New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is working to roadmap the next 5 years of technology strategy in line with the latest Agency Long-term Vision, and integrate emerging technologies to address operational inefficiencies and improve service delivery. The FUSE Executive Fellow will develop a strategic roadmap that describes the next 5 years of investment, and leverage technologies such as generative AI and predictive analytics to enhance operational efficiency and customer service. Ultimately, this project will modernize DEP’s infrastructure, ensuring more equitable and reliable access to environmental services for all New Yorkers, particularly underserved communities.

Fellowship Dates: April 28, 2025 – April 24, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and local stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward regional priorities. FUSE then conducts an individualized search for each project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the communities being served. They are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects by developing actionable roadmaps and monitoring progress to completion.

Executive Fellows are hired as FUSE employees and embedded in government agencies for at least one year of full-time work. Throughout their fellowships, they receive training, coaching, and professional support from FUSE to help achieve their project goals. FUSE Executive Fellows bring diverse perspectives and new approaches to their projects. They build strong relationships with diverse arrays of stakeholders, foster alignment within.

PROJECT CONTEXT

New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is tasked with providing water, stormwater management, and pollution control for over 9 million residents, yet it faces growing challenges due to aging infrastructure and climate change. These issues disproportionately affect underserved communities, particularly low-income residents and communities of color, who are more vulnerable to service disruptions, poor water quality, and flooding. As climate impacts intensify, these populations are at heightened risk, further exacerbating existing racial and socioeconomic disparities in access to clean, reliable water and wastewater services. Ensuring that technological advancements are leveraged equitably to address these issues is essential to improving outcomes for all New Yorkers.

In recent years, DEP has initiated significant efforts to modernize its operations, improve environmental stewardship, and enhance climate resilience. These efforts include infrastructure upgrades, stormwater management improvements, and initiatives focused on pollution control. Additionally, DEP has increasingly recognized the role of technology in advancing these goals and has begun exploring emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and predictive analytics. However, while these efforts have laid a foundation for progress, DEP has yet to fully harness the potential of these technologies to improve operational efficiency, service delivery, and cybersecurity across its complex systems.

New York City will partner with FUSE to develop a 5 to 10-Year strategic roadmap for Agency IT investment and implementation. This will cover all areas of IT investment, including infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, business digitization, etc and will include a special focus on integrating emerging technologies into DEP’s operations, enabling the department to better serve its diverse population. The FUSE Executive Fellow will: 1) conduct a comprehensive listening tour, landscape analysis, and assessment of DEP’s current technological capabilities; 2) research best practices in the adoption of AI and other advanced technologies in similar utilities; 3) develop strategic recommendations for technology integration; 4) collate ideas, prepare an analytic framework, and together with key IT senior leadership and other key Agency stakeholders, develop a 5 to 10-yr strategic implementation roadmap, and as time/resource allows, 5) pilot innovative solutions. This fellowship will accelerate DEP’s modernization efforts, enhancing operational efficiency, improving customer service, and ensuring more equitable water and wastewater services for all residents, particularly those in historically underserved communities. Ultimately, this partnership will position DEP to clearly implement it’s next 5 to 10 years of technology solutions and become a leader in using cutting-edge technology to deliver environmental services and improve climate resilience for all New Yorkers.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Beginning in April 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will work with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its centralized IT team to develop a strategic plan and roadmap for the department’s core technologies, and the preparation and utilization of emerging technologies over the next five+ years. As well as collating and documenting existing plans into a clear 5+ year roadmap, the Executive Fellow will also focus on identifying and documenting how DEP can leverage technologies such as generative AI, quantum computing, and predictive analytics to enhance operational efficiency, service delivery, and cybersecurity.

The Executive Fellow will begin by reviewing the DEP Long-term Vision Plan, conducting a comprehensive listening tour, engaging with key stakeholders across DEP’s business units, including water supply, wastewater management, and environmental stewardship. Additionally, the Executive Fellow will meet with representatives from the City’s Technology Agency and other relevant partners. These discussions will provide insights into current technology capabilities, business needs, and potential areas for improvement. The Executive Fellow will conduct research on best practices from similar public utilities to inform DEP's strategic planning. By the end of this planning phase, the Executive Fellow will outline project goals and deliverables for DEP leadership to review and approve, ensuring alignment with the department’s overarching priorities and objectives.

The Executive Fellow will then develop a comprehensive technology roadmap, outlining how DEP can integrate existing and emerging technologies to meet its future needs. This roadmap is expected to include key areas such as improving customer service through generative AI, enhancing predictive maintenance using advanced analytics, and strengthening cybersecurity by transitioning to modern IP standards, among others prioritized during the listening tour and landscape analysis phase. The Executive Fellow will collaborate closely with DEP’s IT team and other business stakeholders to ensure that technology initiatives are aligned with operational goals for both the department and other stakeholders it engages with.

As time allows, the Executive Fellow will also design and implement one or more pilot projects to test selected emerging technologies from the roadmap. Examples may include AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, smart sensors for water management, or enhanced cybersecurity protocols. They will ensure regular monitoring, updates, and stakeholder feedback to allow for ongoing strategic improvements to the roadmap they designed, as well as ensure continuous alignment with DEP’s broader strategic goals.

By the conclusion of the fellowship, the Executive Fellow will consolidate findings from the roadmap and pilot projects into actionable recommendations for DEP leadership. This will include a detailed plan for scaling successful technologies across the department and establishing a framework for ongoing monitoring and evaluation to track progress and impact. The Executive Fellow will have deeply engaged with and reflected the ideas of IT department senior leadership, and will also facilitate training and knowledge transfer on their work to provide capacity-building opportunities for a wider array of DEP staff that ensures the long-term sustainability of these initiatives. This will help DEP continue leveraging advanced technologies to improve operations and deliver more equitable, efficient services to all New Yorkers, particularly underserved communities.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By April 2026, the Executive Fellow will have produced the following:

  • Comprehensive Technology Strategic Plan and Roadmap: Developed a five-year+ IT Strategic Plan that outlines how DEP can integrate existing and emerging technologies, including generative AI, quantum computing, and predictive analytics, to improve operational efficiency, customer service, and cybersecurity. In addition, develop an complementary IT Roadmap visual document (sample) with timelines and steps of implementation to achieve goals and initiatives within the IT Strategic Plan.
  • Pilot Project Design and Implementation: Designed and executed pilot projects to test the application of selected emerging technologies, such as AI tools for productivity, smart sensors for water management, and enhanced cybersecurity protocols. Provided evaluation results and recommendations for scaling successful projects across DEP.
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Regular Feedback Loops: Engaged with internal and external stakeholders to gather insights, ensure buy-in, and create a feedback loop for continuous improvement of the technology roadmap and pilot projects.
  • Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: Created a robust framework to track the progress and impact of DEP’s technology initiatives, ensuring alignment with operational and equity goals and enabling long-term strategic adjustments.
  • Capacity-Building and Knowledge Transfer: Conducted pilot training sessions and workshops to ensure DEP staff are equipped to manage and sustain the technology initiatives independently, ensuring the long-term success and scalability of the emerging technologies roadmap.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

  • Executive Sponsor – Rohit Aggarwala, Commissioner, NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Chief Climate Officer of NYC
  • Project Supervisor – Michael Shum, Deputy Commissioner/Chief Information Officer, NYC DEP

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
  • Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
  • Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
  • Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
  • Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
  • Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
  • Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
  • Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
  • Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal-opportunity employer with core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.