Associate Director of Housing Development

Venice Community Housing (VCH), a community-based, nonprofit organization, supports and builds equitable and inclusive communities by providing affordable housing with supportive services, education, employment programs, and public policy advocacy. With housing development as its core service, VCH believes that we must challenge the root causes of housing injustice and homelessness, and actively confront all forms of racism, in order to ensure equitable communities with access to healthy, safe, and affordable homes for all. Just as it is important for low-income and unhoused people to have access to stable housing, it is also important that our Westside communities be inclusive and restore access for communities of color that have been forcibly removed. We unite our community with passion and commitment to equity.

Currently, VCH is engaged in a variety of housing and community development programs, owning and managing 346 units of affordable and supportive housing. As part of a nationwide focus on the crisis of homelessness and housing affordability, VCH is in a growth phase with an additional 400 units in the predevelopment/construction stages. Our vision is that our compassionate approach to these solutions will serve as a model to other communities across the country.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Associate Director of Housing Development, under the general direction of the Senior Director of Housing Development, is responsible for the overall creation of VCH’s affordable and supportive housing developments and providing support and oversight on housing development projects. Key responsibilities include supervising and training housing development team members, providing strategic direction for and overseeing housing development projects, assisting with new business development to build VCH’s pipeline, working with the full Housing Development team to identify and mitigate risks and meet VCH’s strategic plan and financial goals. The Associate Director of Housing Development is also responsible for staying abreast of policy and regulations impacting the development of permanent supportive housing and maintaining relationships with regulatory agencies, partners, and policy makers.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Supervise and mentor 3 to 4 housing development staff:
  • Supervise staff to take projects from original concept through completion, and support project managers with project management duties during high volume periods.
  • Review and monitor performance expectations of assigned housing development staff as well as make recommendations for promotions.
  • Improve team performance by building cohesiveness, leading, mentoring, training and motivating to ensure project efficiency.
  • Actively participate in staff training, including leading some trainings, and organizational functions and activities as needed.
• Supervise and provide strategic direction regarding assigned development projects:
  • Review budgets, draws, change orders, contracts; attend meetings; problem-solving with the project team to solve problems and mitigate risks to the project and VCH; help project managers keep their projects on track.
  • Ensure project scope, project proforma, construction budgets, cashflow projections, capital outlay, operating budgets costs and development timelines for assigned projects are updated at least bi-monthly and that they are accurate and reflective of authorized changes and development strategies.
  • Support project managers in proactively managing projects to their critical path schedule, ensuring that milestones are achieved or, when necessary, that schedule deviations and any potential developer fee impacts are communicated early to VCH leadership. Support and coach project managers in identifying potential schedule conflicts and triaging project tasks as necessary.
  • Supervise and support project management teams in the identification, preparation and submittal of competitive applications to federal, state, local, and private funding sources for site acquisition, predevelopment, construction, and permanent financing. Serve as the critical application reviewer to ensure accuracy prior to, and/or instead of review by the Sr. Director of Housing Development.
  • Ensure the project’s program, financing plan, design, and development strategy are consistent with VCH’s goals, values, and standards.
  • Ensure the project managers for assigned projects coordinate the development process internally and with outside partners, including property management, resident services, architects, attorneys, contractors, finance agencies, title companies and public officials to ensure a high standard of quality.
  • Proactively identify areas of risk and coach the project team in developing and implementing solutions to mitigate those risks to minimize negative impacts to the project and VCH.
  • Ensure project managers are managing change order and contingency logs during construction, and working proactively with third party Construction Manager, to anticipate potential cost concerns.
  • Provide project managers with support, as needed, including coaching project managers to troubleshoot or push consultants or the construction manager to mitigate potential risks to VCH, including developer fee risk.
• In collaboration with the Sr. Director of Housing Development, build VCH’s housing development pipeline:
  • Work with brokers to identify sites to negotiate purchase and sale agreements with property owners, as needed.
  • Oversee project management staff through the initial due diligence and financial feasibility analysis.
  • Prepare board memos, as needed, to advance new development projects.
  • Supervise or assist in the preparation and review of responses to requests for proposals or letters of interest for potential new development sites.
• Participate in the VCH Management Team.
• Evaluate reports, decisions, and results of the Housing Development team and recommend new approaches, policies, and procedures to effect continual improvements in operations and efficiency.
• Complete administrative tasks as needed to complete essential duties and responsibilities.
• Perform well under stress and interact well with others.
• In collaboration with the Sr. Director of Housing Development, provide regular project updates for the Co-Executive Directors, Management Team, and Board of Directors.
• Directly manage 1-2 affordable housing development projects, if needed, to ensure full coverage of projects in VCH’s development pipeline or when there are complex projects in VCH’s pipeline.
• Other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• An education background in Real Estate, Urban Planning/Studies, Finance, Economics, Business, or Public Policy and four years of training/work experience, or eight years of equivalent of training/work experience.
• Five years of experience as a Project Manager managing low-income housing tax credit projects, or an equivalent combination of experience, with a preference for supportive housing development experience.
• Experience preparing financial proformas and financing structures for low-income multifamily housing developments.
• Experience preparing successful loan and/or grant applications for low-income housing projects.
• Led at least four construction closings and/or permanent loan conversions for low-income housing projects.
• Substantial experience with and knowledge of local and state financing programs and regulatory requirements for affordable and supportive housing.
• Good public presentation skills, with experience in community meetings and hearings preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong negotiation and analytical skills.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse community groups (including VCH tenants) and respond to community input and concerns.
• Ability to proactively and creatively problem-solve with calmness and clarity.
• Ability to effectively collaborate as part of a team, demonstrate competence, honor justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) and call on team to operate consistent with VCH’s mission and values.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word and Excel).
• Ability to independently travel to/from office, to job sites, meetings, etc. and maintain a valid California driver's license and auto insurance, or alternative mode of travel.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Stationary position approximately 60% of the time. Operates a computer and other office machinery such as fax, copy machine, phone. Ascends/descends stairs, move inside and outside the office, apartments, buildings, etc. Frequently moves objects weighing up to 30 pounds. Required to have visual acuity to perform the following tasks: operate a motor vehicle, viewing a computer terminal, reading and writing.

SALARY & BENEFITS:

Salary range is $120,000 - $130,000; benefits include medical, dental, vision, basic life, voluntary life, long-term disability, optional Aflac, 403(b) retirement plan, professional development budget, coaching programs, vacation and sick time, 15 paid holidays and 2 personal days. This is a full-time, exempt position.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

Please email your resume with a cover letter describing your qualifications to Human Resources at: jobs@vchcorp.org. You can also fax your resume to (310) 399-1130 or mail it to Venice Community Housing Corporation, 200 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.