Inclusionary Housing Program Manager

City of Somerville•Somerville, MA

15h•$90,000

About The Position

The Inclusionary Housing Program Manager oversees the successful delivery of projects through the Inclusionary Housing Program, from project inception through unit lease-up or sale. This role involves coordinating with developers, applicants, and internal staff to ensure compliance with Inclusionary Zoning requirements and the effective administration of the City’s primary affordable housing production program. The employee oversees all program management, including supervision of program staff. The employee is responsible for reporting on Inclusionary Housing activities to the Deputy Director, Housing Director, and other Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development staff as needed. Reporting to relevant City Council committee(s) also will be within expected duties. 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. Key responsibilities include meeting with developers; responding to inquiries from developers and applicants; tracking inclusionary projects; supporting project marketing and lotteries; coordinating with monitoring and compliance staff; and counseling applicants and stakeholders (including attorneys, mortgage brokers, and developers) regarding inclusionary rental and homeownership processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree and five (5) to seven (7) 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 and experience with strategies and programs geared toward maintaining and expanding affordable housing opportunities.
Mastery of Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel; Google Drive, Zoom/Teams remote platforms, and other current standard office software.
Ability to meet and deal with the public effectively and appropriately; ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; ability to multi-task and recognize and adjust to shifting work priorities as needed; ability to manage others, build trust, and create effective teams; ability to operate a computer; ability to develop and maintain computer based and manual information systems; ability to maintain confidential information; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to work independently and set priorities.
Excellent organizational skills; excellent customer service skills; excellent data processing skills in the use of personal computers and office software including word processing, database management, internet and spreadsheet applications.
Job duties include attending some evening and weekend meetings as necessary.
Work requires some agility such as moving in or about construction sites or over rough terrain.

Nice To Haves

Supervisory experience preferred.
Knowledge of other software programs such as MailChimp, JotForm, CitizenServe, and/or Smartsheet, is a plus.
Bilingual or Multilingual lingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Haitian-Creole is preferred but not required.
Bi-lingual or multilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole and/or Nepali is preferred.

Responsibilities

Assigning, balancing, and adjusting workloads to advance projects and respond to changing priorities.
Facilitating regular staff check-ins and meetings.
Providing performance feedback, guidance, and coaching.
Ensuring timely completion of assigned work.
Training staff on Inclusionary procedures, work methods, and applicable guidelines.
Reviewing work in progress and completed work for accuracy and compliance.
Establishing and refining standard operating procedures based on program needs and policies.
Maintaining project files from pre-lottery application through lease-up or closing.
Answering staff questions and resolving day-to-day operational issues.
Providing on-the-job training for new employees.
Addressing staff concerns and escalating issues as appropriate.
Developing and maintaining a comprehensive Inclusionary Housing Policies and Procedures Manual, incorporating rental and homeownership policies.
Managing the implementation of the transition to a Consolidated Rental Waitlist, including oversight of consultants as needed.
Reviewing and contributing to housing reports and initiatives.
Tracking the pipeline of inclusionary developments and coordinating with the Inspectional Services Department (ISD), OSPCD Planning, Preservation and Zoning (PPZ), and Housing Division staff to ensure compliance.
Reviewing proposed developments and preparing or revising Affordable Housing Implementation Plans.
Certifying applicant income eligibility and reviewing applications for completeness.
Responding to applicant inquiries related to inclusionary housing.
Calculating affordable rents, resale prices, and sales prices.
Overseeing housing lotteries, lease-ups, and unit closings.
Preparing or reviewing program activity reports and compiling data for internal analysis and stakeholder reporting, including City Council.
Overseeing research and contributing to Inclusionary policy and procedural recommendations.
Facilitating weekly coordination meetings with Inclusionary, compliance staff, and Housing Division leadership.
Leading information sessions and marketing activities.
Maintaining and updating Inclusionary Housing materials, manuals, and website content.
Attending development review meetings, pre-submittal meetings, and interdepartmental planning and coordination meetings
Serving as the primary point of contact for the Chief Assessor to gather data used for the annual reporting on median and average sales prices by unit size.

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)