Zohran’s accepting resumes

Seeking top talent to come work with him at City Hall, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is opening up a public application process for people interested in serving in his future administration.

According to his team, he is hiring for all positions – deputy mayors, commissioners and beyond. Interested parties can apply through a new resume portal launching Thursday, two days after Mamdani’s historic victory against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“To build a team of top talent, we need to search far and wide – which is why we are calling on New Yorkers across the five boroughs to share their backgrounds with us and join our movement to deliver a city we can afford,” Transition Executive Director Elana Leopold said in a statement. “As we begin the transition to a new era, this resume portal will allow us to roll up our sleeves, hit the ground running and enact the agenda that got Zohran elected.”

The news, shared exclusively with City & State ahead of its release, comes in wake of Mamdani announcing which New Yorkers would be leading his transition team Wednesday morning.

This all-women slate of seasoned officials consists of Leopold, former First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, United Way of New York City President Grace Bonilla, former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and former Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzog. Building out the future Mamdani administration will be a major part of their work to help the 34-year-old democratic socialist prepare for his January inauguration. 

Given his age and relative lack of experience governing, Mamdani’s hiring decisions will likely face a particularly high volume of scrutiny as he looks to build confidence in his ability to govern. There’s a lot of positions to fill. So far he’s only publicly committed to keeping Jessica Tisch on as New York City Police Department commissioner. Billing it as an effort rooted in transparency and Mamdani’s connection to the diverse coalition that won him the election, the resume portal will be open to applicants of all experience levels – including community organizers, policy experts, seasoned government professionals and working New Yorkers across the city. 

Ultimately, these hires will be tasked with helping Mamdani bring his ambitious campaign promises to fruition while navigating threats from the Trump administration and the bureaucratic challenges of City Hall. While some of the top roles in the administration are likely already spoken for, Mamdani does have a history of picking candidates out of obscurity. His closest adviser, Elle Bisgaard-Church, cold-applied to be his Assembly chief of staff in 2020.