Housing Development Manager

About the role

The Housing Development Manager’s primary responsibility is to manage affordable housing proposals from developers seeking local and/or federal funding from the City. This includes regular coordination with affordable housing developers to guide them through eligibility guidelines, the application process, necessary due diligence items, and federal compliance requirements, as applicable.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate developer proposals for acquisition or development funds by reviewing funding applications, including financial proformas with project cash flow, sources, and uses;
• Perform underwriting review with an understanding of City funding source requirements prior to making a recommendation to fund the acquisition and/or development of a property;
• Collaborate with other City staff to identify City funding sources and provide recommendations on other non-City funding sources where necessary;
• Prepare written analyses and recommendations on housing development proposals;
• Draft conditional commitment letters;
• Track due diligence items in preparation for closings, participate in closing calls and collaborate with colleagues both within Housing and other Strategy & Development divisions and City departments as well as developers on closings;
• Prepare information on development work as needed, including data tracking and other reporting requirements;
• Affords assistance in completing environmental reviews and tracking compliance with other state and federal regulations, as necessary;
• Maintain the all-affordable housing pipeline;
• Track development progress during construction, including processing requests for payment, and reviewing lender advisor reports;
• Conduct research and analyses on other sources needed to expand existing development efforts, including Somerville’s 100 Homes partnership with Somerville Community Corporation;
• Work to attract developers of affordable housing to conduct work in Somerville;
• Attend and participate in occasional evening meetings as needed;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Duties involve application of semi-complex procedures requiring special knowledge or ability, e.g., advanced booking or billing procedures, transcription and stenography; ability to operate specialized heavy motor equipment such as a snowplow, grader, backhoe, etc.; includes water or wastewater operation licensing where applicable. Equivalent to high school plus additional training equal to one to two years of college, attainment of Associates level of post-secondary education and/or experience.
• Knowledge, Abilities And Skill: Knowledge: Proficiency in Microsoft Office, specifically Word and Excel; working knowledge of Teams. Knowledge of Community Preservation Act, and Municipal Housing Trusts is highly preferred. Familiarity with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Program. Experience in public administration and/or strategies and programs geared toward maintaining and expanding affordable housing opportunities is beneficial; Ability: Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with other City departments, state and federal agencies, architects, contractors, developers, owners, supervisors, employees, and the general public. Ability to meet and deal with the public appropriately; ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to multi-task and recognize and adjust to shifting work priorities as needed; ability to operate a computer; ability to maintain confidential information; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to deal appropriately with City employees, city officials and the general public. Skill: This position requires strong oral and written communication skills, excellent customer service skills; excellent analytical skills, and associated spreadsheet software skills in Excel. Bi-lingual or multilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole and/or Nepali is preferred but not required.

Benefits

Overview of Total Rewards: 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.