Chief Real Estate Officer

Description

This position is open until filled; however, to ensure consideration applications should be received by October 25th at 4:30 pm.  Initial review will begin starting October 28th. 

The Chief Real Estate Officer position functions as a member of the Executive Team and leads a talented and energetic team.  It is a key player in larger community conversations around affordable housing.  The Vancouver Housing Authority has an active pipeline of 4% and 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit developments, as well as an aggressive acquisition strategy that utilizes our ability to issue tax-exempt bonds.  We are also exploring innovative public/private partnerships to further increase our development capacity.  

Executive Team Member

1. Actively participate in the development and oversight of long range, strategic and budget planning processes.
2. Anticipate and support a positive public image, budget management, liability or other issues which may impact the financial, organizational, and/or creative stability of the agency.
3. Seek out and analyze information, opportunities, and challenges to assure maximum community investment. 
4. Model the agency’s customer service orientation with all public, elected or funding agency representatives and agency staff. 
5. Model, and coach others to conduct business through cross department participation/teams and review, to utilize two-way communication and to foster accountability. 

Real Estate Development

1. Actively identify and pursue opportunities to acquire property; evaluate potential project sites and develop concepts to ensure financial feasibility and the maximum utilization of available resources; ensure project compatibility with VHA’s development strategy; propose appropriate project size, unit mix, building program and rent levels; prepare operating and capital budgets; prepare project/development concepts for comment and approval.
2. Understand, procure, and put to sophisticated use a variety of development funding sources including HUD capital financing, low-income housing tax credits, new market tax credits, historic tax credits, bond financing, private debt, CDBG, HOME funds, state and local funding sources and the use of project-based voucher income.
3. Cultivate relationships and solicit development proposals in partnership with private and non-profit developers or jurisdictional partners.
4. Creatively explore and propose new funding scenarios that blend public resources with private market financing strategies.
5. Negotiate terms and ensure the development and execution of all necessary project documents, including financing documents, purchase and sale agreements, development services agreements and design and construction contracts. Assure compliance with agency and funder procurement guidelines for all contracts entered during the development process.  Review and authorize budgets for individual projects.   
6. Oversee development and maintenance of schedules for project completion, including pre-development activities, acquisition, financing, design, and construction, and lease-up; ensure all designs, construction, and renovations incorporate universal design principles.
7. Represent VHA and its planned developments to the public, funding sources, elected officials, government bodies, neighborhood groups, business interests and others.

Community Engagement 

This position works to expand community engagement strategy that centers the voices of residents in decision making about services and programs that shape their lives, countering long standing histories of exclusions.  This done by conducting meetings to elicit community involvement and support in current and proposed development neighborhoods to determine housing needs.  Work to expand cross-sector partnerships and collaboration to sectors and organizations that serve the VHA residents to address inequitable community conditions and access to services through leverage, influence, service provision and investment. 

Requirements

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Clear understanding of the role housing policy has played in systemically disenfranchising Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) communities.
• Fluency in the Fair Housing Act and Washington State fair housing laws
• Concepts, theories, principles, practices, policies and procedures of public housing and mixed-finance program planning, development, and implementation.
• Principles and practices of real estate financing and resources including tax credits, bonds and public and/or private sector funding sources; design, management, and direction of complex property transactions.
• Understanding of the use of a Public Development Agency and a Community Development Ent