Executive Director, Worcester Community Housing Resources

Job Type
Executive Director Positions
Organization
Worcester Community Housing Resources
Contact Name
TSNE CET
Contact Email
etpostings@tsne.org
Contact Phone
Address

11 Pleasant Street, Suite 300
Worcester, MA
United States

Job Description

Overview

Location: Worcester, MA

Worcester Community Housing Resources, Inc. (WCHR) seeks a dynamic and experienced Executive Director to help take the vibrant nonprofit to its next level.

About WCHR

Founded in 1993, WCHR’s mission is to revitalize neighborhoods throughout Worcester County. As an affordable housing developer, WCHR creates and preserves quality, affordable home ownership and rental housing for diverse, low-income households, and rehabilitates abandoned property through Massachusetts’ Abandoned Housing Initiative Receivership program.

With other nonprofit partners, WCHR also develops affordable rental housing and specialized services for populations with complex housing needs. It operates a one-of-a kind $4 million Revolving Community Loan Fund that provides the necessary capital for emergency repairs and maintenance for low-income homeowners. As a landlord, WCHR owns a rental portfolio of over 100 apartments, lodging house rooms, and co-housing units, and manages and maintains its portfolio and the portfolios of other affordable housing for small private developers and faith-based organizations. WCHR owns a 78-unit state-of-the-art assisted living facility that it developed in Gardner MA. The $20 million project opened in 2011 and is managed by a state-certified management company that provides all the staffing needs and oversees the daily operations.

In recent years, a talented, long-standing and mission-oriented staff and board of directors has generated significant growth of the organization, expanding its lending, development and property ownership. WCHR also augmented its receivership lending to become one of the largest such programs in Massachusetts. WCHR helped court-appointed receivers across five counties finance the reconstruction of condemned and abandoned housing, working with the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Regional Housing Courts and municipal Health/Code and Legal Departments.

WCHR is financially stable and with its operating budget of $4.4 million has the capital and income to be selective in the projects in which it invests. It has both a strong balance sheet and profitable year-end revenue statements. WCHR employs seven full time staff, a part time accountant and continual support from interns from local colleges and universities.

Responsibilities

The next Executive Director of Worcester Community Housing Resources, Inc. will be responsible for overseeing and directing the following ongoing operations and new initiatives:

  • Continued development of affordable housing in Worcester County.
  • Strategic planning for the Loan Fund’s retail lending.
  • Growth of the Receivership program and commercial bridge lending for affording housing construction projects.
  • Maintaining existing relationships and seeking additional partnerships with other nonprofits to develop additional housing for people needing specialized services.
  • Identifying and investing in another larger scale project, building on the successful experience of the senior living project in Gardner.
  • Further developing the agency’s relationships with the City of Worcester, state and federal regulators, developers, other nonprofits/CDC’s, and loan fund investors.
  • Monitoring WCHR’s portfolio including continued investment in the capital needs of the rental portfolio.
  • Expanding fund development and grant writing.
  • Fostering strong office communication and cross-training.
  • Preparing for staff succession, given the current longevity and deep expertise of staff.

Qualifications

WCHR is seeking an experienced nonprofit leader who can demonstrate the ability to capitalize on opportunities to enhance and further the mission of the organization. As such, the executive director needs to be a leader who can hold the vision of being a lender, partner, receiver, landlord, property manager and owner.

Ideal applicants will have:

  • Working knowledge and understanding of affordable housing development and financing.
  • The ability to be a resource broker with demonstrated experience and success with securing funding from multiple sources.
  • Experience in working effectively and collaboratively with a wide range of people and organizations, including staff, residents, local and state political officials and board members.
  • Experience in growing an organization and being keen to trends and changes in the industry.
  • An understanding of the unique community and political issues inherent in the complex housing field with a proven ability to navigate them.
  • Demonstrated strong financial acumen related to lending, development, property management and agency operations.
  • Knowledge of federal and state financing requirements, compliance and tax credits.
  • Excellent communication skills: writing, outgoing presentation, verbal and listening.
  • At least five years of demonstrated leadership experience, with confidence in the supervision of professional, administrative and field-based staff.
  • An understanding of sound business principles.
  • A passion to work hard as a self-starter.

Candidate Guidelines

This executive search is being conducted by TSNE MissionWorks with Transition Consultant Nancy Jackson. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential to the search committee.

Please include a resume and a cover letter with salary requirements, information regarding how you learned of the position, and a description of how your qualifications and experience match WCHR’s needs and mission. All submissions of candidacy will be accepted until the position is filled.  Salary is commensurate with experience, within the framework of the organization’s annual operating budget.

WCHR is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively seeks a diverse pool of candidates