Career Opportunity

Director of Rental Programs and Affordable Housing Placement (0903-Mayoral Staff XV)

Recruitment: RTF0127316-01152234

Published: October 04, 2022

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD)

As a national leader in the fields of affordable housing and community development, the mission of San Francisco’s Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) is to support San Franciscans with affordable housing opportunities and essential services to build strong communities. Our programs create and preserve affordable housing, protect vulnerable residents, and empower communities and neighborhoods. We center all our work in a racial equity framework.

MOHCD is an industry leader in the implementation of innovative programs that support and create affordable housing options for low to middle income households. Through MOHCD financing and programs, we strengthen the social, physical and economic infrastructure of San Francisco’s neighborhoods and communities in need. We actively collaborate with community-based organizations, non-profits, housing developers, mortgage lenders, real estate professionals, and other City agencies and staff in our pursuit of a more equitable and affordable San Francisco. In our hiring practices, we strive to build teams that reflect the diversity of our city and the populations we serve, and we urge qualified candidates of all races, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity to apply.

MOHCD’s Homeownership and Below Market Rate (HBMR) Programs division focuses on creating homeownership and rental programs and is responsible for overseeing the placement of eligible households in all the City’s affordable housing units, both homeownership and rental.  We are recognized nationally for our ground-breaking work to implement inclusionary housing policies; providing affordable housing lottery preferences to the City’s most vulnerable citizens; and the award-winning Database Affordable Housing Listings, Information, and Applications (DAHLIA) San Francisco Housing Portal.  DAHLIA is the west coasts first automated affordable housing application, lottery and lease up monitoring system.

The Position

The Director of Rental Programs will lead the Homeownership and Below Market Rate program policies, strategies, and practice for MOHCD inclusionary rental and all affordable housing placement programs.

MOHCD has approximately 2000 inclusionary rental units in its portfolio. In fiscal year 2021-22 MOHCD’s oversaw the lotteries and lease up of over 600 units of affordable housing; conducted 173 individual affordable housing lotteries processing over 122,000 applicants; opened 1373 units of affordable housing in existing projects by making waitlists available to the public; monitored over 2000 rental BMR units for program compliance; brought 7 building owners into program compliance; trained 247 property managers and leasing agents; provided 335 applicants with affordable lottery preferences; housed 47 preference certificate holders and 253 other applicants utilizing lottery preferences. In addition, the Rental team approved and monitored the marketing of 29 new affordable rental projects to ensure that marketing activities are in line with MOHCD’s racial equity goals and target income eligible households most in need of affordable housing.

The Rental and Affordable Housing Placement team of twelve currently consists of:

Three Senior Program Managers

1.      Lease up Monitoring and Inclusionary Rental Program Manager: responsible for implementation of Planning Code, loan documents, and development agreements and other programs and policies that create new and recycled inclusionary and other rental opportunities to ensure that all City sponsored affordable housing is available to the public.  Provides renter support and inclusionary portfolio monitoring and management as well as reporting, training, policy analysis, essential partner relationships.

2.      Marketing and Lottery Manager: responsible for ensuring that the marketing and lottery distribution of all City sponsored affordable housing units meet MOHCD’s racial and other equity goals.  Responsible for affordable housing advertising, DAHLIA San Francisco Housing Portal, and placement data management as well as training, policy analysis, and essential partner relationships.

3.      Preference Program Manager: responsible for the administration of affordable housing lottery preference programs including Certificate of Preference Displaced Tenant Housing Preference, Neighborhood Resident Housing Preference, Live/Work in San Francisco, Right-to-Return, Veteran, and other preference programs.  Responsible for reporting, training, policy analysis, essential partner relationships.

• Three Project Managers each responsible for specific aspects of inclusionary rental and rental placement program delivery such as project marketing plan approval, re-rental project and waitlist management, compliance monitoring, and executing other rental property management transactional work to preserve MOHCD’s existing inclusionary investments.
• Five Program Specialists responsible for conducting lotteries, partner relationships and determining program eligibility for multiple programs serving approximately thousands of applicants per year.
• One Program Coordinator providing administrative support, processing rental applications, and providing direct assistance to applicants and partners.  

The HBMR Director of Rental and Affordable Housing Placement works closely with the Director of Homeownership Programs and the Director of Asset Management as well as the Inclusionary Policy Program Manager to implement all City sponsored lottery and inclusionary projects.  These can be created through bond issuance and/or development and loan agreements with various City departments as well as units located within larger market rate projects that are restricted as affordable to satisfy the Inclusionary Housing Program requirements of San Francisco’s Planning Code.

Role description

The Director of Rental and Affordable Housing Placement programs is a new position and will report to MOHCD’s Deputy Director for Homeownership and Below Market Rate programs.

The Director represents MOHCD before stakeholders, industry partners, community development grantees, interagency committees, City boards and commissions, and other organizations.  Supervise, plan, direct and coordinate workload, and assignments for the rental team. Develop tools to measure team performance and outcomes with respect to organizational goals, performance, and sponsor/renter support strategies. 

