Making a Difference
Meet John Rubbo, Senior Program Manager in the Management Services Department
We’re periodically featuring the hardworking staff members who are making a difference for residents. Learn more about how we’re becoming a better landlord through their efforts. In this installment, meet John Rubbo, Senior Program Manager in the Management Services Department.
Mr. Rubbo started working at NYCHA in 2010 as a customer information representative in the Customer Contact Center (CCC). After transitioning to a housing assistant position, he then became a staff analyst, and recently he assumed the role of Senior Program Manager, in which he oversees operations-related policies and procedures.
“There are opportunities to make a career at NYCHA,” Mr. Rubbo noted. “Starting as a housing assistant showed me what type of work is needed at the developmental level. Knowing every person’s job from the ground up definitely gives you a better overall view of how we connect with our residents, and how to process work at each level. It has definitely given me a holistic approach to my work. Anytime I start a new project that changes policy or procedure for our employees or residents, I keep those past experiences in mind.”
Mr. Rubbo’s main focus is rent calculation and rent collection for public housing. When the State, City, or federal government issue a new law or policy impacting those areas, Mr. Rubbo and his colleagues in the Management Services Department determine how to implement the related changes at NYCHA.
“A new law and policy can completely change how we work as an agency, so we have to be creative,” Mr. Rubbo explained. “We often design new ways to make our systems work better for us – for instance, by developing clearer options in our Self-Service Portal for residents or improving the Siebel process for staff through automation and training.”
When developing a change or new policy, Mr. Rubbo has to keep in mind NYCHA employees and residents. “The most difficult thing is capturing every scenario,” he said. “We have over 350,000 residents, a population the size of a city, and if we don’t account for even one single scenario that might affect less than one percent of our population, that’s easily over a thousand people and could be a burden for every single development. If I am able to help our staff by making their jobs easier in these ever-changing times, if I can ‘reach one, teach one’ in that aspect, then I know I did right by those that made me who I am today at NYCHA.”
