Director For Housing Technical Assistance

Reports To:Senior Director for Refugee and Welcome Services

Division:Immigration & Refugee Program+ (IRP+)

Department:Refugee and Welcome Services

Job Location:Remote

No Deadline

Introduction: Church World Service (CWS) is a not-for-profit organization working to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world. CWS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, disability, or veteran status in employment or in the provision of services.

Primary Purpose:

The Director for Housing Technical Assistance will direct and facilitate technical support to the resettlement systems by bringing together the nine resettlement agencies and key stakeholders to collectively address the barriers that affiliates and newcomers face in accessing safe, sanitary, and affordable housing as well as supporting the immediate need to increase availability of temporary housing. The Director of Housing Technical Assistance will lead the project, focusing on partnership development, overseeing resource creation, outcomes tracking and supervision of Housing Technical Assistance staff.

Essential Duties:

• Provide leadership and support for affordable housing and community development efforts across the United States
• Liaise with PRM and other key stakeholders to design and promote innovative housing technical assistance resources and support to national resettlement offices, affiliate offices, community members, academic institutions, and other private sponsorship opportunities
• Survey and solicit input from local and national resettlement agencies, partner agencies and communities on technical assistance needs relating to housing
• Develop and implement workplan to address agency and community needs through the technical assistance project
• Establish and coordinate a national Housing Working Group among key stakeholders at the federal, state, and local level to collectively address housing availability and affordability and identify temporary housing options
• Identify and partner with existing organizations that provide and/or advocate for affordable housing for marginalized groups.
• Oversee creation of a resource bank of standardized outreach materials and information to be used by affiliates to engage with landlords, property management companies, hotels and Airbnb hosts.
• Launch a public facing one-stop-shop website to consolidate available resources including those developed by CWS and others
• Oversee creation training curriculums and materials for newcomers on housing maintenance, establishing financial savings and credit, and pathway to home ownership
• Develop feedback mechanisms to gather data from clients, community sponsors, and national and local resettlement staff
• Engage the spectrum of national partners, local affiliates, and community members in training and technical support
• Coordinate with colleagues and technical supports to oversee development of technical assistance website housing resources and materials.
• Engage other experts in the field in co-design and development of technical assistance opportunities
• Serve as a subject matter expert in housing development conversations as they happen nationally and globally
• As requested, represent CWS at internal and external conferences, meetings, committees and working groups with CWS colleagues, national Resettlement Agencies, federal partners and other stakeholders.

Qualifications:

Experience:

• A firm understanding of housing development, the U.S. resettlement systems and stakeholders is required
• Experience developing housing options at the local or national level preferred
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation required
• Experience managing government contracts preferred
• A minimum of eight years management experience preferred.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism;
• A minimum of ten years of experience in community development, community organizing, refugee resettlement, immigration and/or asylum required

Skills:

• Exceptional networking skills required with ability to work with multiple key stakeholders seamlessly
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills; ability to work collaboratively and effectively with partners and teams;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Fluency in a language spoken by refugee populations a plus
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment required
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and willingness to support CWS’ Platform on Racial Justice as a CWS employee required.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects at once

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and work experience.
• Master’s degree in social work, nonprofit administration, or similar field preferred or equivalent experience

Special Requirements:

CWS’ U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Policy requires all new staff to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as soon as reasonable, no longer than 60 days of employment. Any employee who is pregnant, who is nursing, who has a disability, or who has a medical condition that prevents them from safe vaccination, or who rejects vaccination because of sincerely held religious beliefs, may contact the CWS Benefits Administrator to request reasonable accommodation as defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Work Location:

This position is a role with in-person responsibilities with the option for remote work flexibility. The position is attached to an assigned duty station (Washington DC or CWS field location). Employees wishing to maintain a remote work arrangement must be able to fulfil the following conditions:

• Ability to report to designated duty station as needed
• Ability to maintain secure and appropriate personal work environment for day-to-day work
• Access to strong and reliable internet access
• Ability to adhere to CWS data security policies and protect sensitive and personally identifiable information
• Regular work hours must span core business hours 10AM-4PM Eastern time
• Close proximity to U.S. airport and ability to travel to attend CWS and external meetings, conferences and other in-person engagements.
• Must use CWS provided equipment such as laptop and cell phone

CWS offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 403 (b) Retirement Plan

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

• Paid Time Off

• Life Insurance and AD&D

• Long Term and Short-Term Disability

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Health Savings Account

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Commuter Benefits