Director of the Piedmont Community Land Trust

Description

Director of the Piedmont Community Land Trust
Reports to: Executive Director of Piedmont Housing Alliance & Piedmont Community Land Trust’s Board of Directors
Position Status: FT, Exempt
Salary: Base salary starts at $92,000, commensurate with experience. Additional opportunities for bonuses up to 20% of base salary.
Office in Charlottesville, VA. This position is a hybrid role, three to four days per week in person, with interoffice travel.

To apply: Please submit a resume, cover letter, and references to jobs@thesparkmill.com. This position will close on August 18th; however, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We will not contact references without your permission.

In order to be considered for this position please follow the directions outlined in this posting, applicant materials will only be reviewed if they follow these directions.

ABOUT PIEDMONT HOUSING ALLIANCE & PIEDMONT COMMUNITY LAND TRUST

Piedmont Housing Alliance’s mission is to create affordable housing opportunities and foster community through education, lending, and development. We are the backbone affordable housing organization in the region and operate through a collaborative approach as evidenced through a broad range of partnerships from new housing development to recently jointly opening Charlottesville’s first Financial Opportunity Center. Our work reflects our core values of Equity, Opportunity, Home, Community, and Respect. Over the last five years, Piedmont Housing has increasingly deepened its focus on racial equity as a primary lens for the organization’s work – internally, programmatically, and through advocacy – and we strive to become an anti-racist organization.

We define anti-racism as a practice – a continual, active effort to identify, evaluate, and dismantle the beliefs and structures that perpetuate racism. 

Since 2008, the Piedmont Community Land Trust (PCLT) has created permanently affordable homeownership opportunities using the community land trust (CLT) model. PHA and the PCLT share organizational resources to radically expand permanently affordable homeownership using the community land trust model, aiming to address racial equity in housing and community building across the Charlottesville region. The PCLT now effectively operates within the broader organizational structure of Piedmont Housing Alliance.

Job Duties

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of the Piedmont Community Land Trust will join PHA and PCLT at a pivotal moment in a role of significant influence. The Director will serve as the Executive Director of the Land Trust, responsible to their independent board of directors, while also serving as a Leader of Piedmont Housing Alliance’s leadership team, working in close partnership with the Executive Director of PHA.

The Piedmont Community Land Trust’s new Director is passionate about the organizational mission, bringing optimism and enthusiasm to the mission-driven work of positively and equitably lifting low-wealth families throughout the region. The ideal candidate is excited by the opportunity to play an influential leadership role in one of the community’s most highly regarded housing organizations, sharing the staff and board’s belief that housing is a foundational social and racial justice issue.

Piedmont Housing Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team that uplifts and values inclusive policies and equitable practices. Candidates of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are encouraged to apply.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Policy, Research & Program Design

• Develop, lead, and maintain knowledge of the PCLT’s shared equity program, including
  building a pathway to rapid, sustainable growth through a J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity,
  Diversity, and Inclusion) lens
• Create a tracking system of previous homeowners for grant purposes
• Review and evolve Homebuyer manual/policy and any other relevant policy
• Communication, Education & Relationship Building
• Lead and continue to coordinate communication (in partnership with PHA Communications staff) about the CLT model, products and services to a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to: potential homebuyers, sellers, partner entities, real estate professionals, funders, media, city + county officials, and national shared equity intermediaries (NeighborWorks, Grounded Solutions Network, etc.)
• Relatedly, lead and coordinate education about the CLT model to a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to: potential homebuyers, sellers, partner entities, real estate professionals, funders, city + county officials
• Continue to develop partnerships with community groups and organizations, and work to build trust with neighborhoods and community members
• Oversee developing and maintaining relationships with existing CLT homeowners
• Build upon collaborations and partnerships with local elected officials Program Implementation
• Supervise CLT-dedicated staff, including fostering staff growth, capacity building and achieving programmatic goals
• Grow and manage growing pipeline of CLT development opportunities (in collaboration with the Executive Director and Real Estate staff), including acquisition/rehab, new construction infill development, and partnering with developers and builders
• Maintain comprehensive database of PCLT homeowners, past and present
• Oversee homeowner and homebuyer engagement processes, including purchasing, selling, and ongoing homeowner and asset stewardship

