POSITION SUMMARY

Build Baton Rouge (BBR), the redevelopment authority for Baton Rouge, seeks an energetic,

experienced professional to assist with the agency’s burgeoning grants administration activities.

This position will join our Grants division and be responsible for the oversight and management of

all federally-funded activities.

Over the past several years BBR has charted an exciting new course for equitable development in

Baton Rouge. As administrator of the City-Parish of Baton Rouge’s federal grant funding, BBR

works to align its redevelopment planning with the deployment of federal community development

funds to promote and support community growth and resilience, develop affordable housing,

reduce blight, and increase property values.

The Grants Administrator will monitor and supervise all program activities of the organization that

receive federal grant funding prior to and post-award of funding. The Administrator will be

responsible for establishing program and proposal criteria, reviewing proposals for completeness,

and ensuring compliance with applicable HUD, CDBG and HOME regulations, while maintaining

current records of grant applicants and funding sources.

This position will command a base salary range of $75,000 - $85,000 commensurate with

qualifications and experience. Full-time employees qualify for fringe benefits, including medical,

dental, long term disability, vision, life insurance and retirement benefits, including employer

retirement contribution matching.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT

• Supervise personnel engaged in a grant related activities and lead the team to execute and achieve results in affordable housing and community development.
• Serve as the liaison between the Mayor’s Office, OCD, and BBR.
• Prepare and maintain agency policies and procedures for CDBG and HOME and other federally-funded programs.
• Coordinate and manage budget preparation in conjunction with Grants Fiscal Administrator BBR COO and CFO; provide general oversight and administration of the accounts for CDBG, HOME and federally-funded program dollars.
• Stay abreast of housing and community development field, including maintaining up-todate program certifications and training records.
• Manage public participation; organize and advise the Citizens Advisory Committee; acts as program liaison to the public and other City agencies; disseminate program information to the public.
• Administer budget in conjunction with Grants Fiscal Administrator, BBR COO and CFO: prepare and monitor CDBG administration budget; coordinate preparation of all CDBG-funded budgets; review CDBG purchases; authorize payments to contracting agencies.

PLANNING AND REPORTING

• Manage databases, including data entry, evaluation and reporting of all federal housing and community development contracts.
• Record/monitor quarterly/monthly status of contracts-update database quarterly for HUD and OCD review, including IDIS.
• Assist in developing 5 Year Strategic Plans for Housing and Community Development Resources.
• Assist in developing and managing the Comprehensive Housing Plan and HUD Consolidated Plan.
• Assist in preparing Annual Action Plan for each strategic plan.
• Assist in preparing Annual Reports for each Annual Action Plan and Strategic Plan.
• Prepare and submit the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) on behalf of OCD.
• Prepare detailed reports on the programs, as required for reporting purposes.

READING AND INTERPRETING FEDERAL AND LOCAL REGULATIONS

• Implement policies and procedures for funding sources, including CDBG and HOME, local housing funds and ensure that contracts meet program requirements.
• Provide leadership to contract staff and management on appropriate use of funds, including the resolution of disputes in the interpretation of regulations with consultation of HUD and OCD, as needed.
• Develop RFP’s and other competitive processes for the distribution of local housing and community development funds based on needs criteria based on the data analysis.

COMMUNICATIONS

• Draft and update website content, including regular updates and coordination with OCD and other city agencies along the housing and community development spectrum.
• Identify and coordinate with partner agencies to provide resident outreach for available resources.
• Communicate with internal and external stakeholders regarding all levels of the contract process and address questions, comments, or concerns related to the contract.

GENERAL

• Assist in preparing Federal Grants-related annual reports and strategic plans, including development of Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).
• Represent BBR in matters relating to successful project completion, as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, the Grants Administrator must be able to perform each essential

duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or

ability required.

GENERAL

• Experience in written correspondence, reports, grant submittals and RFPs/RFQs, and various communications to both internal and external audiences.
• Experience working with HUD programs and managing databases.
• Basic understanding of local, state and federal government programs and processes.
• Ability to interpret federal rules and regulations and explain them to internal and external stakeholders.
• Facilitation experience and ability to conduct public hearings on HUD programs and plans as appropriate.
• Knowledge of CDBG and other federal and state programs targeted to underserved neighborhoods and communities.
• Excellent communication/presentation skills, both written, verbal and non-verbal.
• Ability to work under pressure and strict deadlines.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of Baton Rouge-area neighborhoods and previous involvement with underserved communities.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s degree required. Graduate or professional degree preferred.

EXPERIENCE

Minimum of five years of experience performing technical and administrative duties within the

related functional area.

OUR GOALS

We expect all of our team members to support our mission, vision, and values by exhibiting

competence, empathy, respect, leadership, humility, collaboration, innovation, personalization,

commitment to our community, accountability, and ownership. You must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with the ability to juggle and prioritize multiple, competing tasks and demands and to seek supervisory assistance as appropriate.

We are a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities we serve.

We work to promote equality and equity, recognizing that our strength lies not only in our individual abilities, but also in our connection to various identities, communities, and histories. We celebrate that intersectionality and are committed to the ongoing process of creating a more inclusive and

participatory workplace.

Build Baton Rouge is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against

because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin,

veteran or disability status.

ABOUT BUILD BATON ROUGE

Our mission is to bring people and resources together to promote equitable investment, innovative

development, and thriving communities across all of Baton Rouge.

Over the past decade, BBR has deployed and leveraged over $80 million to create $300 million in

projects, including 863 affordable housing units and over 3,400 jobs. We have awarded over $5.6

million in below-market-rate financing, leading to the construction or rehabilitation of 564 affordable

housing units and over $250,000 in facade grants to improve 69 storefronts in low-income areas.

In 2020, as administrator of the City-Parish’s HUD funding, BBR oversaw an allocation of

$4,458,186 of HOME and CDBG Entitlement funding. BBR is currently administering $13,042,063

in HOME and CDBG Entitlement, Lead Hazard Reduction Grant and CARES Act funding on behalf

of the City-Parish.

BBR continues development of Ardendale, the 200-acre urban infill site that has received over $50

million in investment and is the centerpiece of a 2019 $30 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods

Implementation grant. BBR facilitated the development of Electric Depot, a former brownfields site

and location of the city’s first power plant. Electric Depot opened in 2018 and serves as an anchor

for redevelopment in the Mid-City neighborhood and will lie adjacent to the proposed rail station

development along the proposed Rouge-New Orleans intercity high-speed rail line. In 2018, BBR

served as master plan lead towards the creation of a comprehensive, transit-oriented revitalization

plan for Plank Road, Baton Rouge’s most blighted commercial corridor. In 2019, as a result of

these efforts, Baton Rouge was awarded a $15 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to

implement 10 miles of bus rapid transit in Baton Rouge, to include Plank Road, and in 2020, BBR

was awarded a $5 million JPMorgan Chase Advancing Cities Grant to implement various projects

under the Plank Road master plan.