Housing Program Specialist, Senior

County of Santa Barbara • Santa Barbara, CA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The County of Santa Barbara's Community Services Department is accepting applications to fill one (1) full-time Housing Program Specialist, Senior vacancy in Santa Barbara. Under general direction, coordinates, implements, and maintains assigned federal, state, and local affordable housing, community development, and homelessness assistance programs including Federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HOME Investment Partnership, Community Development Block Grant, Continuum of Care, Youth Homeless Demonstration Program; and State of California Housing and Community Development (CA HCD) Permanent Local Housing Allocation, Prohousing Designation and Incentive Program, and California Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funds. Facilitates public meetings, including advisory board/committee meetings; monitors and ensures regulatory compliance and reporting; provides project- and/or program-level leadership; provides technical expertise and training to internal and external parties; and performs related duties as required. This position will be located in Santa Barbara; however, the incumbent(s) will need to travel throughout the County. Additionally, this position requires incumbents to primarily perform work in California and that when required to be in the office, employees are not provided lodging or travel expenses. The Housing Program Specialist, Senior – Affordable Housing and Community Development, will focus on managing Federal, State, and local affordable housing, capital, loan, and grant programs, with responsibilities for the review and financial underwriting of single-family and multi-family housing development, and tax credit projects; provision of technical assistance to sub-recipients that carry out projects and programs; and collaboration and negotiation with housing developers, attorneys, lenders, title companies, and other professionals involved in complex real estate transactions. Under the direction of the respective Program Managers, the Housing Program Specialist, Senior will assist with implementing and managing complex Federal, State, and local programs, including the application and funding award process, developing and implementing policy, developing priorities and timelines to meet deadlines, assisting with facilitating meetings with high-ranking government officials, business partners, service providers, and professional advisory and review committees. This is a leadership role responsible for the coordination of Federal, State, and local affordable housing, capital, and services grant and loan programs, and programs created to address the needs of the public experiencing hardships related to Coronavirus. Responsibilities include acting as a liaison between program sites, coordinate and monitor service providers to ensure compliance with grants and loans, support capacity to achieve outcomes, and facilitate stakeholder groups. The Housing Program Specialist, Senior – Homelessness Assistance, will assist in the management of federal and state funding, including the local Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program, Continuum of Care, Emergency Solutions Grants and other homeless assistance program funding and related programs. In collaboration with staff and stakeholders, the homeless assistance program team will with providers to coordinate strategies and projects that house individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The incumbent will perform grant administration activities including compliance and performance monitoring of funding recipients and use of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database.

