Director, Fair Housing Policy & Investments

Job Description

About the Agency:


The New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city's housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love.


- We maintain building and resident safety and health

- We create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability

- We engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity.


HPD is entrusted with fulfilling these objectives through the goals and strategies of “Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness,” Mayor Adams’s comprehensive housing framework. To support this important work, the administration has committed $5 billion in new capital funding, bringing the 10-year planned investment in housing to $22 billion the largest in the city’s history. This investment, coupled with a commitment to reduce administrative and regulatory barriers, is a multi-pronged strategy to tackle New York City’s complex housing crisis, by addressing homelessness and housing instability, promoting economic stability and mobility, increasing homeownership opportunities, improving health and safety, and increasing opportunities for equitable growth.


The Office of Policy & Strategy (OPS) leverages its expertise to guide and support HPD and its many Offices in their efforts to deepen their impact, optimize their efficiency, and become more data driven. Within OPS, the Division of Housing Equity (DHE) oversees the agency’s fair housing initiatives and obligations. Through its development and implementation of the City’s comprehensive five-year fair housing plan and regular related reports, the Division provides evidence-based recommendations for public investments that empower New Yorkers with realistic housing choices and ensure access to fundamental resources regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, religion, or other protected characteristics. Its work requires Division members to work across the agency to apply an equity lens in its effort to help advance HPD’s and the City’s policy agenda.


Within DHE, the Fair Housing Policy and Investments (FHPI) team works at the forefront of some of the most challenging housing and affordable housing policy issues facing New York City. Alongside colleagues within OPS and throughout HPD’s other offices, the team focuses on confronting discrimination, segregation, and disparities in access to opportunity and on promoting programs and policy shifts that advance fair housing. The team conducts analysis on sophisticated fair housing issues, advises senior leadership across HPD teams and agency partners, and manages the Where We live NYC fair housing plan and related reports.


The Director will manage FHPI staff directly and will report to the Assistant Commissioner of Housing Equity, under whose supervision the Director will do the following:


- Oversee a team of analysts in developing and implementing the City’s fair housing investments, offering guidance and setting up staff and deliverables for success;

- Support the Assistant Commissioner in building and maintaining a strong team culture;

- Identify missing policies and tools to advance HPD’s fair housing priorities and collaborate with cross-agency teams to develop evidence-backed policy proposals;

- Ensure that deliverables are on track and flag any potential hurdles to achieving deadlines along with proposed solutions;

- Supervise the drafting of yearly reports to submit to council and the mayor, ensuring comprehensive and timely updates;

- Support program areas with the implementation and maintenance of systems to meet fair housing related targets;

- Ensure consolidated plans are completed on time and integrate the City’s fair housing goals;

- Collaborate closely within OPS, fostering learning and development across the team; and

- Lead special projects and initiatives to affirmatively further fair housing, as needed.


Preferred skills:


Strong candidates will have the following:

- Knowledge of fair housing policy and a vision of how fair housing plays into difficult policy choices;

- Outstanding emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills;

- Creative problem solving skills;

- Resilience and grit;

- Strong familiarity with the New York City housing market and affordable housing industry;

- Research and critical thinking skills necessary to provide rigorous policy analysis and informed counsel;

- Very strong written and verbal communication skills;

- Ability to take initiative and work independently as well as work collaboratively;

- Strong attention to detail, pro