Real Estate Project Manager

The Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA, the Planning Office) seeks a Real Estate Project Manager to join our collaborative and dedicated staff. POUA was created by the Archdiocese of Boston in 1969 as a nonprofit organization, to serve as a catalyst for social justice through its work in housing development, neighborhood revitalization, and affordable housing advocacy. Today, nearly 50 years and 3,000 units of housing later, the Planning Office remains firmly rooted in its mission to create vibrant communities, and work for social justice on behalf of all those who are housing deprived.

The Organization and Its Activities

The Planning Office has developed nearly 3,000 units of elderly, family, mixed income and special needs housing, channeling over $600 million of investment into developments throughout metropolitan Boston, and currently has several additional properties under active development. Over the past several years, we have completed or made significant progress on key developments in Haverhill, Hanover, Brockton, downtown Boston, and the Boston neighborhoods of Dorchester and Mattapan. 

Our developments focus on the creation of strong communities where people of economic, racial and ethnic diversity can live with dignity and respect. They are designed to respond to the needs of both our residents and the particular communities in which we build. In some cases, we have redeveloped former church-related properties; in other cases, we have responded to requests from communities, service agencies, or local governments. We have developed rental and ownership housing. We work with several property management companies to ensure effective operation of the properties that we develop.

The Planning Office is led by a team of experienced affordable housing leaders, who participate in and lead local and national advocacy efforts to increase affordable housing resources, avoid foreclosures, and address homelessness. Our board of trustees, appointed by the Cardinal, works together with our President to govern our financially strong and growing organization. 

Real Estate Development at the Planning Office 

Our recent work includes: developing a $68 million urban mixed-use, mixed-income project in Haverhill that includes residential, office, retail and educational components; developing housing for the homeless and very low income households at a key location in downtown Boston; developing a new residential community made up of three projects along the Fairmount line in Mattapan; and creating the first safe house in the City of Boston for victims of human trafficking. In undertaking this work, we have formed partnerships with groups such as the Greater Haverhill Foundation, St. Francis House, Caribbean Integration Community Development, and Casa Myna Vasquez/The Eva Center. We have also worked with St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children and the Pine Street Inn, among other partners. 

In addition to the Mattapan projects, we are now actively working through the site planning process on a property in Brockton, planning a Phase 2 for our Haverhill project, and working on church related property in Boston and surrounding communities. We are responding to several other potential projects in Boston and the greater Metropolitan Boston area.

The Project Manager will join a team of eight people at the Planning Office. They will report directly to the Real Estate Director. They will collaborate closely with the Senior Project Manager and others on the staff.   

The Project Manager

The Project Manager will support the Real Estate team on specific development projects. They will coordinate one or more development projects themselves. The Project Manager will demonstrate a strong commitment to affordable housing development and an ability to work well in a small, collegial environment.

The person in this position shall assist with, or have primary responsibility for the following tasks, depending on their experience and the project work load in the office: 

• Undertake financial modeling for project development and operating budgets
• Identify and secure pre-development financing  
• Manage pre-development budgets
• Assemble tax credit and other funding applications for new projects 
• Assist with prospective developments and acquisitions by evaluating financial structure, and strategic opportunities to advance the Office’s mission and achieve state policy/funding priorities
• Assist with assembling project development teams, and managing vendor contracts (architectural, environmental, engineering, etc.)
• Develop presentations and other communications about projects and assist in making presentations to public commissions and community groups
• Assemble permitting and regulatory review applications
• Develop and maintain relationships with City and Town permitting and housing staff, financing agencies, and lenders, and
• Other project development or office development tasks as assigned.

Our Ideal Candidate 

Our ideal candidate will be a highly motivated, creative professional who takes initiative and has many of the following skills and experiences: 

• At least two years of experience in real estate finance, real estate development, or community development
• Strong financial skills  
• Advanced degree in a related field preferred, however additional work experience can substitute for an advanced degree
• Some experience with state and federal housing programs, funding and policies, preferably in Massachusetts, including low-income housing and historic tax credits
• Excellent oral and written communication, technology, and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently and achieve outcomes
• Strong mission focus, and
• An ability to solve problems, suggest new ideas, and move tasks forward.