Assistant Director of Co-op Development

The Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) is seeking a dynamic and experienced housing development professional to serve as its next Assistant Director of Co-op Development. This role is pivotal to facilitating the acquisition, financing, rehabilitation, and conversion of distressed rental properties into affordable cooperatives. As a key player in expanding UHAB’s development capabilities, you will drive the organization’s mission of creating and preserving community-controlled, affordable housing.

About UHAB

UHAB empowers low- to moderate-income residents to take control of their housing and enhance their communities by creating strong tenant associations and lasting affordable co-ops. Since 1973, UHAB has helped form hundreds of tenant associations and transformed troubled rental buildings into 1,200 Housing Development Fund Corporations (HDFCs), providing homeownership opportunities for over 25,000 households. With democratic community control at the core of our mission, we work to sustain this thriving affordable housing community for this generation and those to come.

We organize residents to be active participants and decision-makers in shaping their neighborhoods. UHAB’s programs address a full spectrum of affordable housing needs: from building resident power and organizing tenants as community leaders, to developing thousands of units of affordable housing across the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, to making small loans to first-time homeowners, to preserving affordable co-ops through training, education, and technical assistance. UHAB’s programs address the needs of future generations through long-term solutions: developing new affordable co-ops, increasing energy efficiency and introducing renewable technologies, and strengthening housing policy.

Position

Reporting to the Director of Co-op Development, the Assistant Director will help to build UHAB’s growing development team, to take on the supervision of a team of project associates and relocation specialists. This role will support the Director of Co-op Development and the Chief of Real Estate in advancing our affordable homeownership projects. This is a unique opportunity for a housing development professional to support UHAB’s holistic approach to cooperative development, while collaborating closely with both internal teams and external partners.

Responsibilities

Project manage development projects at varying stages of predevelopment, construction, and co-op conversion:

• Support the underwriting for affordable homeownership projects that prioritize deep and permanent affordability, including coordinating legal, financial, and operational requirements for successful project closings
• Work closely with HPD, HCR, and private lenders to create financing packages for each project
• Work closely with architects and engineers to create a scope of work
• Coordinate and conduct site assessments, walk-throughs, and environmental testing with residents and property management
• Assist in preparing and submitting loan requisitions for funding and payment
• Build and supervise a team of project associates, relocation specialist and benefit specialist, which may include permanent employees and/or temporary contract professionals or vendors
• Create a relocation schedule and coordinate tenants’ relocation with property management and relocation vendors
• Ensure the procurement of license agreement to the tenants
• Be flexible and creative in solving problems and resolving disagreements among residents and shareholders
• Build and maintain relationships with HPD, HCR, lenders, managers, architects, engineers, contractors, lawyers, and other stakeholders, and maintain a database of contacts
• Facilitate weekly team meetings, keep clear and accessible project notes, and help coordinate departmental meetings and site visits
• Coordinate closely with UHAB’s Director of Co-op Development to assess new development opportunities and City, State, or Federal programs to create affordable co-ops
• In collaboration with UHAB’s Training and/or New Projects programs, coordinate, monitor and facilitate outreach to tenants in rental buildings to assess their interest in becoming a cooperative
• Participate in organization-wide meetings, committees, and activities and contribute to improving and promoting the organization

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of experience in affordable housing development, community development, real estate finance, real estate law or a related field is preferred
• Project management experience and relevant skills including project tracking, systems thinking and coordinating with a wide variety of stakeholders
• Proficient in reading financial statement and in Microsoft Excel such as rent roll, loans and mortgage schedule
• Tenant engagement, community outreach or organizing experience
• Leadership development, team building, or conflict resolution skills are a plus. Experience with cooperative housing is a plus
• Detailed-oriented; self-motivated; able to independently manage multiple complex development projects
• Excellent organizational, multitasking, follow-up and interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate complex ideas, verbally and in writing, in a clear and accessible way
• Strong research and analysis skill, familiarity with legal documents and public/government websites
• Ability to establish, cultivate and maintain relationships with many different types of individuals and groups promoting solidarity, inclusion and respect
• Ability to work as part of a team or individually, in a fast-paced environment that values and requires openness, transparency, and information sharing