Director of the Office of Housing Stability

Somerville is a city that upholds progressive principles for both employees and residents alike. If you are looking for a culture that embraces innovation, empowerment, and collaborative involvement, Somerville not only embraces these talents but encourages them. Creative, hands-on collaboration with passionate dedication are at the core of the City’s workplace culture.
Challenging and fast-paced, Somerville also offers a generous benefits package that embodies a strong work-life balance. Not only is it a “Model City”, as termed by The Boston Globe, but it is also a model employer.

Statement of Duties

The City of Somerville seeks a Director of the Office of Housing Stability. The Director will be responsible for operating the Office of Housing Stability. To be effective in this role, the Director must be an excellent manager, public speaker and housing policy advocate. As the Office of Housing Stability is the central point of contact for individuals seeking housing opportunities or advice, the Director must ensure that all cases handled by the office are effectively managed. In addition, the Director must also serve as a policy advocate, with the ability to coordinate resources and partners across a wide range of stakeholders to ensure residents are able to retain their homes.

Essential Functions:

• Manage a staff to assist residents in danger of eviction, displacement and homelessness with information, access to legal assistance, and resources to find housing they can afford.
• Closely monitor all cases coming into the Office of Housing Stability for timely follow up, appropriate response and effective outcomes.
• Maintain an active and regularly updated inventory of affordable housing opportunities in Somerville and the metropolitan region for residents seeking affordable housing opportunities.
• Build a strong team of case manager and policy advocates within the Office of Housing Stability and provide staff with the regular training, coaching and leadership they need to succeed.
• Partner with external agencies to assist tenants maintain stable housing through Court proceedings.
• Champion the development and implementation of new policies, programs and legislation which assist tenants facing displacement to remain in their homes.
• Work closely with landlords, management companies, housing authorities, and tenants to support housing solutions, help residents stay housed, and find new affordable opportunities.
• Support City’s efforts to assist Somerville residents with housing needs in case of fire or natural disaster.
• Maintain an inventory of services available to Somerville residents in housing crisis at external partner agencies and non-profits. Work with these partners to define what case types will be referred out and which will be managed by the Office of Housing Stability.
• Review funding award recommendations under the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) to external vendors to perform such services as: housing counseling, eviction prevention, tenancy preservation, housing search, and rapid re-housing for homeless households and those at risk of homelessness.
• Use case management software to ensure every case is consistently tracked, time-lines for case resolutions are met, and staff are accountable for producing results. Develop reports anddashboards to regularly demonstrate how the office is performing against its strategic goals.
• Perform related work as required.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Policy, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Real Estate Development, or other relevant program and five to seven-
(5-7) years of experience in municipal housing functions, or related work experience, including project management experience in guiding complex organizational change and policy development of which three (3) years must have been in a supervisory capacity; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Master's degree in public policy, social work, business or public administration or related fields strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

 Knowledge: Knowledge of landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities; knowledge of innovative financing mechanisms; knowledge of basic underwriting and project evaluation skills; working knowledge of state and federal housing legislation and regulations; familiarity with housing programs and services offered by the City of Somerville and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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Ability: Ability to meet and communicate with the public effectively and appropriately; ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; 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; ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job; ability to facilitate conflict mediation; ability to lead a diverse team of individuals to accomplish department goals.

Skill: Strong written and oral communication skills; excellent organizational, problem solving and communication skills; exceptional customer service skills and ability to work with the public.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours to attend evening meetings.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills
Little or no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Motor Skills
Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting.

Visual Skills
Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes and routinely reviewing maps and blueprints with a need for color vision.

Send your resume and cover letter by March 30, 2018 to:

City Hall Personnel Office
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville MA 02143
Fax: 617-666-4426
TTY: 1-866-808-4851
Email: employment_opportunities@somervillema.gov

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.