Housing Policy & Planning Strategic Advisor

City of Seattle•Seattle, WA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Seattle Office of Housing is hiring a senior member of its Policy and Planning team to support the mission of building strong, healthy communities and expanding opportunities for people of all income levels to live in Seattle. The role spans housing policy development and project implementation, with a focus on affordability and equitable development. It combines technical analysis of site-specific real estate opportunities with strategic housing policy work, including independent research, stakeholder engagement, and representation of the Office on cross-departmental planning and policy efforts. The advisor presents recommendations to senior management and policymakers and advances site-specific opportunities that contribute to the City's affordable housing goals. The position develops and refines housing and equitable development policies in collaboration with Office of Housing staff, other City departments, and external stakeholders. It conducts research and analysis, which may include data analysis, financial modeling, and policy analysis, and prepares materials that communicate findings and initiatives to diverse audiences. The role also advances potential affordable housing development sites, evaluates site feasibility and costs, and coordinates due diligence and pre-development work, including contracts and external contractors. This is a civil service exempt, full-time Strategic Advisor 1 position. It offers a hybrid schedule, with employees expected to work in-office three days per week; individual schedules are agreed upon with the supervisor. The role is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime.

Requirements

Working knowledge of real estate development and/or finance, community development, and/or housing policy.
Demonstrated competency in real estate development budgets, pro formas, and site analysis.
Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
Project management skills, including the ability to produce, track, and manage multiple deliverables with overlapping deadlines.
Cross-cultural written and oral communication skills.
Familiarity with government, including experience interacting with elected officials and the public.
Experience leading and building strong, effective teams.
Experience working independently and in a self-directed manner, as well as collaboratively with a team.
Experience applying race and social justice principles in a work setting and/or knowledge of the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice initiative.
Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and adapt to changing priorities to meet deadlines in a fast-paced, team-oriented, political environment.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with Office of Housing staff, City departments, and external stakeholders—including developers, property owners, businesses, nonprofit agencies, and affordable housing advocates—to shape and refine housing and equitable development policy.
Research best practices and new strategies, including through data analysis, financial modeling, and policy analysis.
Draft presentation materials, reports, fact sheets, and other documents communicating research findings and policy initiatives to diverse audiences.
Represent the Office of Housing on inter-jurisdictional and inter-departmental teams.
Present policy recommendations to Office of Housing senior management, City Council, and the Executive.
Advance sites for affordable housing development by preparing site analyses and evaluating development feasibility and costs.
Coordinate due diligence and pre-development work on Office of Housing-initiated affordable housing sites, including managing contracts and external contractors.