Director, Affordable Housing & Homelessness

Nature of Work

The Director, Affordable Housing & Homelessness (“Director”) plays a critical role in working with internal and external partners to design, implement and monitor the impact of initiatives aimed at increasing access to affordable housing and addressing homelessness for Arizona’s most vulnerable populations. The position involves working closely with nonprofit partners, government agencies, donors, and other stakeholders to improve housing stability and prevent and reduce homelessness.

Essential Job Functions

• In collaboration with the VP and key colleagues, develop, implement and evaluate strategies to resolve homelessness and support affordable housing initiatives and solutions in line with ACF’s mission, north star and strategic plan.
• Collaborate with community partners to identify solutions to support affordable housing, resolve homelessness, and understand where the greatest needs are as well as where ACF should focus to have the greatest impact.
• Identify and leverage the intersections of work between housing strategies and ACF’s social impact investing program as well as ACF’s other priority areas (education and environment). 
• Partner with the Development and Donor Experience Team to educate and inspire donors to co-invest with ACF in furthering our work in education, environment, and housing.
• Develop KPIs, metrics and milestones to ensure progress toward short and long-term strategic housing goals is evident. 
• Evaluate the impact of funded organizations/projects and programs, ensuring alignment with the foundation’s objectives and that the impact desired is happening.
• In partnership with the Senior Community Impact Officer for discretionary grantmaking, identify funding that will support and further housing work.
• In partnership with the regional team and community impact colleagues, identify nonprofits that align with ACF’s housing strategy. 
• Partner with and encourage partnerships between these nonprofits and direct funding to the organizations who will help ACF mobilize statewide progress.
•   Identify partnership opportunities for housing and homelessness initiatives and funding with local, state and national government agencies, developers, and national foundations/funders.  Work with VP for Strategic Partnerships to develop corporate partnerships to further our impact in housing and resolve homelessness. 
• Collaborate with ACF colleagues and community partners on program-related investments and lending opportunities for affordable housing and community development projects. 
• Keep VP, Community Impact team members and Impact team leadership apprised of progress and resources needed to successfully carry out housing strategy. 
• Assist with the preparation of presentation materials for the leadership team and ACF’s board of directors and donor the progress and outcomes of ACF’s affordable housing and homelessness initiatives.
• Conduct research on local housing and homelessness needs, trends, and policy developments to inform the foundation’s strategy
• Organize and participate in community forums, workshops, and meetings to gather input and foster collaboration on homelessness and housing issues.

• Advocate for policies and practices that promote the development and preservation of affordable housing in the community.  In collaboration with the legal team, develop policy recommendations and best practices for addressing affordable housing challenges.
• Stay informed about local, state, and federal housing and homelessness policies and funding opportunities that could benefit the community.

• Use Salesforce and other project management tools to maintain accurate records of grant activities, partnerships, and community engagement efforts.
• Prepare regular reports on the impact of the foundation’s housing strategies for internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements and foundation policies in grantmaking and program activities.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in urban planning, public administration, social work, or a related field (Master’s degree  and/or other certifications welcome)
• 5-7 years of experience in affordable housing, community development, or a related field.
• Knowledge of affordable housing finance, development, and policy at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Familiarity with local housing markets and the specific challenges facing Arizona communities in urban, rural and tribal settings.
• Knowledge of real estate development, land use planning, and community revitalization.
• Knowledge of needs and strategies to resolve homelessness at the local, state, and federal levels highly desirable.
• Experience with community engagement, convening across sectors and mobilizing collective efforts.  
• Exceptional project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience participating in and carrying out strategic plans, goal setting and evaluation.
• Excellent communication and presentation/public speaking skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage and influence a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Proficiency in data analysis and reporting, with a focus on measuring program impact.
• Ability to work collaboratively and build strong relationships with community partners.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion across all work.
• Experience in grantmaking or philanthropy is highly desirable.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish helpful.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of the position. Incumbents may be required to perform other job-related tasks other than or in addition to those specifically presented in this description.