PLEASE NOTE: THE SELECTED CANDIDATE WILL BE OFFERED A SALARY BETWEEN $120,000 - $131,826

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care services. In child welfare, ACS contracts with private nonprofit organizations to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through preventive services and provides foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. Each year, the agency’s Division of Child Protection responds to more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In juvenile justice, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. ACS is also a key part of NYCs early childhood and education continuum, providing childcare assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care.

The NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is the NYC agency responsible for child welfare, juvenile justice, and early education services and is dedicated to supporting and promoting the well-being of NYC’s children and families. The Office of Advocacy (OOA), within the Division of External Affairs, responds to inquiries, complaints, and concerns of parents, youth, foster parents, and the general public. The Office Advocacy also oversees the contracts for the participation of Parent Advocates in Initial Child Safety Conferences citywide.

The Division of External Affairs is seeking to hire an Executive Director of the Office of Advocacy, to manage the office, including management of responses to constituent inquiries, data analysis of trends and agency-wide quality improvement initiatives, and the Parent Advocate /Initial Child Safety Conference Initiative.

Reporting directly to the Deputy Commissioner for External Affairs, the Executive Director of the Office of Advocacy’s job and responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

- Implement strategies for responding in a timely, meaningful manner to constituents who contact ACS through various channels including 311, phone, webmail, and in person.
- Manage the contracts for Parent Advocate services offered to families seen in Initial Child Safety Conferences.
- Integrate the Parent Advocate Initial Child Safety Conference work with the core work of response to constituent inquiries, assure that all staff are familiar with all functions of OOA and contributing to overall service quality.
- Supervise, plan and manage the activities of OOA supervisory staff, participate in hiring, orientation, and training of new staff.
- Work with staff to help improve tracking systems and to identify and address operational challenges.
- Develop internal metrics and arrange for independent evaluation as appropriate to set goals and measure service efficacy and constituent satisfaction.
- Systematically identify, track, describe and bring recurring practice and policy issues to the attention of agency leadership.
- Represent the Office of Advocacy at meetings and at external forums, as necessary.
- Participate in committees related to new and pre-existing ACS initiatives that require a constituent and/or peer advocacy perspective.
- With support from the Commissioner’s Office, maintain relationships and establish protocols with other public-facing ACS divisions and offices for collaborative response to constituent inquiries and coordination and ongoing development of the Parent Advocate / Initial Child Safety Conference initiative.

Min Qual Requirements:
1.A Master’s degree in human services from an accredited college or university and 3–5 years of relevant experience in government/social services; or
2.Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” above.

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

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 https://studentaid.gov/pslf/

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

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.