Senior Project Manager (Affordable Housing)

Envision Consulting • Los Angeles, CA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

DECRO, a California nonprofit affordable housing developer founded in 1989, is dedicated to addressing the shortage of affordable and permanent supportive housing for individuals, families, and seniors who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Senior Project Manager, reporting to the Director of Real Estate Development and under the guidance of DECRO's CEO and CRDO, will manage 3-4 affordable housing development projects concurrently. This role involves overseeing all project phases from feasibility and acquisition through financing, entitlements, construction, lease-up, and transition to operations. The position requires managing risk, schedule, budget, consultants, and stakeholder relationships. As a senior team member, the role demands strategic judgment, proactive problem-solving, effective communication with executive leadership and the Board, and contributing to the enhancement of DECRO's development practices and organizational capacity. Additionally, the Senior Project Manager will supervise and develop junior staff, and represent DECRO with external partners.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible, directly related real estate development experience.
• Substantial experience in affordable housing development strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing multiple complex development projects through major milestones such as acquisition, entitlement, financing, construction, and stabilization.
• Advanced knowledge of the real estate development process, including property due diligence and acquisition, land use and entitlement, site planning and design, financing, construction, lease-up, and project closeout.
• In-depth knowledge of affordable housing finance, including public subsidies, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bonds, construction and permanent lending, and equity investment structures.
• Strong proficiency in project pro forma analysis, financial modeling, development budgeting, and Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to synthesize complex financial, legal, design, construction, and policy issues and make sound, timely recommendations to executive leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to lead consultants and multidisciplinary project teams, establish accountability, and move complex projects forward through competing priorities and constraints.
• Demonstrated experience supervising and developing staff, including delegating work, setting expectations, providing feedback, and maintaining accountability for results.
• Ability to initiate and maintain effective, cooperative relationships with colleagues, project team members, consultants, local government agencies, lenders and investors, community stakeholders, and external partners.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, presentation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues clearly and concisely in plain English, both orally and in writing, including with executive leadership, Board members, public officials, and community stakeholders.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the capacity to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously and remain accountable for results under pressure.
• Entrepreneurial, creative, and solutions-oriented approach to real estate development, with strong judgment, initiative, collaboration, and team-building skills.

Nice To Haves

• Review cost estimates, evaluate value-engineering opportunities, and ensure that design and program decisions remain aligned with approved budgets and financing requirements.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate prospective affordable housing and mixed-use development opportunities consistent with DECRO's mission and growth strategy.
• Lead preliminary site due diligence, feasibility analysis, development concept evaluation, and assessment of project risks, opportunities, schedule, and financial viability.
• Prepare clear recommendations and decision materials for review and approval by the Director of RED and then submitted to the CEO, CRDO, and Decro Board for their consideration and decision.
• Lead the acquisition and due diligence process for approved sites, including coordination of brokers, attorneys, consultants, purchase and sale agreements, escrow, closing, and related loan disbursements.
• Establish the overall project vision in consultation with executive leadership, the project architect, property management, and service-provider staff, including identification of target resident populations and long-term operational needs.
• Create, maintain, and regularly update project pro formas, development budgets, predevelopment budgets, cash-flow projections, and financial models for assigned developments and project entities.
• Evaluate project feasibility and recommend financial, programmatic, or development-strategy adjustments as assumptions change.
• Garnering community and political support by identifying stakeholder interests, assessing stakeholder interests, meeting with stakeholders, preparing presentations and other documents as necessary, attending and/or organizing meetings with stakeholders.
• Evaluate financing options (e.g. LIHTC, tax-exempt bonds, soft loans, grants) and recommend optimal capital stacks.
• Independently prepare and timely submit accurate and complete funding applications that meet application requirements.
• Lead or coordinate preparation of financing applications and pursue predevelopment, construction, and permanent debt; Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity; public subsidies; tax-exempt bond financing; and other conventional or non-traditional funding sources.
• Coordinate financing due diligence, lender and investor requirements, closing checklists, approvals, and compliance matters through financial closing and project completion.
• Lead the land-use entitlement and public-approval process, including development applications, agency submissions, schedule management, and resolution of entitlement issues.
• Coordinate outside land-use consultants, government and community relations consultants, CEQA counsel, relocation consultants, architects, and other specialists as applicable.
• Build productive working relationships with city officials and public-agency staff to advance project approvals and resolve development issues.
• Coordinate with the CEO, CRDO, and resident/community engagement staff on community outreach, public hearings, stakeholder engagement, and related project communications.
• Direct and coordinate the multidisciplinary development team, including architects, attorneys, engineers, land-use consultants, sustainability and accessibility consultants, and other third-party professionals.
• Establish clear scopes, deliverables, schedules, and accountability for consultants and actively manage performance throughout the development lifecycle.
• Coordinate design decisions with property management, asset management, resident services, and other internal stakeholders to support long-term operating performance and resident needs.
• Work with Decro's Controller and Accounting Department and executive leadership to review development invoices, monitor consultant spending, and maintain alignment with approved budgets.
• Identify project risks early, develop practical mitigation strategies, and elevate significant issues to the CEO and CRDO with recommended solutions.
• Under the direction of Director of RED, work with the general contractor, architect, and construction manager to establish and manage project cost expectations from conceptual design through construction completion.
• Provide owner-side oversight during construction, including management of the construction budget, participation in job-site meetings, review of key project decisions, and coordination of development-team responses to construction issues.
• Coordinate with Asset Management, property management, the construction manager, and other partners on project marketing, lease-up, occupancy, and transition to stabilized operations.
• Lead development-side coordination of construction closeout, punch-list completion, warranty items, turnover documentation, and resolution of outstanding development matters.
• Support an effective handoff to Asset Management and property operations and ensure that key project commitments, financing requirements, and operational considerations are communicated and documented.
• Provide clear, concise project reporting to executive leadership and the Board, including project status, key decisions, budget and pro forma performance, schedule, risks, and recommended actions.
• Capable of representing Decro professionally with public agencies, lenders, investors, consultants, community stakeholders, and industry partners.
• Support consistent development practices, tools, and processes across the organization, including project tracking, financial modeling, risk management, and consultant oversight.
• Supervise assigned development staff, including setting priorities, delegating work, reviewing deliverables, coaching performance, supporting professional development, and fostering a collaborative, accountable, and solutions-oriented team culture.
• Perform other duties and special projects as directed by the Director of RED or the CEO or CRDO.

Benefits

• Employer-paid medical and dental insurance for the employee
• Life insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 5% employer match after one year of continuous employment
• 14 paid holidays
• Vacation, sick and comp days
• Cell phone stipend
• On-site parking

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed