Housing Compliance Officer

City of Somerville•Somerville, MA

3d•$65,000

About The Position

The Housing Compliance Officer engages in an array of activities and projects that aid the City of Somerville in developing and implementing federal housing programs such as CDBG and HOME, and other programs to meet community needs. General responsibilities include providing assistance and support in the administration of Somerville’s affordable housing programs. Specific duties include monitoring Housing Division projects to ensure compliance with loan restrictions including owner-occupancy requirements, affordable rental restrictions, affordable resale restrictions, housing quality standards, income eligibility requirements, and other assignments. Among other assignments, the Housing Compliance Officer is responsible for recording new mortgages, mortgage discharges, and restrictive covenants at the Registry of Deeds; maintaining loan files, project monitoring files, and project compliance tracking spreadsheets; and coordinating loan payoffs and discharges of completed mortgages and restrictions. Essential Functions: The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree preferred and three to five (3-5) years’ experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Knowledge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the Community Preservation Act is preferred.
Knowledge of and/or experience with other programs geared toward maintaining and expanding affordable housing opportunities.
Knowledge and facility with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and knowledge of Microsoft Access, and PowerPoint.
The position requires the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with other City departments, state and federal agencies, architects, contractors, developers, owners, supervisors, employees, and the general public.
Demonstrates the ability to work as a team member and maintain project timelines; continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide high-quality customer service to the public at-large.
This position requires strong skills in oral and written communication; excellent customer service skills; skill working with computers and software, and strong organizational skills.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Haitian-Creole is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Monitor Housing Division projects to ensure compliance
Work with property owners/management companies to ensure projects are in compliance with occupancy, rent, and income restrictions for Inclusionary Housing and other affordable housing programs, including CDBG and HOME among others
Work with property owners/management companies to initiate and coordinate timely resolutions as situations of non-compliance are identified.
Determines and certifies income eligibility of tenants and applicants for housing programs
Performs property inspections as needed for compliance with housing quality, as well as health and safety standards
Educates and orients new owners and tenants of City-funded properties on compliance and monitoring obligations regarding rental and homeownership restrictions and other requirements
Stays current on best practices and industry standards regarding compliance and monitoring of affordable housing programs, including and CDBG and HOME-funded projects
Reviews applications for completeness to ensure all necessary documentation is provided for housing programs and answers applicant inquiries for the Division’s affordable housing programs
Maintains and updates Division’s mortgage and project monitoring spreadsheets as needed
Records and researches documents at Middlesex South County Registry of Deeds and researches properties on the Registry’s website
Coordinates loan payoffs and mortgage discharges
Reviews requests for consents to refinance and/or subordinate mortgages on properties in which the Division has a direct financial interest and/or an interest in preserving affordability
Calculates affordable housing resale prices on approvals to refinance restricted homeownership properties
Prepares and reviews reports on program activities, as needed
Provides information and support to staff of Housing Division programs as needed
Provides customer service and referrals as needed
Assists with updating program information and manuals as may be occasionally needed
Attends night meetings as may be occasionally needed
Other duties as assigned

Benefits

4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions.
Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
Long term disability through Sun Life Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
Annual cancer screening & wellness release
Somerville Retirement Pension System
Tuition reimbursement
MBTA pass program
FREE Blue Bikes membership
Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)