Senior Project Manager

Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) seeks a Senior Project Manager to join our Real Estate Development team. SCC is a 50-year-old nonprofit Community Development Corporation (CDC) and the only CDC in Somerville (MA). SCC strengthens the city of Somerville by producing and preserving affordable housing, and by organizing Somerville residents to give voice to community needs and priorities.

The Organization and Its Programs

SCC is a membership organization that provides leadership for sustaining Somerville as a vibrant, diverse and tolerant community. We offer services and lead community organizing that supports low- and moderate-income Somerville residents in their efforts to achieve economic sustainability and increase civic participation. SCC has adopted a three-pronged approach to creating and preserving diversity and housing affordability in Somerville: 

• Develop and preserve as many affordable units as we can in response to community-driven planning and organizing and using green and sustainable design principals 

• Organize the community to promote policies that enhance the regulatory and funding environment for affordable housing and good jobs for Somerville residents, and

• Create access to opportunities for our constituents through financial education, counseling, asset-building programs, as well our recently launched First Source Jobs program.

Real Estate Development at Somerville Community Corporation

The Real Estate Development team is managed by a Director of Real Estate, and is currently staffed by a project manager and a property manager. In response to the cost and competitiveness of Somerville’s housing market, SCC’s current development strategy is two-fold. First, we focus on small property acquisition and development to preserve and strengthen affordable housing options. Second, we partner with key private and nonprofit developers to develop and preserve affordable housing. Our primary strategic partner at this time is the national nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH). 

SCC has a full pipeline of development activities, including three projects in partnership with POAH and one mixed income, affordable homeownership project, which should be completed by June of 2020. We currently own and oversee the management or directly manage 320 rental housing units, and have developed and sold over 100 homeownership units.

The three pipeline projects include: the redevelopment of Clarendon Hill, a 216 unit state public housing development into a 591 unit mixed income development in partnership with POAH and a for-profit real estate firm—Gate Residential; the co-location of a Health Center and affordable housing next to the Union Square MBTA Green Line subway extension (GLX) in partnership with POAH and the Cambridge Health Alliance; and another 60 unit, mixed income development near the Union Square GLX. 

SCC is continuing to identify further development opportunities. We aim to develop and preserve increased numbers of affordable housing units in the next 10 years, in response to intense development pressures from the anticipated Green Line extension and other local improvements that have made Somerville a highly desirable community. In addition to our new construction pipeline, SCC has purchased and now manages 114 units of affordable housing throughout Somerville through the 100 Homes Initiative and the 49 More Homes program, both of which are partnerships with the City of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning and Development. We plan to bundle small properties into one financing package in the future.  

The Senior Project Manager

SCC is seeking an experienced Project Manager to advance our construction pipeline to completion and to play an oversight role in the 100 Homes Program. The Senior Project Manager will: manage the development team, monitor project budgets, manage lender relationships, and oversee property rent up and sales. They will work under supervision of the Director of Real Estate Development.

The Senior Project Manager will have an opportunity to work on a range of affordable rental, mixed-use, and homeownership development projects in a dynamic local development environment. They may also assist in identifying new projects and performing asset management responsibilities.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Coordinate planning and development of real estate projects

• Hire and manage the work of project architects, engineers, development consultants, attorneys, and other professional staff

• Coordinate design work, including community planning, permitting, zoning, bidding, and contractor selection

• Work with community organizing department on outreach and involvement of residents around development projects

• Develop and manage project budgets and prepare funding applications for predevelopment, construction and permanent financing  

• Oversee, negotiate and coordinate project finance closings

• Provide project management services during construction, including managing project schedule, preparing requisitions, and managing lender relationships

• Oversee marketing and occupancy, including tax credit compliance for rental projects, and screening and training of homebuyers for affordable homeownership projects

• Monitor ongoing property management

• Identify and research potential sites for acquisition, and assist with securing site control

• Provide staffing support to relevant boards and committees, and

• Other relevant duties as assigned.

Our Ideal Candidate: 

Our ideal candidate is ambitious, flexible, and comfortable wearing many different hats. They will enjoy working in a mission driven nonprofit organization and be able to collaborate with others as part of a team, both inside and outside of the organization. They should bring many of the following skills and qualifications:

• Entrepreneurial self-starter who is able to follow through on assignments independently 

• Strategic and goal-oriented manager who can comfortably manage multiple tasks and project

• Motivation and skills in team work and team management

• Interest and strength in relationship-building and in partnering with public, private and nonprofit organizations

• Excellent communication skills and ability to represent SCC to the City and the community

• Knowledge of and strong interest in affordable housing development, including familiarity with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and local funding sources, preferably in Massachusetts

• Strong construction management skills

• Proficient at preparing project requisitions, required documentation and spreadsheets

• Interest in transit oriented and sustainable development

• Comfort working with a range of people in a community based environment

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years of experience in development or financing of affordable housing

• Master’s degree in a related field may be substituted for some of the experience required

• Knowledge of or residency in Somerville is a plus, and

• Skills in Spanish, Portuguese or other non-English languages spoken in Somerville are a plus.

We seek candidates who embrace our mission, and bring a sense of humor and passion to their work. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package.