Program Assistant

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is the State’s affordable housing agency, with a mission to build, preserve, and protect affordable housing and increase homeownership throughout New York State. This position is with HCR's Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC). HCR is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

The Office of Small and Mid-Size Development (SMD) is a program office within HCR focusing on non-tax credit development projects smaller in scope but with outsized impact, encompassing multifamily rental, homeownership, and manufactured housing. SMD currently administers eight capital funding programs, including HCR’s Small Building Participation Loan Program (SBPLP), Small Rental Development Initiative (SRDI), Affordable Homeownership Opportunity Program (AHOP), Block by Block Homeownership Program (BxB), MOVE-IN New York CrossMod Expansion Program (MOVE-IN), Legacy City ACCESS Program (LCAP), Manufactured Home Advantage Program (MHAP), and Manufactured Home Cooperative Fund Program (MHCFP). SMD’s mission is to deploy these funds expeditiously and efficiently to create enhanced housing opportunities for low- and middle-income residents across the state.

About the role

The Program Assistant for Small and Mid-Size Development will work closely with SMD’s Vice President, Assistant Vice President, and program staff to support day-to-day implementation of funding programs. The position is expected to primarily support SRDI, MOVE-IN, LCAP, MHAP, and MHCFP, helping to maintain project files, process disbursement requests, assist with project closeout, and serve as a point of contact for awardees and general program inquiries.

Responsibilities

• Assist in accomplishing all goals, tasks, and assignments relating to operation of SMD programs as requested.
• Organize and review project applications for funding for completeness.
• Complete preliminary review of disbursement paperwork for funded projects to ensure consistency of numerical values and that amounts are totaled correctly to initiate payment processing.
• Log payment requests into SharePoint and other systems.
• Coordinate with awardees to obtain required project submissions and/or reporting.
• Prepare letters, memos, written procedures, and other documents as needed using Microsoft Word, including proofreading, editing, and advanced formatting (e.g., adding index/table of contents).
• Monitor shared Outlook mailboxes, saving documents electronically and routing to appropriate staff.
• Manage user access to an online application portal and communicate with potential applicants related to access.
• Prepare and run reports from various databases.
• Create new Excel spreadsheets or manipulate existing ones to meet office staff needs.
• Perform document scanning, filing, and shredding.
• Support office with administrative responsibilities as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and at least three years’ experience in a fast-paced office performing support staff tasks (e.g., answering phones, creating written materials & forms, processing paperwork & electronic records, filing).
• Familiarity with housing and/or community development programs is preferred.
• Experience handling sensitive documents and confidential information with discretion.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including significant skills and experience in Microsoft Word and Excel, and experience using SharePoint and shared calendars/scheduling tools in Outlook.
• Comfort with creating spreadsheets for data management.
• Ability to work independently and remotely (trustworthy).
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with an existing administrative team and grant project managers.
• Initiative and willingness to take on new tasks as directed, with comfort in shifting priorities and new assignments.

Substitution: Certification (such as the International Association of Administrative Professionals’ Certified Administrative Professional), diploma, or associate’s degree in office administration, secretarial science, administrative assistance, paralegal, business technology, or office technology may substitute for two years of experience.