Executive Director - Brookline Housing Authority

Executive Director

The Brookline Housing Authority (BHA) seeks an Executive Director. The BHA is an established and innovative public housing agency in the Town of Brookline, MA.

The Organization and its Programs

The Brookline Housing Authority’s mission is to provide low-income families, seniors, and people of all abilities with safe, decent, accessible, and affordable places to live in a community rich with opportunities. The BHA works in collaboration with government and civic organizations to: support and encourage the well-being and economic self-sufficiency of BHA residents; sustain a diverse population in Brookline; and maintain attractive residential neighborhoods. We take a progressive and innovative approach to accomplishing our goals.

The BHA has a current portfolio of 954 units in 34 buildings on 13 sites in Brookline. In the past 10 years, the BHA has made redevelopment of its properties and creation of new units a top priority. The BHA completed 32 new units at Dummer Street in 2015 using federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). We completed the redevelopment of 99 units of senior and disabled housing at 61 Park Street, 99 units at 90 Longwood Avenue, and 100 units at 50 Pleasant Street, through use of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and tax-exempt financing, and utilizing many of the tools offered by HUD to preserve and expand its portfolio, including Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and Faircloth authority. We are continuing our ongoing redevelopment and new development activities in Brookline that will result in over 100 new units of permanently affordable housing.

We serve more than 2500 Brookline residents with housing and services programs, including our Steps to Success with the Brookline Public Schools, and our partnerships with the Brookline Center for Community Mental Health, and Hebrew Senior Life, as well as our Self Sufficiency program and our Employment Supports. Programs include ESL and computer literacy classes; career development; mental health counseling; on-site food pantries; free tax preparation; hot meals, exercise classes, and service coordination for seniors; and a transitional housing program for formerly homeless.

The BHA was created under Massachusetts law in 1948 as an independent public agency. The Housing Authority operates state and federal Public Housing and Tax Credit properties that serve families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Our agency's annual operating budget exceeds $30 million. The BHA also administers more than 1,400 Section 8 vouchers.

Currently we have more than 50 staff in our asset management, financial management, redevelopment, resident services, property management, leased housing, and maintenance and modernization departments. A five-member Board of Commissioners oversees the BHA. The Commissioners all are community leaders who bring skills and knowledge of affordable housing.

The Executive Director

The Executive Director leads the staff, is our primary public face, and sets direction for the BHA together with the Board. They report to the Board and supervise the Assistant Director, the CFO, the Director of Redevelopment, and the Director of Resident Services. Responsibilities include:

1. Lead the Organization: Articulate the BHA’s mission, together with the Board. Create and sustain partnerships and represent the BHA with key local, state, and national organizations. Update the strategic plan as needed. Establish measurable goals for the organization and for each department, and report progress to the Board and other stakeholders. Maintain positive working relationships with our residents and our community.
2. Direct Organizational Growth and Change: Focus on generating capital and additional housing units from the existing properties and land values. Continue to strengthen the BHA’s capacity as an owner of Tax Credit and Section 8 properties. Promote staff leadership and development. Perpetuate a culture of ongoing learning. Leverage technologies to make work processes more efficient.
3. Manage Staff and Support Systems: Recruit, retain and develop talented senior staff, and oversee their performance. Negotiate union contract renewals and maintain positive relations with the BHA’s two unions. Maintain up-to-date personnel policies. Achieve a high level of compliance with applicable regulations. Focus on excellence in vacancy turnover, rapid completion of work orders, and timely, accurate resident income certifications. Oversee key service providers including attorneys and accountants.
4. Oversee Financial Performance: Sustain and increase financial resources from a range of sources. Steward and increase financial reserves in order to support the BHA’s mission. Oversee preparation of and monitor operating budgets, with attention to generating positive cash flow. Monitor redevelopment capital budgets, with attention to earning full developer fees. Ensure thorough execution of fiscal policies with transparency and integrity. Deliver clean annual financial audits.

Qualifications

The Executive Director will be a positive leader who enjoys working with a talented team to deliver high quality housing and related services. They will bring many of the following skills and experiences:

1. Proven success in leading organizations in affordable housing or public housing development or related fields.
2. Ability to motivate, evaluate, and coordinate a range of staff members.
3. Strong team orientation and collaborative work style.
4. Skilled at and committed to communicating with public or affordable housing residents and fostering resident engagement.
5. Able to navigate strategic relationships and represent the organization with multiple external partners.
6. In-depth understanding of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Section 8, state and federal public housing, and the federal RAD program preferred.
7. Experience developing, funding or operating affordable housing in Massachusetts preferred.
8. Capable and comfortable in financial oversight and budgeting.
9. Committed to maintaining strong resident services.
10. Familiar with property management/maintenance, resident services, risk management, human resources, legal procedures, and oversight of consultants.
11. Experience working with a board preferred.
12. Exceptional oral, written, and interpersonal communications skills.
13. Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, public administration, or a related field and minimum of five years of executive management experience in organizations or programs with annual operating budgets in excess of $10 million. Additional education or experience will be considered.

We Offer

A competitive salary and bonus structure, as well as excellent benefits, including state Group Insurance Commission health insurance and a defined-benefit, public sector pension plan. The starting annual base salary range for this full-time position is $165,000-182,000.

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter detailing your interest and your qualifications for this position, along with a resume to: https://annlsilverman.com/brooklinehaed/. Questions should be addressed to: jobs@annlsilverman.com. Applications will be reviewed and acknowledged as they are received. BHA seeks to fill this position as soon as possible.

Brookline Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and cultures. Please note: If you do not have all of the qualifications listed for this position, but bring a number of skills and are highly motivated to do this work, we encourage you to apply. Please tell us what you bring to the position and what you would need to learn in your cover letter.