Finance & Fundraising

• Participate in grant seeking and writing (in partnership with PHA Development staff) to financially support future CLT real estate development and program implementation while staying true to the integrity of the mission, and through a racial justice lens
• Continue to develop and maintain critical relationships with banks and other financing institutions to facilitate homebuyer mortgage opportunities as well as catalyze philanthropic investments in the CLT work
• Co-lead (in partnership with the Executive Director and PHA Development staff) private fundraising efforts to support ongoing operations as well as housing subsidy that directly benefits homeowners.Collaboration
• Although all of the above responsibilities are expected, the Director will operate within and be supported by the larger PHA organization, including the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, the Real Estate Development team, the Development & Communications team, and the Financial & Housing Counseling team. Cross collaboration and shared learning will be crucial as the PCLT orients its work within an evolving structure of a larger organization.
• Develop and maintain active relationships with the PCLT Board to support oversight and guidance of program development

Skills Required

QUALIFICATIONS

While this position leads several key areas of our work, it is not our expectation that candidates have a mastery across all areas. Instead, we encourage candidates to apply who have self-awareness and humility around areas they will need to grow in and the motivation and aptitude to lead the learning required to hit the ground running.

• Experience working with/for people experiencing low incomes (5+ years)
• Experience working (5+ years) or training (3+ years) in affordable housing, planning, architecture, community development, public administration, or a related field
• Demonstrated strong track record of progressively responsible, hands-on leadership roles
• Demonstrated experience in business and finance practices necessary for leading a growing organization
• Demonstrated understanding of structural racism, and knowledge of and commitment to personal growth around J.E.D.I. (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) principles and practices
• Experience successfully managing effective teams through organizational change and growth
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills with the ability to listen, engage, persuade, and diplomatically handle challenging situations with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrated complex analysis, writing, and project management skills equivalent to a degree in higher education
• Fluency in technology platforms including Microsoft Office, Google Suite; and other databases and communications platforms. Experience with Salesforce preferred
• Valid driver’s license, own vehicle and capacity to travel throughout the region
• A working knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in the Charlottesville region is an asset, though not a requirement.
• Strong personal commitment to affordable housing in general and to the CLT homeownership model in particular

Additional Info

CONDITIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT

• Successful completion of a criminal background check and 10-panel drug screen.
• This position requires the willingness and ability to travel within the service region (Charlottesville city and Albemarle, Nelson, Fluvanna, Greene, and Louisa Counties).
• Candidates must own or consistently have a vehicle available for use for local and out-of-area travel as needed.

BENEFITS OVERVIEW

Piedmont Housing Alliance offers a highly competitive salary and benefits package which includes:

• Generous Paid Time Off
  • Four weeks PTO (sick + vacation); goes to five weeks after two years of
    employment
  • One extra PTO day on (or near) an employee’s birthday
  • 11paid holidays
  • ½-day Fridays during the summer months
  • Sabbatical opportunities for Director Level positions
  • Four weeks of parental leave (birth or adoption)
• Opportunity for merit-based bonuses (up to 20% of salary)
• Retirement
  • 3% salary contribution to 403(b) by PHA
  • Match up to 2%
• Medical
  • Paid medical + dental insurance for employee
  • Dependent Care FSA
• Training/Coaching
  • Opportunities for Executive Coaching for Director Level positions
  • Access to regular, paid training/travel opportunities through NeighborWorks
    Training Institutes (and other national intermediaries) as well as Virginia-specific
    opportunities to support skills and leadership development.

The Spark Mill is conducting Piedmont Housing Alliance’s Director of the Piedmont Community Land Trust search. The Spark Mill is a Consulting Firm that supports organizations through change and champions diversity, equity, and inclusion while supporting agencies with strategic planning initiatives, change management, and people operations.