Job Description Overall Job Objective Job Title: Housing and Community
Development Specialist II/III (Open and Promotional) Closing Date/Time:
Mon. 04/16/18 11:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $36.83 - $52.72 Hourly
$2,946.40 - $4,217.60 Biweekly $6,383.87 - $9,138.13 Monthly $76,606.40
- $109,657.60 Annually Job Type: Full-Time Location: San Mateo County,
California The Department of Housing is a catalyst for increasing access
to affordable housing, increasing the supply of workforce housing, and
supporting related community development, so that housing exists for
people of all income levels and generations in San Mateo County. The
Department consists of two divisions, Housing and Community Development
(HCD) and the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo. Reporting to
the HCD Supervisor and HCD Housing Program Manager, the Housing and
Community Development Specialist II/III position will engage in a
variety of functions aimed at increasing the supply of affordable and
workforce housing throughout San Mateo County and forging partnerships
working to address critical housing needs. A portion of the job duties
will be more programmatic in nature and will require the Specialist to
provide a variety of program support services including developing
program objectives, preparing Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs),
evaluating project proposals and underwriting, understanding and
applying HUD and other program regulations, managing the Department's
role in facilitating affordable housing developments, preparing contract
documents, monitoring the progress of funding recipients, and providing
technical assistance to and working with community groups on
housing-related issues. Other job duties will be more policy oriented
and will require the Specialist to provide a variety of policy and
partnership support to the Department of Housing for its housing
initiatives. The HCD Specialist's programmatic support duties may
include, but are not limited to: * Managing the County's relationship
with, and providing technical assistance to non-profit and for- profit
organizations funded or seeking funding from the Department of Housing
to facilitate development processes while ensuring compliance with
applicable County, State and Federal requirements * Negotiating contract
terms with outside vendors, consultants or organizations and monitoring
and evaluating fiscal and legal liability of same * Coordinating the
funding cycles of various funding sources including but not limited to
the County Affordable Housing Fund and Federal Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Act (HOME) and
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) * Assisting the Housing Manager in the
process of awarding funds from the County's Affordable Housing Fund,
funded largely by Measure A/K sales tax proceeds * Developing and
administering housing and community development programs such as
affordable multi-family rental, new construction, real estate
acquisition, rehabilitation and home ownership * Managing a portfolio of
grantees to ensure compliance with local, State and Federal regulations,
including environmental reviews and prevailing wage requirements *
Managing a portfolio of grantees including negotiating contracts,
processing requests for payment, and reviewing quarterly and/or annual
progress reports * Providing support and oversight to planning and
developing large scale housing projects sponsored or co-sponsored by the
San Mateo County Department of Housing * Monitoring the performance of
grantees and writing performance reports as needed * Preparing written
reports such as The Annual Plan and Consolidated Annual Performance
Evaluation Report (CAPER) * Conducting due diligence reviews on
applications for community development and public services, housing
grants and loans and coordinating with consultants on final staff
recommendation reports * Preparing funding recommendations, memos,
resolutions and other materials that will go to the Board of Supervisors
- Managing the assets of loans and grants portfolio * Administering home
buyer and home repair programs, including underwriting for eligibility
and affordability, and preparing loan documents, and contracts *
Interpreting, explaining, and directing the enforcement of all
applicable standards, codes and regulations * May represent the
Department of Housing at meetings of the County Board of Supervisors *
Preparing detailed written reports, policies, procedures and contracts
The HCD Specialist's policy and partnership support duties may include,
but are not limited to: * Researching, analyzing, and summarizing data
on key housing issues * Assisting with the development of Notice of
Funding Availability (NOFA) priorities, guidelines and processes *
Researching, analyzing, and helping develop affordable housing policy
solutions addressing County needs * Monitoring the progress of
affordable housing-related collaborations and initiatives in which the
Housing Department is participating, and engaging in problem-solving as
needed when challenges arise * Developing plans, objectives and
implementation strategies for Department of Housing outreach, technical
assistance, and partnership initiatives * Acting as representative of
the Department of Housing in collaborations with community stakeholders
and inter-departmental work within the County * Evaluating grant
opportunities and writing grant applications * Investigating and
developing new opportunities for the Department to provide support and
assistance to cities, housing developers, housing advocates, and others
in facilitating the creation of housing The HCD Specialist will have
primary responsibility for developing, implementing, monitoring and
evaluating a variety of projects and work tasks as described above. In
addition, the HCD Specialist will be expected to work productively on
housing-related projects and initiatives with a variety of community
groups, city and county staff, and elected officials, developers,
community leaders, and other diverse stakeholders. Strong skills in
program or project management and community outreach are required.
