Housing Program Manager

The City's Housing Program Manager performs responsible professional and administrative work in the handling of a variety of housing assignments and functions related to managing and coordinating activities directly related to housing. Serves as primary point of contact for housing developers seeking assistance or other support from the City; negotiates affordable housing development and redevelopment projects and related funding, and coordinates with developers and property owners, development professionals and related City or State departments to address regulatory barriers. Supervises technical staff. Works under limited supervision and reports to the Director of Neighborhood Development Services.

The preferred hiring range for this position is between $86,195.06 - $107,971.97 Annually, with starting pay based on applicable education, experience, and internal equity. This full-time, exempt position offers a comprehensive benefits package, health insurance with employer contribution, employer-paid life insurance, gym membership reimbursement, tuition assistance, and professional development opportunities. This position is also eligible for the following leave and retirement benefits:

• Vacation Leave: 3.09 hours accrued bi-weekly (increases with YOS).
• Sick Leave: 4.62 hours accrued bi-weekly, approx. 120 hours per year with no limit on accumulation.
• 13 Paid Observed City Holidays
• 1 Floating Holiday which must be taken during the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30)
• Choice of retirement plan: 
  • Defined Benefit Pension Plan: Provides a monthly benefit upon retirement, calculated using a defined formula based on earnings history, years of service, and age. The plan includes a 5-year vesting period and requires an employee contribution of 5% of salary.
  • Defined Contribution 401a Plan: Employer makes fixed contributions to an individual account, which are invested, and returns are credited to the account. The account balance is used to provide retirement benefits. Vesting occurs at 33% after one year, 67% after two years, and 100% after three years of service. No salary contribution is required.
• Voluntary 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
• Eligibility to purchase prior service credit under the Defined Benefit Plan

The City of Charlottesville manages its own retirement system and does not participate in VRS; however, a Portability Agreement is available for eligible employees. For additional details, please refer to the “Benefits” tab within this posting or visit the City’s Employee Benefits webpage.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be considered to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The essential functions of the job are not limited to those listed in the job description.  The City retains the discretion to add to or change the duties of the position at any time.

• Supervises, coaches, trains, motivates, and evaluates the performance of assigned staff; provides input on interviews, hiring, assigning work, and disciplinary action to subordinate employees in accordance with established personnel policy and procedures. Establishing professional standards for work quality, quantity, performance, and accountability.
• Participates in the identification, research, planning, development, and implementation of existing, new and/or modified programs/policies/ordinances that would promote and enhance goals and objectives of the City related to developing or preserving affordable/workforce housing.
• Participates in the development, administration, and monitoring of the City’s affordable housing programs and the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund (CAHF) budget and the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) fund and other fiscal activities; and making recommendations for future funding needs and funding assistance.
• Implements housing plans, and oversees the establishment and maintenance of financial accounts, processing of invoices for payment, coordinating procurement efforts utilizing applicable regulations/procedures and execution and monitoring of grant agreements/contracts and associated reporting requirements.
• Performs, prepares, and presents the necessary research and analysis to justify the appropriateness of implementing the proposed programs/policies/ordinances; presents and responds to inquiries regarding proposed program/policy/ordinance matters; and monitors approved funding, policy/project/ordinance compliance, success and performance outcomes using appropriate tracking and feedback systems; prepares reports on program performance and makes recommendations on policy improvement.
• Maintains and updates various databases and filing and record keeping systems for affordable housing; participates in researching and collecting data and information for inclusion into database and record keeping systems; conducts complex surveys; produces reports from database(s); and distributes requested information to appropriate parties in a timely manner including reports.
• Manages, monitors, and evaluates the work of consultants, contractors, and/or grantees according to City policies and pertinent agreements/contracts; assists in the development of appropriate agreement/contract language. 
• Acts as a resource and City's representative to consultant, contractor, developer, and/or grantee regarding administrative and operational policies, procedures, and guidelines; advises appropriate parties of any problems in a timely manner and strives to identify implementable options.
• Responsible for preparing various elements of the general/comprehensive plan (e.g., social, economic, equitable, physical and facility planning, housing and neighborhood, historical preservation, and capital improvement planning) with a focus on affordable housing.
• Serves as a technical resource and initial contact person for public inquiries and requests for information related to affordable/workforce housing; provides requested data, answers questions, and refers inquiries to the appropriate resource, as necessary.
• Attends and participates in professional group meetings; keeps informed of new trends and innovations related to the affordable housing field.
• Serves as staffing support liaison to the Housing Advisory Committee and regularly attends City Council, Planning Commission, and other meetings as necessary.
• Prepares requests for proposals for consultant services, including Notice of Fund Availability (NOFA). Oversees the consultant and fund recipient selection process, negotiates, and manages contracts/agreements. 
• Develops professional and departmental relationships with city departments and other agencies and organizations in order to strengthen the linkage between housing development strategies and quality of life initiatives.
• Promotes affordable/workforce housing development through relationships between the City and the business community, private and nonprofit housing development community, Charlottesville Redevelopment & Housing Authority (CRHA), human and social services agencies, County, quasi-government agencies, state agencies, and higher education institutions. 
• Coordinates citizen engagement and make presentations to neighborhood associations and stakeholders as needed to describe the housing-related implementation activities and progress reports.
• Develops and maintains systems for informing the public about implementation progress related to housing plans and similar efforts including maintaining websites, data dashboards, and other approaches as may be identified.
• Responsible for appropriate use and maintenance of City equipment, tools and other resources, including work time. 
• Regular and reliable attendance.

