Newburgh seeks candidates for key public works, engineering posts

The City of Newburgh was recruiting for several jobs that sit close to the center of daily operations, including assistant city engineer, deputy superintendent of public works and assistant city comptroller. The openings point to where the city’s staffing pressure is most visible: the offices that shape infrastructure work, finance controls and the pace of municipal service.

The engineering vacancy opened after Chad Wade was promoted to superintendent of public works. Wade had served as assistant city engineer since 2014 and brought more than 20 years of experience in public infrastructure and government operations. Under city code, the superintendent’s portfolio reaches beyond one department name; it covers sewer systems, sanitation, streets and bridges, and also parks, boulevards, trees and shrubs. That makes the deputy superintendent post more than a routine management slot. The job description says the deputy would step in during the superintendent’s absence, inability to act or a vacancy, and the city listed a starting salary of $139,905 for the full-time, provisional appointment pending a civil service exam.

On the finance side, Newburgh had already filled one major gap with the appointment of Nancy Bloom as city comptroller on February 5, 2026, after nearly a year of searching. Bloom came to City Hall after serving as controller for SUNY Sullivan Community College beginning in 2023 and as assistant financial director for Catholic Charities of Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan Counties from 2021 to 2023. The comptroller is appointed by the city manager under City Charter §7.10 and supervises the Bureau of Audit and Control under the director of finance. The office helps prepare the annual budget, administer the annual audit and oversee the ledgers and controls that track city revenue and spending.

The staffing push comes as Newburgh operates under a council-manager form of government that has been in place since 1917. Jason Morris is listed by the city as interim city manager, commissioner of public works and city engineer, a concentration of responsibility that underscores how much the administration depends on a limited number of senior posts to keep operations steady.

Other job postings show the city trying to cover both permanent and seasonal needs. A public safety attendant position posted March 25 carried a starting salary of $62,184, was listed as a full-time Police Department job covered by CSEA, and did not require a civil service exam. Seasonal recreation jobs, posted January 9, included roles at the Delano Hitch Aquatic Center such as a pool director at $25 an hour and an assistant pool director at $24 an hour, along with summer camp positions.

The hiring drive arrived alongside a budget plan that totaled $103,249,263 across all funds and carried no new taxes or increases in water, sewer or sanitation rates. City officials have also said Newburgh has earned the Office of the State Comptroller’s top municipal fiscal-health score for six straight years and that Moody’s upgraded its credit rating to A1 from A3, even as the city advances a $250 million infrastructure improvement plan.