Public Affairs Bureau Overview

The Bureau of Public Affairs is the principal liaison between the Comptroller’s office and the public, mayoral agencies, and federal, state and local authorities. The Bureau provides community organizing, outreach and event planning capacity for the Comptroller’s strategic initiatives, and manages the Community Action Center, which provides assistance to New Yorkers with complaints about inadequate and/or ineffective programs and services.

Public Affairs is responsible for creating participatory structures for aspects of the Comptroller’s work, in addition to collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to support advocacy and legislative campaigns aimed at winning change that matters to New Yorkers across a number of issues.

Job Description – Strategic Organizer for Community Safety & Restorative Justice

The Strategic Organizer for Community Safety & Restorative Justice will lead engagement between the Comptroller’s Office and  advocacy groups, issue-focused coalitions and campaigns, and various community stakeholders across the five boroughs on issues of safety & justice. This position will sit in the Public Affairs bureau and report to the Director of Organizing.

The successful candidate will collaborate with policy, communications and other internal teams, as well as external partners, to create and drive organizing strategies that harness the resources of the Comptroller’s office to provide leadership and/or support to change making, issue-focused campaigns. This will include leveraging the case-making capacity of empirical policy/budget/economic analyses produced by the office, as well as organizing and participating in direct actions with stakeholders. 

Core Duties:

• Create and execute a comprehensive engagement plan to establish the Comptroller’s Office as a trusted partner on issues of safety & justice; including legislative and communications strategy (in collaboration with the broader Public Affairs, Policy & Communications teams).
• Build & manage relationships with key external partners to identify opportunities to collaborate; including elected officials, community based organizations & advocacy groups.
• Organize an ongoing series of public events to maintain collaborative dialogue with a wide array of stakeholders across the city on issues of safety & justice.
• Identify issues and campaigns for the office to weigh in on; support communications team on rapid response & proactive messaging.

Who We’re Looking For:

The ideal candidate is a strong communicator, analytical thinker and coalition builder with skills/experience in community organizing and prior experience with anti-violence, substance use prevention, mental health services, and/or restorative justice work. 

The following skills are preferred, though not required: Specialized knowledge and experience in legislative, public policy, or issue advocacy work experience in the broad spaces of public safety and restorative justice; strong relationships with advocacy organizations in those spaces; familiarity with City, State and Federal legislative processes.

What We Offer: 

• Competitive salary, in addition to healthcare and benefits. Salary range: $65,000-80,000 annually
• A supportive work environment, with attention to professional development and opportunities for growth.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We aim to build a diverse team of individuals committed to our goals. Women, people-of-color, people with disabilities, and individuals who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system or are formerly incarcerated are strongly encouraged to apply. All employment policies and processes are in accordance with federal, state and city laws.

To apply please email your resume and any supportive materials to rdacost@comptroller.nyc.gov and bguerre@comptroller.nyc.gov.