Deputy Director

Deputy Director

This position is only open to internal ACS applicants. The selected candidate will be offered a salary of $140,106. The Administration for Children's Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS manages community-based supports and foster care services and provides subsidized childcare vouchers. ACS child protection staff respond to allegations of child maltreatment. In juvenile justice, ACS oversees detention, placement, and programs for youth in the community.

The Division of Child Protection (DCP) is charged with investigating all allegations of child abuse and maltreatment that the city receives from the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment. The Division of Child Protection encompasses Child Protective and Placement Services. Child Protective Services include the Child Protective Borough Offices, Family Preservation and Family Services Unit, Emergency Children's Services (ECS), and the Office of Special Investigations (OSI). Protective Diagnostic (PD)/Family Services Unit (FSU) support is located across all five boroughs investigates reports of alleged child abuse and neglect. The PD/FSU child protective team is the largest within DCP, and the largest in each of the Borough offices. Child protective staff is responsible for investigating every allegation that is reported, and for conducting a comprehensive assessment of the immediate safety and risk of future harm to each child in the family. Based upon the case circumstances, child protective staff may act immediately to protect the children.

Under the direction of the Assistant Commissioner with wide latitude for the exercise of independent action and decision-making, the Deputy Director (DD) has the overall responsibility for a team of Child Protective and/or Family Support Units. The Deputy Director will be responsible for the following:

• Direct several Child Protective Managers, each accountable for the activities of several units of Child Protective Specialists
• Ensure that each unit is sufficiently staffed, properly equipped, and trained and capable of carrying its responsibilities in accordance with applicable law, rules, regulations, and policy
• Oversee the implementation of agency policy and operational systems within the borough to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of services
• Implement and monitor the necessary management controls and accountable for the evaluation of subordinates
• Take the necessary steps to improve and ensure the quality of services and carry out other administrative assignment as required
• Responsible for resolving procedural and operational problems within the program
• Design and oversee the implementation of creative solutions to case related problems within the program
• Responsible for the program reporting process, reviewing, and assessing all the pertinent information used, in the ongoing monitoring and review of the borough's program
• Develop and implement initiatives to improve the quality of work and work environment, including quality supervision
• Develop client family referral source pathways and establish and maintain liaison relations with other service providers throughout NYC
• Make decision under pressure without prior approval of superiors
• Exemplify leadership skills of effective communication, modeling, coaching, educating and support to foster quality supervision to their subordinates regularly

Preferred Skills: The preferred candidate should possess the following:

• A record of proven managerial or supervisory accomplishments in child protection or a closely related human service field
• Master of Social Work degree or master's degree in a related discipline; excellent communications skills
• Ability to deal tactfully and effectively with diverse constituencies at all levels and an extensive understanding of child welfare issues
• Knowledge of the NY State Connections comprehensive case management system, or other automated child welfare system
• Familiarity working with NYC's diverse communities
• Experience and ability to step into an existing unit and assume all responsibility quickly
• Bilingual ability to communicate clearly in Spanish or other languages is considered a plus for this position

Minimum Qualifications: 1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of full-time, satisfactory professional social services or related experience in organizations dealing directly with children and/or adolescents; such as (but not limited to) child welfare agencies, Day-Care, educational institutions, mental health groups, pediatrics, juvenile justice. At least eighteen months of the required experience must be in a supervisor, administrative, managerial or executive capacity. 2. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have at least eighteen months of experience in a supervisory, administrative, managerial, or executive capacity. A Master's degree in Social Work may be substituted for one year of the required general experience.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness: 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

Residency Requirement: New York City Residency is not required for this position.

Additional Information: 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.