Director of Housing and Community Services

City of Aurora•Aurora, CO

9d•$159,256 - $199,070•Onsite

About The Position

It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, and Customer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply. The Director will provide leadership and direction on the city’s Housing and Community Services initiatives and programs, including community engagement, homelessness programs, housing and community development, code enforcement, intervention programming, and animal services. This individual will lead a large, diverse team with multiple functions, requiring strategic leadership, establishing a vision for the department, and ensuring alignment of people to roles.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in social services, public administration, business administration, community planning, or related field.
8 years of related experience including 5 years of supervisory experience.
Advanced knowledge of principles, practices and operating requirements of community and neighborhood services functions, including neighborhood service delivery, federal grant, human services, and community relations programs; code enforcement; and municipal management, budgeting, planning, and regulatory requirements.
Strong analytical, project and people management skills, including a thorough understanding of the city of Aurora policies, procedures, and processes to interpret business needs and translate them into operational requirements.
Ability to work effectively with media (print & broadcast) as well as comfort level with social media to communicate the work of the department.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group, including elected officials, executive management, staff, and subject matter experts.
Strong emotional intelligence and active listening skills with proven ability to collaborate in cross-functional teams.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with city leaders, elected officials, the media, and citizens.
Ability to handle sensitive situations with tact and diplomacy
Ability to manage multiple tasks with competing deadlines
Leads teams with empathy, ensuring a positive, inclusive, and collaborative work environment
Identifies and facilities team-based solutions
Communicate effectively both orally and in writing including synthesizing complex information into useful format for decision-makers and tailoring messages to various audiences
Gather, correlate and analyze facts and devise solutions to administrative and technical problems
Adapts quickly to a changing environment, demands, business needs, and shifting priorities

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related field.
Leadership experience in a large agency supporting housing and community services.

Responsibilities

Strategically directs Housing and Community Services functions and programs; ensuring division responsibilities are carried out effectively, efficiently, and timely.
Establishes short and long-range departmental priorities, goals, and objectives.
Establishes and maintains short and long-range financial plans and strategies including overseeing the budget of the department.
In collaboration with the Manager of Community Development, oversees the implementation of the city’s Housing Strategy through program implementation, new funding, collaboration with community organizations, for profit and non-profit developers, and other city departments.
Oversees the design and implementation of federally funded housing and community development programs (HUD, CDBG, HOME, ESG).
Oversees the city’s code enforcement efforts, including both complaint and proactive enforcement within the division’s priority areas (zoning, fences, trash, parking, weeds, and housing).
Collaborates with city departments, service providers, hospitals and clinics, and other governmental jurisdictions, to implement an integrated strategy to address homelessness and behavioral health needs of the community.
Oversees a manager of Animal Care responsible for ensuring that animals are sheltered in a humane fashion according to state and city regulations and codes.
Manages intervention program efforts, including overseeing the implementation of the Standing Against Violence Everyday (SAVE) and the Aurora Mobile Response Team (AMRT) programs.
Identifies and works with transitional neighborhoods to encourage stabilization and improved problem solving.
Effectively coordinates the department’s activities with other city departments to ensure a consistent approach towards common goals and the cost-effective delivery of services.
Effectively manages department employees including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, safety, performance management, discipline, termination and general supervision.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
Diverse community
Competitive total compensation package
Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
Light rail station minutes away
On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs
Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
Access to innovation workspaces
Rewarding public sector work impacting a large and diverse community
Growing city and employee population
Competitive total compensation package
Rich benefits package with low employee costs
Generous paid leave program
100% funded Employee and Family Care Leave Program
Retirement pension plan and 457b plans available
Subsidized recreation center pass, on-site fitness centers and wellness programs
Continued education and career advancement opportunities