Director of Housing Compliance

Christopher Community, Inc.•City of Syracuse, NY

1d•$85,000 - $95,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Christopher Community, Inc. (CCI) is a not-for-profit development and management company that helps low- and moderate-income families and seniors secure suitable housing across Upstate New York. Reporting to the President & CEO, the Director of Housing Compliance is responsible for CCI's full technical compliance function across its affordable housing portfolio, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), HUD, USDA Rural Development, and Fair Housing requirements. This position owns CCI's regulatory relationships with HCR, HUD, and other agencies; manages and oversees the quality of any third-party compliance vendor engagement; and supervises the Housing Compliance Specialist, who serves as the primary day-to-day liaison to that vendor and to site-level staff. The Director is the organization's senior escalation point for compliance risk and is accountable for defensible documentation, timely investor, regulatory, and Board reporting, and the ongoing integrity of CCI's compliance systems.

Requirements

Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in affordable housing compliance, with emphasis on HUD and LIHTC programs.
Strong working knowledge of the Fair Housing Act, Section 504, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and reasonable accommodation/modification processes is required.
Must demonstrate strong attention to detail, excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to work independently under deadline pressure while maintaining confidentiality.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel periodically to properties across CCI's New York State portfolio required.
Prior supervisory experience is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience with OneSite, RealPage, Yardi, or comparable property management/compliance software.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and standard office technology, including email and database/spreadsheet tools.

Nice To Haves

A Bachelor's degree is preferred.
Certification in Tax Credit Compliance, Affordable Housing Manager, Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS), or Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM) is strongly preferred and encouraged at time of hire; candidates without current certification must be willing to pursue and obtain an appropriate certification within 12 months of hire.

Responsibilities

Own CCI's regulatory relationships with HCR, HUD, USDA Rural Development, HOME, and other funding and oversight agencies, serving as the organization's primary point of contact for compliance matters.
Supervise the Housing Compliance Specialist and oversee the day-to-day relationship with any third-party compliance vendor, ensuring vendor deliverables meet CCI's quality and timeliness standards.
Responsible for oversight of internal audits of resident files for quality assurance, in coordination with the compliance vendor and the Director of Property Management, to ensure compliance with applicable regulations.
Responsible for timely reporting to external stakeholders, including investors, lenders, and regulatory agencies.
Develop and implement policies, procedures, and workflows to ensure compliance with city, state, and federal requirements.
Prepare and submit required compliance reporting, including Annual Owner Certifications, Tenant Events reporting, EIV/HUD reporting, and LIHTC annual reports.
Maintain compliance tracking systems and databases, ensuring accurate and audit-ready record-keeping.
Develop training plans for site staff in conjunction with the Director of Property Management and Regional Property Managers for properties with file audit findings, and monitor performance in collaboration with the regional property management team.
Work directly with the Director of Property Management, Regional Property Managers, and site staff to prepare for compliance inspections, including MOR and REAC/NSPIRE reviews for HUD properties.
Coordinate MOR notification with property management and facilities, and conduct MOR close-out meetings with site staff to explain results.
Respond to official letters of findings, work directly with Regional Property Managers to cure findings, and submit corrective responses to auditors.
Monitor compliance requirements for all tax credit sites within their compliance period, and provide monthly to quarterly reporting to the Executive Team on certification status and compliance requirements by site.
Coordinate and oversee HCR audits with Regional Property Managers and compile responses to HCR for review.
Review site requirements with new site staff managing tax credit properties, including regulatory agreements, income requirements, and required recertification documentation.
Update annual income limits, provide this data to site staff, and coordinate with IT to ensure software reflects current requirements.
Monitor compliance requirements, status reporting, and documentation deadlines; ensure Federal, HUD, and State document updates are relayed to property management and entered into software.
Own and maintain Fair Housing policy and serve as the organization's escalation point for Fair Housing, Section 504, VAWA, and other resident-facing compliance and reasonable accommodation matters.
Partner with Property Management, Asset Management, Resident/Service Coordination, and legal counsel on compliance matters, accommodation requests, and resident issues.
Maintain required industry certifications and support the Housing Compliance Specialist in obtaining and renewing theirs.
Report compliance status, risks, and audit findings to the CEO and Board as needed.
Coordinate with the Facilities & Asset Management function on property performance reporting as it relates to compliance and asset preservation.