Requirements

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree, preferably in urban studies/planning, business administration, public administration, or a closely related field, and two years of professional experience in the administration of affordable housing and community development programs, including HOME, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), and affordable housing financing; OR , Possession of a bachelor’s degree, preferably in urban studies/planning, business administration, public administration, or a closely related field, and two years of experience equivalent to Housing Program Specialist II with Santa Barbara County; OR , A combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.
• Possession of a California Class C Driver’s License may be required.
• Incumbents must be willing to travel to project sites.
• Knowledge of: The issues and trends affecting affordable housing and community development; Federal and State affordable housing and community development loan and grant programs, including CDBG, HOME, Continuum of Care, and Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program; pertinent Federal, State, and local laws, codes, regulations, and overlays related to housing programs; principles and practices of mortgage banking, underwriting, market analysis, credit, loan, and escrow activities; research methods; basic math; report writing techniques; and standard English usage, grammar, and syntax.
• Ability to: Assign and review the work of others; train and evaluate staff; organize multiple projects simultaneously and set and maintain priorities and plans to meet deadlines; coordinate program activities; prepare, negotiate, evaluate, and monitor contracts; perform needs assessments and market analysis; analyze financial proformas and budgets; work independently; speak before small and large groups; represent the department at public hearings; read, interpret, and apply local, state, and federal rules, regulations, and laws; gather and analyze data, draw valid conclusions, make recommendations, and develop solutions; prepare a variety of complex written documents and statistical reports; monitor and coordinate program activities and projects; operate a personal computer and learn specific computer applications; establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; and communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience in a city or county government program or provision of affordable housing and homelessness programs
• Experience working with Federal and State grant and loan funding and/or affordable housing for vulnerable populations
• Competency with drafting language for legal documents such as loan agreements and subrecipient agreements
• Ability to research, validate, and interpret data to provide detailed reports toward outcome goals and measures
• Experience in making presentations to government officials, stakeholders, and professional committees explaining complex issues
• Ability to plan and facilitate community and stakeholder meetings and synthesize information gathered
• Ability to coordinate large events with community volunteers such as census or population counts
• Strong communication skills: attention to detail and clear verbal and written communication
• Ability to lead and work well independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team, making positive contributions and assisting others as necessary
• Competency with math functions including calculating percentages and performing basic algebraic equations
• Experience determining the best course of action to resolve complex issues while exercising good judgment
• Ability to see the "big picture" and anticipate what future actions may be necessary to remain on target
• Resourceful and proactive work ethic in researching techniques and guidelines of Federal and State regulations to effectively implement programs
• A flexible and adaptable work style
• Flexibility, reliability, and openness to change; adaptability to new conditions
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize competing assignments and timelines
• Ability to determine the appropriate course of action in fluid situations
• Proficient knowledge of and experience using Microsoft programs, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and the ability to learn other software programs that are utilized in the Division.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates the activities of Federal, State, and local affordable housing and community development programs, including directing the activities of staff, consultants, local lending institutions, and title companies in project development and program implementation; prepares Federal, State, and local grant and loan applications and related documents in order to secure funding; develops program guidelines and contracts; markets programs; monitors programs and ensures regulatory compliance with environmental, relocation, and fair housing laws and labor standards; prepares written and statistical consolidated plans and annual action plans and performance reports; and serves as staff to consortium steering committees.
• Provides technical assistance to developers, local jurisdictions, and community groups in identifying funding resources for projects that meet the County's affordable housing and community development goals and objectives; assists developers with planning and preparing project proposals, loan applications, and other documents to meet legal submission requirements and to obtain affordable housing grants, loans, and other funding; and evaluates affordable housing proposals and makes recommendations to management and executive staff, as well as advisory and review bodies, regarding the funding of such projects.
• Evaluates and underwrites projects for public funding, including evaluating borrower and market risk, financial feasibility for affordable homeownership, rental housing, and public facility and community development proposals; and makes recommendations and prepares written staff reports to advisory and review committees.
• Develops schedules and establishes priorities to facilitate the implementation of new affordable and interim housing projects or modifications to existing affordable housing programs; identifies zoning, subdivision, and permitting conditions which may delay project progress and proposes and implements action to overcome such barriers; tracks and facilitates projects through regulatory review processes; assists in obtaining appropriate clearances for new projects; monitors project progress to ensure compliance with program requirements.
• Demonstrates expertise in housing development project management: from concept, through funding proposal, to due diligence, and finally, to occupancy followed by compliance and monitoring.
• Manages housing development projects, primarily focused on HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME)-funded projects, but also efforts that leverage Federal, State, and local funding sources. Responsibilities related to this primary duty includes oversight of projects, such as: manage County Housing Pipeline tracking document; evaluate funding requests, including sources and uses (project budget), operating proformas, amount of County funding request/percent of funds to total project costs, and applicant financial capacity; evaluate and monitor Project readiness and timeline, including title reports, environmental studies, etc.; evaluate population to be served; determine if a Project is meeting a community need, based in part on market analysis; determine Project applicant staff capacity and experience in managing capital/housing development projects; monitor Project applicant commitment to comply with federal/state/local regulations (including income qualification, beneficiary data collection, contractor procurement, wages, Build America Buy America, Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises, etc.); preparation of materials for Board approval and execution of documents memorializing terms and conditions of County funding, including Board Letters and related funding reservation/commitment letters and loan documents ; monitor Project due diligence and construction or rehabilitation of housing projects; track progress to ensure timely reporting and expenditure of funds, including review and approval of subrecipients’ Expenditure Summary and Payment Requests (ESPRs) ensuring eligible expenses and compliance, and processing for payment.
• Acts as internal consultant to division, department, and County staff, including providing guidance and assistance in the interpretation of policy, procedure, and program requirements; determining appropriate corrective action to resolve issues; assuring compliance with program requirements; and reviewing and making decisions on complex cases involving affordable housing eligibility requirements.
• Assigns and reviews the work of staff; assesses the needs of and provides training for entry-level staff; and coordinates the work of housing consultants.
• Coordinates and implements other aspects related to funding, including: preparation of monitoring and compliance materials; administration of Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), including implementation, close-out in HUD’s Integrated Disbursement and Information Systems (IDIS), and interface with sub-recipients; if/when applicable, certify and monitor HOME Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO).
• Collaborates with other senior staff in drafting the annual Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) process, which includes the following tasks: update the NOFA document and applications in the application portal; review applications for eligibility, conduct pre-application training to prospective applicants (consultants, non-profit organizations, etc.) and post-award training to approved grantees/subrecipients; collaborate with Manager and other senior housing staff to convene the Capital Loan Committee (CLC): Prepare staff report to the Capital Loan Committee.
• Contributes to various reports, including: Annual Action Plan, Consolidated Annual Performance Report (CAPER), Consolidated Plan, IDIS set-up and funding of approved activities and accomplishment data, Labor reports (such as Section 3 and Davis-Bacon), Build America Buy American, Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises, and others as needed.
• Monitors internal guidelines, procedures, methods, and systems to ensure compliance with technical standards and program requirements; analyzes local, State, and Federal laws and policies to determine the impact on internal methods and systems; makes recommendations to the Program Manager for new or revised procedures and systems; monitors financial expenditures and assures proper reporting of program funds to state and federal agencies; and ascertains compliance with program reporting guidelines, with the assistance of County Counsel, Risk Management, and Auditor Controller staff.
• Organizes workshops and hearings to inform the public of available funding and promote the awareness of the need for and acceptance of affordable housing; speaks before developers, non-profit organizations, government officials, and community groups to gain acceptance of, cooperation with, and to obtain input to the County's existing affordable housing programs, goals, and objectives; may speak before the Board of Supervisors and various advisory committees to provide policy interpretation on matters such as long-term resale restrictions.

Benefits

• For more information on County benefits, please visit here .
• In addition, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for: Retirement reciprocity Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior