Director of Housing Services: New Kensington Community Development Corporation

New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) is a community development corporation committed to sustainable development in housing opportunities, economic development, vacant land strategies, community engagement, and real estate development. NKCDC advances social equity and economic empowerment by nurturing and creating opportunities for residents to live and actively shaping their neighborhoods. To that end, NKCDC provides free resources to residents and businesses in the Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond neighborhoods.

NKCDC has a strong reputation, both locally and nationally, with longstanding credibility of serving as a trusted and valuable partner and collaborator. The organization is currently one of only two community development organizations in the City of Philadelphia that are chartered members of the NeighborWorks America network. Our current work using a trauma-informed community engagement model, applying a racial equity lens across the organization, and leading programs at the intersection of health and housing are keeping NKCDC at the cutting edge of community development. NKCDC draws on the strengths of the communities in Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond — a population of over 62,800, 23% of whom live below the federal poverty level — to make sure neighborhood development benefits all residents. More information can be found at nkcdc.org.

Function

The Director of Housing Services works to build healthy communities and expand homeownership opportunities for low and moderate-income households. As Director of Housing Services, you will provide your clients with the education, support, and skills to buy and maintain a home, provide them with energy assistance, or improve their current housing situation. He/She will recruit residents into the program through outreach and marketing events; working with people individually; educating people about credit and managing their finances; and working with their financial position to prepare for loan application, loan modification, workout, or other appropriate solution. The Director of Housing Services is responsible for the supervision of all department functions, staff, funding opportunities and processes.

Reports to: Executive Director

Professional Responsibilities

Supervision and Management

• Train, guide, and support counseling staff to provide comprehensive counseling.
• Develop strategies for creating staff awareness regarding housing trends and potential partners.
• Work closely with the Executive Director to ensure that the department is running effectively.

Data Collection and Performance Measurement

• Coordinate data gathering and reporting of contracts, grants, and other projects. Actively monitors performance metrics.
• Meet quality control standards and programmatic requirements.
• Perform appropriate paper and electronic filing.
• Gather data and enter appropriate program databases to track program statistics.
• Conduct monthly reporting and/or billing as appropriate.

Intake & Referrals

• Oversee the orientation of applicants to the first-time homebuyer, foreclosure prevention, energy assistance, and other loan programs available to low- and moderate-income families.
• Assist with walk-in clients.
• Ensure applications are fully completed.
• Refer homeowners to other necessary community resources.

Counseling and case management

• Conduct a preliminary assessment of the homeowner’s situation.
• Counsel the homeowner about personal and financial challenges they are facing.
• Counsel multiple clients weekly.
• Attend court hearings on behalf of clients.
• Lead Community Engagement and Trainer
• Manage external community engagement events and training.
• Establish and maintain relationships with program funders, lenders, attorneys, vendors, and community leaders.
• Prepare flyers and documents for outreach events and workshops within the community.
• Complete tracking and surveying of clients who attend information sessions and workshops.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Must be HUD Certified.
• Must be registered with DHCD for Settlement Grant Applicants & Eviction Diversion Program.
• No minimum education is required; a bachelor’s degree may be an indicator of capacity.
• 2-3 years of experience working within the lending, counseling, or real estate sales industry.
• Demonstrated experience in relationship-building and leading successful teams.
• Must be computer savvy, able to access e-mail, electronic calendars, and the Internet. Experience required with a variety of software applications including Microsoft Office.
• Must be able to master the software used to maintain a client database and provide reports. Efficient data entry skills are a must.
• Proven ability to deal with people in high-stress situations with empathy and concern.
• Both a collaborative team player and a self-starter with the ability to prioritize tasks.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience working with culturally diverse groups of people.
• Knowledge of real estate, underwriting policies, mortgages, credit counseling, foreclosure and household budgeting, and loan closing is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with social service networks in Philadelphia is a plus.
• May need to work off-site or off-hours on occasion as needed.

Compensation

The salary for this position will be $81,240/yr. with a full-time schedule, 35 hours per week. To counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, we use a nonnegotiable starting salary system, while benchmarking our pay to competitive markets in the nonprofit sector. Excellent benefits include an HMO health plan, long- and short-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid vacation, and a 403(b)-retirement plan. This position is available for (1) work from home day. Work hours are from 9am-5pm. This position will be on-site at our central office, 2771 Ruth Street, Suite 1, Philadelphia, PA 19134.

Application process

Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to HR@nkcdc.org, with “[YOUR NAME] Director of Housing Services Application” in the subject line. Applications received by Monday, January 29th, 2024, will be given full consideration. All candidate resumes are given consideration and are kept on file for one year, but we cannot always respond personally depending on the volume of inquiries.

Hiring process

Our hiring process includes a 20–30-minute interview with HR, followed by an in-person interview with the hiring manager, and finally an hour-long “panel” interview with 3-4 staff members. Reference checks are conducted after the final interview.

NKCDC provides Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, race, national or ethnic origin, gender identity or expression, religion, language, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or physical ability. If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know groups subjected to systemic oppression– including people of color, women, people from working-class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ – are less likely to apply unless and until they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other communities who are marginalized.