Director of Housing

Statement of Duties

The Director of Housing oversees the City’s policies and programs to create and preserve affordable housing and stimulate market rate housing, including the provision of various housing services to improve the quality of the City's housing stock and to meet the housing needs of Somerville residents. Employee is required to perform all similar or related duties.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Develops policies and programs to create and preserve affordable housing and stimulate market rate housing.
• Projects evaluation of housing development including those subject to restrictions under state and federal grant programs and those subject to inclusionary housing implementation plans.
• Tracks, monitors, and maintains affordable and market rate housing production data
• Serves as Mayor’s representative as an ex-officio member of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
• Supervises and manages Housing Division staff, including the Condominium Review Board Lead Poisoning Prevention and Abatement Program, Housing Rehab Program, Energy Efficiency Program, Near-Highway Air Quality Study, Fair Housing Commission, Inclusionary Housing Program, Down Payment Assistance and others.
• Conducts weekly one-on-one meetings with directly reporting staff
• Assists in the development of an annual department budget and the creation of both state and federal reports including the five (5) year HUD Consolidated plan, one (1) year action plan and the CAPER Report.
• Provides support for the Annual Continuum of Care Funding Application.
• Administers federal HOME and CDBG funds and ensures that all funding commitments and expenditures are consistent with program requirements; seeks additional outside funding as it is available.
• Oversees the administration and provision of services for the City’s Lead Abatement and Healthy Homes Initiative Programs in accordance with HUD guidelines.
• Oversees HUD Sustainable Challenge Grant Affordable Housing Fund.
• Represents City in various roles with state, quasi-state and regional planning agencies
• Works with community agencies, city departments, state and federal agencies to implement local housing policies and programs to ensure coordinated housing policy.
• Assists community agencies with organizational development, program implementation and grant applications.
• Other duties as determined by Mayor and Executive Director of OSPCD.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Policy, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Public Administration, Real Estate Development, or other relevant program and five to seven- (5-7) years of experience in municipal housing functions, or related work experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: Working knowledge of basic word, excel, PowerPoint functions; knowledge of innovative financing mechanisms; knowledge of basic underwriting and project evaluation skills. Working knowledge of state and federal housing legislation and regulations.

Ability: Ability to meet and deal with the public effectively and appropriately; ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; ability to operate a computer; ability to maintain confidential information; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to deal appropriately with City employees, City officials and the general public.

Skill: Strong math skills; strong written and oral communication skills

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours to attend evening meetings.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Little or no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting.

Visual Skills

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes and routinely reviewing maps and blueprints with a need for color vision.

Hours: Full-Time
Salary: $120,000.00 annualized, plus benefits
Union: Non-Union
FMLA: Exempt
Date: April 1, 2025

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The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union.
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.