Other Duties:

• Performs additional duties to support operational requirements as apparent or assigned.

Education and Experience: Candidates may qualify by demonstrating the required knowledge and skills outlined for the job through experience(s) other than formal education.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, Policy Studies, Finance, Urban Planning, Architecture or closely related field AND at least 5 years of professional work in affordable housing policy, planning and development related work.

• Associate’s degree in Public Administration, Policy Studies, Finance, Urban Planning, Architecture or closely related field AND at least 7 years of professional work in affordable housing policy, planning and development related work.

• High School diploma or GED AND at least 9 years of professional work in affordable housing policy, planning and development related work.

• 11 years of professional work in affordable housing policy, planning and development related work.

• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of the specific requirements listed above.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in related field.
• Housing Development Finance Certification. 
• Senior level work experience in an office/department/division of housing for a city or county, housing trust, Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) entity, housing authority, public housing management company, or non-profit or for-profit affordable housing provider/developer.

Certifications/Licenses/Other Requirements:

• Must possess a valid Virginia State Driver License and maintain an acceptable driving record in accordance with City criteria OR must be able to provide own transportation to and from job, meetings, and related job sites.
• Required to successfully pass a pre-employment background check and pre-employment drug screen.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics: 
Job Knowledge:

• Thorough knowledge with federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations related to planning, community development and affordable housing.
• Knowledge of public policy processes at the federal, state, and local levels.
• Thorough understanding of the philosophies, principles, practices and techniques of public policy and housing programming (including public housing); community development and affordable/workforce housing program development and financing; and land use and planning.
• Knowledge of organizational and management practices as applied to the analysis and evaluation of affordable housing programs, policies, and operational needs.
• Knowledge of financial proformas and housing finance mechanisms to include Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, HUD HOME, CDBG and 108 Loan programs, etc., and resource leveraging.
• Understanding and ability to implement general grant and loan administration principles and practices.
• Knowledge and understanding of real estate markets and the forces that drive real estate development.
• Knowledge of current best practices related to affordable housing policy and development.
• Understanding of the concepts of urban renewal and redevelopment, and neighborhood revitalization as well as financing for such efforts.
• General knowledge of research methodology and of standard statistical procedures.

Reading:

• Intermediate: ability to read and understand written materials such as newspapers, magazines, journals, multi-step instruction manuals, government regulation, and reference materials.

Writing:

• Intermediate: Ability to organize data and write clear and concise reports, business letters, explanations, and summaries with proper format, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, using all parts of speech.

Math:

• Intermediate: ability to work with and understand number systems; simple formulas, practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios/proportions, and measurement.

Communication Skills:

• Advanced:   Examples include making recommendations regarding policy development and implementation.  Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, employees, the general public, and communicating complex ideas to others. Contact may involve support of controversial positions or the negotiation of sensitive issues or important presentations. Evaluates customer satisfaction, develops cooperative associations, and utilizes resources to continuously improve customer satisfaction.

Independence and Decision-Making:

• Requires Limited Direction: normally completes work according to their own judgment, requesting supervisory assistance occasionally. Special projects are managed with little oversight and assignments may be reviewed upon completion. Performance reviewed periodically.

Technical Skills:

• Skilled: comprehensive, practical knowledge of a technical field with use of analytical judgment and decision-making abilities appropriate to the assigned and apparent job responsibilities.

Fiscal Responsibilities:

• Participates in the development, administration, and monitoring of applicable funds and budget, making recommendations for future funding needs and funding assistance.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Supervises, monitors work objectives/goals, and evaluates performance for a regular group of employees or department. Provides input on hiring, discipline, and work assignments.

Other Characteristics:

• Excellent organizational and strategic planning skills; with the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines sometimes under strict time constraints.
• Frequent change of tasks.
• Working closely with others as part of a team.
• Performing multiple tasks simultaneously.
• May require dealing with angry, frustrated and/or upset individuals.
• May require working evenings and/or nights to attend meetings.

Physical Demands:

• Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.
• Must be able to communicate information and ideas so others will understand.  Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Must constantly operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine and computer printer.
• Must occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc. 
• Must constantly position self to maintain files in file cabinets.

Machines, Tools, Equipment, Software and Hardware:

• Requires the operation and use of standard office equipment and telephone, and related software and hardware; and any other equipment as appropriate or as assigned.  

Work Environment:

• Work is performed in office environment where there may be exposure to computer screen for extended periods of time, monitor glare and dust.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.