Executive Director, Office of Street Vendor Services

The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building a fairer economy in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

The Office of Street Vendor Services (SVS) will be at the forefront of the City’s efforts to support New York City’s street vending entrepreneurs through proactive outreach. The Office will serve as a central hub within SBS, focused on street vendor assistance and helping street vendors navigate permitting, licensing, and compliance requirements. SVS will work closely with interagency partners, community-based organizations, and local stakeholders to advance a vibrant and equitable street vending ecosystem in all five boroughs.

The Executive Director of the Office of Street Vendor Services will lead New York City's first-ever dedicated team supporting street vendors. This role is responsible for building and operating a new office within SBS that delivers education, outreach, programs, and leads intra-and-interagency coordination for food vendors and general vendors citywide.

The Executive Director will oversee strategy, staffing, partnerships, data reporting, vendor management, and program design to ensure street vendors have access to tools, resources, and technical assistance needed to start, operate, and grow in New York City.

The Executive Director will:

- Lead and set the agenda for the Office of Street Vendor Services, including managing day-to-day operations, supervising staff, overseeing contracts, and ensuring alignment across agency efforts;

- Serve as a clearinghouse for services and resources available to street vendors and ensure information is publicly accessible through SBS platforms;

- Assist street vendors, in collaboration with SBS’s NYC Business Express Service Team, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and the Office of Street Vendor Enforcement at the Department of Sanitation, Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Department of Veteran Services, in navigating the street vending regulatory environment, including permitting, licensing, renewals, and inspections;

- Develop, inform, and deliver multilingual education, outreach, and technical assistance programs with targeted efforts in areas of high vendor density and areas with elevated levels of community complaints;

- Advise agency leadership on policymaking related to street vending, ensuring deliberation on public health, safety, and sanitation concerns also incorporate considerations of economic justice;

- Identify operational gaps and recommend policy, legislative, or rulemaking changes to improve vendor compliance, reduce unnecessary penalties, and strengthen economic justice and opportunities. Work closely with SBS major programmatic divisions and teams focused on industry partnerships.

- Build and maintain strong relationships with street vendors, vendor associations, business improvement districts, community boards, and merchant groups;

- Oversee the production and publication of the annual SVS report required by law, including tracking the number of vendors served and types of assistance provided, disaggregated by percentage, and any other relevant reporting as requested;

- Lead regular communications with the street vendor community and partners through newsletters, digital content, public briefings, webpage, and other outreach materials;

- Represent and participate the agency on the NYC Street Vendor Advisory Board and participate in public meetings, industry events, advisory bodies, interagency and interagency working groups, and hearings before the New York City Council as needed;

TO APPLY:

All Applicants: Apply through NYC Careers at www.nyc.gov/jobs search for Job ID: # 768783

Current SBS Employees: Please email your resume and cover letter including the following subject line: Executive Director, Office of Street Vendor Services Industry Partnerships to: [email protected]

Note: We appreciate the interest and thank all applicants who apply, but only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

If you do not have access to email, mail your cover letter & resume to:
NYC Department of Small Business Services
Human Resources Unit
1 Liberty Plaza, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10006

PROJECT MANAGER (DBS) - 22503

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.