Experience in one or more of the following is highly desirable: *
Housing policy or housing program development and implementation *
Federal or state housing programs * Affordable housing production and
finance * Urban planning development and community revitalization The
Ideal Candidate for this position will possess the following
qualities/qualifications: * A Bachelor's degree in a relevant field *
Three years of progressively advanced skills and experience with
CDBG/HOME programs (or three years of experience with CDBG/HOME and an
advanced college degree) * Three years of progressively advanced skills
and experience with affordable housing policies and programs (or three
years of experience with affordable housing policies and programs and an
advanced college degree) * Strong program and project management skills
- Familiarity with other federal and state housing finance programs such
as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) * A basic understanding of
affordable housing finance and underwriting * A basic understanding of
the complexities of housing development, land use, and affordable
housing financing issues * Knowledge of issues related to urban planning
and equitable community development * Experience in community outreach
and partnership development * A solid track record of demonstrated
accomplishments and of innovative and proactive problem-solving skills *
A solid track record of successful collaborative leadership efforts with
teams and groups * A positive attitude and sense of humor * An ability
to embrace change with initiative, flexibility and enthusiasm *
Effective written and oral communication skills Candidates with an
advanced education degree or training in housing, housing finance,
public policy, urban planning, sustainable development, or related field
are strongly encouraged to apply. NOTE: The eligible list generated from
this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term,
unclassified, and regular classified vacancies. Qualifications:
Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience
that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities
is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is: * HCD Specialist II: Two
years of experience in community development project coordination,
economic development, or loan application preparation and processing *
HCD Specialist III: Three years of experience in a housing and community
development program that has included responsibility for financing,
community development, or economic development projects Knowledge of: *
Programs for facilitating and subsidizing low and moderate housing *
Legislative process at local, state and federal levels * Federal and
state housing initiative and programs * Principles and practices of
public administration, community outreach and partnership-building, and
effective communication with the public * Basic land use and zoning
concepts * Project planning, budgeting, scheduling, supervision and
monitoring * Statistical methods and data collection, tabulation and
analysis Skill/Ability to: * Manage and coordinate multiple complex
projects and activities * Meet deadlines and finish work products within
appropriate time frames * Prepare grant applications and performance
reports * Evaluate proposals, manage project schedules, monitor
compliance and progress, and evaluate performance * Negotiate
scope-of-work and other individualized components of contracts *
Research policies, analyze alternatives, and make concise
recommendations * Identify problems and propose solutions * Express
ideas effectively, orally and in writing * Compose and disseminate
information to the community and general public through various media *
Work effectively with the public and community groups * Make
presentations to committees, special purpose groups, and the general
public * Conduct meetings * Train and direct the activities of lower
level personnel Application/Examination: Open and Promotional. Anyone
may apply. Current San Mateo County employees with at least six months
(1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular,
probationary, SEIU or AFSCME represented extra-help, or temporary
position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added
to their final passing score on this examination. Responses to the
supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular
employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a
substitute for the required employment application and supplemental
questionnaire. The examination process will consist of an application
screening (weight: Pass/Fail) based on the candidates' application and
responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the
application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight:
100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal
of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations
or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group
applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the
minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any
subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in
San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their
own expense. IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be
accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may
click the "Apply Online" button above or below. If you are not on the
County's