Community Development and Grants Specialist

Location: 310 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756

This position offers a flexible work schedule that includes remote work.

About the Role

This position involves professional community development work implementing housing and community development programs and activities. The role focuses on administering aspects of grant administration, grant compliance, loan portfolio management, and community development initiatives for programs including US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs such as CDBG, HOME, ESG, and the Florida State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program.

Responsibilities

• Ensure grant compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Administer community development programs and assist in the development of plans and reports.
• Perform loan portfolio management functions, including generating portfolio monitoring reports and ensuring compliance with monthly Action Due Reports, County Interest reports, and continued use grant compliance requirements.
• Assist with preparation of annual plans and reports, including performance reporting to HUD.
• Prepare written documents such as subrecipient contracts with clearly organized thoughts, proper sentence construction, punctuation, and grammar.
• Review community development program applications and coordinate with non-profit agencies, funders, and others to ensure compliance with federal and state grant regulations.
• Evaluate loan applications, calculate annual household income, and make loan underwriting decisions for modifications and workouts.
• Prepare, execute, and monitor subrecipient contracts.
• Set up projects and enter related data in HUD’s Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS).
• Perform initial setup for loans being serviced, process satisfactions and releases of liens, and negotiate portfolio management workout strategies with borrowers.
• Establish and maintain tracking systems for all portfolio-related documents and oversee secure storage of physical and electronic documents.
• Monitor expiring insurance policies and request renewal certificates.
• Answer inquiries concerning loan portfolio matters and coordinate with the County Attorney’s Office, title companies, other county departments, and borrowers.
• Provide technical assistance to subrecipient entities and applicants for funding.
• Prepare required periodic reports related to CDBG/HOME/ESG programs.
• Examine and review grant applications, plans, reports, and reporting requirements for compliance issues.
• Prepare preliminary drafts and edit materials related to the area of assignment.
• Direct technical or support personnel on planning or functional projects.
• Prepare desk procedures, manuals, and materials for effective grants management and cross-training purposes.
• Ensure maintenance of proper grant audit trails and manage department record-keeping and project management files.

Requirements

• 6 years of paraprofessional and professional experience working with federal grants, preferably CDBG, HOME, and ESG, in affordable housing, community development programs, grant administration, real estate finance, mortgage lending, or related community development work.
• Associate’s Degree with major coursework in social services, business, finance, housing administration, public administration, urban planning, government, law, engineering, design, economics, geography, statistics, or a related field plus 4 years of paraprofessional and professional experience in affordable housing, grant administration, real estate finance, mortgage lending, or community development work.
• Bachelor’s degree with major coursework in the fields listed above plus 2 years of paraprofessional and professional experience in the relevant areas.
• Master’s or higher-level degree with major coursework in the fields listed above.
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience.
• Possession and maintenance of a valid State of Florida Driver’s License upon hire, with eligibility based on evaluation of a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) driving report.
• Ability to work a variety of schedules, including compulsory work periods in special, emergency, and/or disaster situations.

Qualifications

• Community development and/or affordable housing grant management experience, including knowledge of federal and state grant programs (CDBG, HOME, ESG, SHIP).
• Knowledge of HUD’s consolidated planning process.
• Experience with HUD’s Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS).
• Ability to interpret federal and state regulations for community development programs.
• Ability to participate in programmatic and housing programs, analyze information, and formulate substantive recommendations.
• Experience or special skill sets in income calculations, project finance, public involvement, etc.
• Technical skills related to data and document management, data analysis, and use of graphic tools to create professional documents.

Skills

• Knowledge and proficiency in the principles, practices, and methods of grants administration, grants compliance, and community development planning, including federal and state grant regulations, generally accepted standard accounting principles, and the Super Circular.
• Knowledge of real property development, including realty, mortgaging, insurance, title searches, property descriptions, permitting, and assessments.
• Knowledge of housing requirements for low- to moderate-income families and of public and private agencies providing social, economic, and other assistance.
• Knowledge of real estate practices, procedures, and laws.
• Knowledge of requirements for forms, content, and recording necessary to validate documents involved in real estate transactions.
• Ability to conduct preliminary negotiations and perform mathematical calculations typical of real estate transactions.
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a small team.
• Capacity to prioritize multiple tasks to meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of research techniques and data gathering.
• Knowledge of housing, building, and energy codes, and land development regulations.
• Proficiency in basic personal computer skills, including database programs.
• Ability to understand and interpret technical documents related to property (mortgages, maps, plats, easements, and surveys).
• Ability to present ideas and findings clearly and concisely in written, oral, and graphic form.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with department representatives, outside agencies, and the general public.
• Ability to interpret plans and specifications.
• Ability to function highly as a member of an assigned team working on the same program or project.
• Ability to organize and carry out studies or projects.

Benefits

• Membership in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) with investment and pension options.
• Deferred compensation programs.
• Access to wellness centers.

Schedule

This position offers a flexible work schedule that includes remote work.