Executive Vice President/Chief Business and Administrative Officer

The Opportunity

As Hudson River Park reaches a pivotal moment in its evolution, the Trust has created a new executive leadership role — Executive Vice President/Chief Business and Administrative Officer (“EVP/CBAO”) to help lead the planning and execution of the organization’s next chapter. This transformational role will help position the Park for continued success as a world-class public open space and environmental resource with a focus on long-term sustainability and advancement of the Trust’s financial foundation, operations, and administrative infrastructure.

The EVP/CBAO will be a member of the executive team and a thought partner to the President & CEO, helping to shape and execute the Trust’s strategic direction, business and talent planning, and operational priorities. Directing a team of senior leaders across multiple functional domains, this role will be instrumental in helping the Trust identify and pursue new business opportunities that increase revenue and drive growth; lead organizational change and transformation initiatives; manage costs; and elevate infrastructure and administrative capabilities. Working closely with other Trust executives, the EVP/CBAO will ensure that infrastructure resources and administrative functions support operational excellence across the organization.

The Ideal Candidate

The Trust is seeking an executive leader with exceptional business acumen, an entrepreneurial and results-driven mindset, advanced organizational leadership skills, and subject matter expertise in multiple areas across the realms of finance, real estate, management systems, technology, and HR/people operations. The ideal candidate will be adept at balancing “big-picture” thinking with hands-on, pragmatic operational rigor, and will relish the challenge of envisioning and executing strategic opportunities that contribute to the Trust’s expanded reach, impact, and enduring sustainability. The EVP/CBAO should enjoy working with staff who have diverse skills and backgrounds, as well as with a wide range of external stakeholders. A strong understanding of the complexities of operating in a government-funded environment, including the importance of public sector governance, transparency, and regulatory compliance is essential. Experience and/or interests should also demonstrate an appreciation for the role that parks, open spaces, and public venues have in contributing to the quality of civic and community life in New York City.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership | Strategy | Impact

• Partner with the President & CEO and other members of the Senior Leadership team to help develop, communicate, and advance the organization’s strategic priorities and plans aligned with its statutory mission, while fostering an environment of high performance, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Together with the President & CEO, Senior VP, Financial Operations and Planning/Corporate Treasurer, and in consultation with the Trust Board, set the vision for and articulate the Trust’s overall financial strategy, and provide executive leadership to ensure that all key financial matters affecting the organization are aligned with organizational priorities and support long-term sustainability.
• Identify and assess new and enhanced revenue opportunities, and analyze the feasibility of business implementation strategies within the parameters of market trends and applicable organizational constraints.
• Champion the overall HR/people strategy for the Trust and work closely with the Vice President of Human Resources and Senior Leadership team to plan and implement human resource initiatives that advance a positive organizational culture and work climate, strengthen talent pipelines, and enhance retention and a fully engaged workforce.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define key performance indicators and metrics to measure the effectiveness of core Trust initiatives.

Organizational Infrastructure | Administration

• Oversee the Trust’s core administrative domains of finance, technology, management systems, and human resources, ensuring that these functions collectively support the strategic priorities and work of the Trust.
• Ensure that financial infrastructure and fiscal planning align with the Trust’s overall vision and plans in such areas as devising short- and long-term operating and capital budgets; preparing financial projections and scenarios; identifying and mitigating financial and operational risk factors; and adhering to all relevant financial and administrative regulations, audit standards, and public funding regulations. Provide executive oversight to the Senior VP, Financial Operations and Planning/Corporate Treasurer.
• Drive a forward-looking vision and direction for the Trust’s HR and people operations, partnering with the Vice President of Human Resources to ensure alignment and execution of best practices across the organization. Support various high-level HR projects, including compensation planning; talent management and learning initiatives; and a robust talent acquisition and retention strategy to support staffing needs across the organization.
• Provide executive oversight to the Vice President of Systems and Resource Planning, to lead the evaluation of internal systems, resource allocation, business processes, and adoption of new technologies. Support the department in ensuring continuous innovation, efficiency, and responsiveness to the Trust’s growing and changing organizational needs.
• Guide and oversee the organization’s technology strategy through the CIO, ensuring secure, reliable, and scalable infrastructure that supports operational efficiency and data-informed decision-making.
• In collaboration with the Senior VP, Financial Operations and Planning/Corporate Treasurer and the Trust’s General Counsel, ensure that procurement, legal, compliance, and risk management issues are appropriately anticipated and consistently administered.

Real Estate Planning | New Business Development

• Drawing on experience and industry knowledge, provide strategic leadership to help define the Trust’s overarching vision and direction for its real estate portfolio. Provide oversight and support to the Vice President of Real Estate for property management, commercial permitting and leasing, and Pier 40 parking operations. Ensure that the Trust optimizes all revenue-generating real estate assets and identify and plan future real estate development projects and tenancies.
• Work collaboratively across the organization and with the Trust’s philanthropic partner, Hudson River Park Friends, to identify new business development and revenue-generating initiatives.
• Cultivate and manage new private sector partnerships with appropriate entities that have the potential to unlock new revenue streams. Ensure that any business and revenue opportunities resulting from these relationships are consistent with, and further, the Trust’s mission and primary responsibilities of operating an accessible public park in accordance with ethical and other practices.

Leadership | Team Alignment | Performance

• Provide inspiring executive oversight and mentorship to five (5) direct reports at the senior leadership level, supporting their professional growth and strengthening leadership capacity and succession planning.

Candidate Profile

• Opportunity-focused, strategic mindset with the ability to lead change management and growth initiatives.
• A highly collaborative and supportive team player who is willing to assume a hands-on role when needed.
• A natural and engaging relationship builder, with an appreciation of the importance of providing superior service and follow-through and working collaboratively with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and external partners.
• Able to effectively engage and communicate with Board members, senior leaders, and staff at all levels, to collectively envision and execute plans and opportunities for the organization.
• Keen business acumen, complemented by highly disciplined business and financial planning skills, and the ability to anticipate circumstances that could impact organizational goals and business plans.
• Extensive knowledge of business process optimization, streamlining operations, and forecasting. Able to balance multiple priorities; make difficult decisions in complex business matters and transactions; ensure accountability; and align resources to achieve results.
• Technology proficiency across the Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced expertise in Excel.

Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Real Estate Management, Public Administration, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible senior leadership experience in public, nonprofit, and/or private sector organizations relevant to this role, including at least seven (7) years at the Senior Vice President or C-suite level (e.g., EVP, COO, or CAO), overseeing organizational and business planning, strategy, infrastructure and capacity building.
• Proven track record of successfully scaling organizations, driving revenue generation, overseeing real estate portfolio/ventures and complex business transactions, and/or leading multiple infrastructure and administrative domains.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this executive leadership role is $225,000 - $250,000 depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and internal equity. The Trust offers a competitive Benefits Program including health, dental, and vision coverage; NYS Retirement Plan or Voluntary Defined Contribution Program, Deferred Compensation Plan; Flexible Spending Accounts; commuter benefits; life insurance; tuition reimbursement, NYS Paid Family Leave; and PTO.

Hudson River Park Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The Trust has retained ACEUM Advisors & Search to conduct this leadership search. www.aceum.com