs before they arise.
- You have competency in leading meetings and communicating in front of large groups.
- You have strong Computer Skills (Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe).
- You can ideate and think creatively about the future and how to craft unique event experiences.
- You exemplify leadership and willingness to be solution-oriented.
- You are fluent in English, written and spoken. Bilingual ability is a plus.

Additional Information
- In addition to the resume, a cover letter is required to apply.

Special Assistant (MA)-MGRL - 0668A

- Bachelor’s Degree required.
- 10+ years of related work experience. Prior permitting, management, and/or event planning related experience.

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.