Ex-NYC jails boss named head of Big Apple’s hiring, recruiting agency

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday tapped the former head of the Big Apple’s troubled jail system to lead the city agency tasked with recruiting and hiring municipal employees.

Louis Molina, who stepped down from the Department of Correction last year during a bitter back-and-forth with the feds over disturbing conditions at Rikers Island, was named commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

“DCAS is the foundation of our city government — ultimately making it possible for city agencies to carry out our vision of protecting public safety, rebuilding our economy, and making this city more livable,” Adams said in a statement announcing his pick.

Molina replaces Dawn Pinnock who announced in April she would be stepping down from the role after two years of leading the agency that manages the city’s more than 50 public buildings and oversees training for its 300,000 employees.

The ex-DOC boss has worked under Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Phil Banks as an assistant deputy mayor since late last year.

He reportedly tried to leave town for California, to get a job running the Oakland Police Department, but was passed up for another candidate, it was revealed in March.

The Adams ally’s nearly two-year stint as head of the DOC was marked by a record number of inmate deaths and a marred relationship with the federal monitor overseeing city lockups — who became increasingly angered at how the commish was running the jails and threatened a takeover.

“I’m eager to help New Yorkers follow their dreams like I once did and discover their own passion for city service, and I am eager to, once again, lead a dedicated group of public servants who work hard to deliver for our city every day,” Molina said in a statement.

Rumors had been swirling around City Hall for weeks about who would be named as Pinnock’s replacement, especially after Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced a bill to change the city charter to give lawmakers more oversight over some top jobs, including DCAS commissioner.