Led by the Director, the Rental team is responsible for the implementation of policies, laws, and development agreements that create sustainable affordable housing opportunities for the City’s low to middle income households through the leasing of an affordable home.  Currently the team provides 5 different affordable housing lottery preference programs in addition to a robust pipeline of affordable rental units.  The team is also responsible for the City’s rental Inclusionary units monitoring and compliance.

The team is responsible for complex transactions, strategic planning, monitoring, compliance, and enforcement activities in three principal areas:

1)      Marketing and Affordable Housing Lottery

The marketing team reviews all affordable housing marketing plans and monitors housing developer marketing compliance, ensures that underserved and under resourced communities are targeted in line with MOHCD’s racial equity goals and the intended project goals. The team ensures local, state and federal laws are adhered to, conducts all affordable housing lotteries, and works closely with MOHCD and Digital Service staff to create, maintain and improve the DAHLIA San Francisco Housing Portal system. Additionally, the team develops and shares best practices, provides technical assistance, and supports capacity building for MOHCD’s partners and participates in the design, implementation, and maintenance of MOHCD’s data systems in Salesforce.

2)      Inclusionary Rental and Lease-up Monitoring

Manage a significant volume of various leasing transactions in accordance with local, state, and federal laws including tax credit and bond financed projects, inclusionary, multi-layered Planning code incentive programs, and other development agreements. Collaborate interdepartmentally with non-profit and for-profit housing developers to ensure Planning Code and other regulatory documents are being followed to deliver new, re-rental, and waitlist rental opportunities. Meet the demands of providing rental opportunities in a high-cost city through refinement of MOHCD policies and practices. Operationalize MOHCD’s Racial Equity goals by identifying disparities in leasing outcomes in the MOHCD portfolio and develop strategies to advance racial justice and create rental opportunities for Black and Brown San Franciscans. Participate in policymaking, technical assistance, development of procedures, and capacity building related to MOHCD’s rental programs.  Develop and share best practices, provide technical assistance and support capacity building for MOHCD’s partners.

Collaborate with Deputy City Attorneys as needed to prepare, review and execute contracts, enforcement actions, and other necessary documents.  Additionally, the team develops and shares best practices, provides technical assistance, and supports capacity building for MOHCD’s partners and participates in the design, implementation, and maintenance of MOHCD’s leasing systems in Salesforce.

3)      Affordable Housing Lottery Preference Program

Ensures compliance with local laws and regulations regarding affordable housing lottery preferences.  Develops policies and procedures for all lottery preferences including project-specific preferences. Conduct targeted outreach and provide direct assistance to active and potential certificate holders.  Works closely with the Lottery team to ensure Neighborhood Housing Preference and Live/Work preference. Collaborate interdepartmentally and with non-profit and for-profit housing developers ensure that preference certificate holders are informed of affordable housing lottery opportunities. Monitor compliance with housing preference guidelines. Work closely with MOHCD and Digital Service staff to create, maintain and improve the DAHLIA San Francisco Housing Portal system to implement lottery preferences. Additionally, the team develops and shares best practices, provides technical assistance, and reports on preference performance.

How to qualify

Positions in the 0903 classification are responsible for management and leadership of complex and interdisciplinary team activities requiring high level strategic, monitoring, planning, and data and evaluation capabilities. Desired qualifications:

•  A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in affordable housing program management, and/or finance, preferably in San Francisco.
• A minimum of 5 years of increasingly responsible experience effectively leading and managing a division or department doing related work.
• Possession of a degree from an accredited college or university in a field related to real estate development, planning, business, public policy, or finance.
• Direct experience interpreting and enforcing compliance monitoring procedures and other elements of Federal, State and local governmental programs such as Inclusionary Planning codes, bond and tax credit financing guidelines, CalHFA and HCD programs, and MOHCD programs, etc.
• Excellent management skills and a demonstrated ability to successfully mentor, encourage, and inspire staff.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and strong interpersonal skills.   Strong analytical, organizational, and quantitative skills.
• Experience and expertise prioritizing multiple assignments with competing needs and continually revising priorities as conditions change. Ability to work with minimum supervision in a team environment and to handle detail-oriented work
• Knowledge and experience with information management systems; high proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including advanced ability with Excel including development of complex mortgage loan models and analyses.

In our hiring practices, we strive to build teams that reflect the diversity of our City and the populations we serve, and we urge qualified candidates of all races, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity to apply.  People of color and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

What else should I know?

In line with the Official Public Health Order to slow the spread of COVID-19, “shelter-in-place” has been issued for all San Francisco residents that is expected to be in effect until further notice. As a result, Department of Human Resources (DHR)’s office (located at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103) is currently closed to the general public. If you have any questions, please feel free to email the Exam Analyst listed at the end this job ad.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below:

Online application available on: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 

Classification - 0903 - Mayoral Staff XV

Salary $139,828 - $178,464

Filling Deadline - Friday, October 21, 2022 - 11:59 pm

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

All City and County of San Francisco employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the City requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.