Deputy Director, Sprint Team

IMPORTANT:
Only candidates who are permanent Administrative City Planners, those reachable on the Administrative City Planner civil service list, or New York City Employees serving permanently in comparable civil service titles are invited to apply.

The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the future of New York City, working to create thriving and dynamic neighborhoods with access to housing and jobs, resilient infrastructure, and a vibrant public realm. The Department engages communities to develop inclusive plans, expand housing access and economic opportunity, and plans for long‑term sustainability. DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of hundreds of land use applications.

The Department also advises on citywide strategic and capital planning, analyzes data, conducts policy analysis, and creates open data and civic engagement tools.

Established to carry out the functions outlined in the SPEED Report, the Sprint Team is a new, dedicated project management team established to advance the Mamdani Administration's mandate to deliver affordable housing faster through streamlining the review of land use applications to reduce DCP pre‑certification timelines for eligible projects from approximately two years to six months. The team will focus specifically on moving applications quickly, predictably, and transparently into public review while preserving the integrity of technical, zoning, and public review requirements.

The land use application is the building block upon which the public discussion about the future of our city rests. The Division is responsible for the timely review of applications to ensure that decision‑makers have the information necessary to make informed decisions about their communities.

Working closely with DCP borough offices, the Technical Review Division, Environmental Assessment and Review, Pipeline and Commission Operations, Counsel, Capital Planning and Support, Strategic Planning, and the Mayor’s Office, the Sprint Team will identify eligible projects, establish clear review pathways, resolve critical path issues, track milestones, maintain high‑quality data in DCP’s Zoning Applications Portal and related systems, and ensure that applicants and reviewers have clear expectations and guidance.

The Sprint Team’s primary responsibility is the direct management and review of complex land use applications progressing through pre‑certification. Staff within the division will serve as lead project managers responsible for driving projects through the establishment of interdivisional guidance, identifying and escalating risks to schedule, coordinating guidance and comments to applicants and the City Planning Commission, maintaining accountability to milestone commitments, ensuring that applicants receive timely and actionable direction throughout the process, and providing transparency to the pre‑certification pipeline through accurate reporting in DCP’s Zoning Application Portal.

The Deputy Director of the Sprint Team will assist in overseeing daily project management operations and supervise Team Leaders and project managers responsible for advancing eligible housing and land use applications through pre‑certification review. The Deputy Director will coordinate directly with borough offices, other DCP divisions, applicants, and other stakeholders and monitor project statuses, resolve bottlenecks, and maintain accountability to established review timelines and schedules in close consultation with the Director.

The Deputy Director will support prioritization and workflow management, staff supervision, milestone tracking, escalation coordination, quality control for application review, and implementation of operational procedures. The position will also assist with the development of reporting tools, performance metrics, staff training, and process improvement initiatives intended to improve review efficiency, communication, and transparency throughout the application review period.

A well‑organized workplace leads to a productive and happy workforce. DCP leaders are responsible for…