Director, Housing Center

Location: Washington, DC 20009

Work Location: In-Office / Hybrid

Reports To: Chief Finance and Administration Officer

Salary Range: $125,000 to $145,000 – commensurate with experience

About the Greater Washington Urban League

The Greater Washington Urban League (“GWUL” or “The League”) is on a mission to achieve a racially equitable metropolitan area and aim to ensure all Greater Washington regional residents benefit from the rewards of full citizenship. For decades, the League has stood on society’s front lines, serving as both a safety net and facilitator of opportunity in Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County, Maryland. As one of the region’s longest-standing civil rights organizations, the League continues to carve a distinct path towards justice and fair play by putting families first and focusing on the needs of children, the elderly, and everyone in between. GWUL has touched more than three million lives since 1938, guiding them down the road to self-sufficiency.

The Greater Washington Urban League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit civil rights and community-based organization. It is a member agency of the United Way of the National Capital Area and among the largest of over 80 National Urban League affiliates in the United States. GWUL is a HUD certified agency and employs staff that are certified financial counsellors. GWUL will continue to advance racial equity as a mechanism to achieve equality while also fueling the acceleration of economic self-reliance, political parity, and physical and mental wellness.

About the GWUL Housing Center

The Greater Washington Urban League Housing Center aims to assist clients in achieving generational wealth through homeownership. The Housing Center team currently administers housing mortgage purchase assistance programs, specifically the DC Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) and the Employer Assisted Housing Program (EAHP) funded by the DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The Center conducts pre- and post-purchase and foreclosure prevention counseling services funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other private sources through sub-grants from the National Urban League and various corporate partners. The Housing Center also hosts its own Black Homeowners Academy, Home Tour, and Housing Expo.

The Housing Center Director will play a pivotal role in managing our Housing Center programs designed to provide financial education, counseling, and assistance to individuals and families aiming to achieve and sustain stable housing/homeownership in the DC Metro Area. The successful candidate will oversee staff across all program components and is responsible for determining staffing needs, recruitment, hiring, coaching, scheduling, directing, and supervising staff. The Program Director will be responsible for writing, managing, and reporting outcomes for the grant programs administered through this Center. The Center Director will be responsible for providing the necessary care, sensitivity, and tact required to successfully carry out the Center’s program mission. The successful candidate will also be responsible for ensuring the administration of programs in compliance with grant guidelines and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

According to the ADA 1990, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. These responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement strategic priorities for the Housing Center in partnership with executive management and Housing Center staff that aligns with the organization's mission and goals.
• Drive the design and execution of homeownership and housing counseling programs and services ensuring they meet the unique needs of structurally disadvantaged communities in the DC Metro Area.
• Apply change, risk, and resource management principles appropriately.
• Manage lead and develop Housing Center staff. Team currently includes eleven experienced full-time employees including four Associate Directors.

Data Management and Evaluation:

• Seek to keep information / data application systems updated and staff utilization maximized.
• Monitor program outcomes, assess effectiveness, and make data-driven and client-supported recommendations to achieve program impact goals.
• Employ appropriate data collection methods and program evaluation tools to measure performance and drive continuous improvement.

Reporting and Communication:

• Keep executive officers, board of directors, and key stakeholders informed through timely and accurate program impact and operational performance reports, presentations, and dashboards.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports for various funding sources, as may be required.

Grant Management and Compliance:

• Work in partnership with executive officers and fund development team to identify, apply for, and manage grants and sponsorships.
• Collaborate with finance, compliance, and human resource teams to ensure program operations adhere to grant requirements, legal guidelines, and internal policies.
• Oversee all program activities and workflows ensuring client needs are being met in accordance with all grant terms and conditions.
• Always ensure the appropriate handling of client files and protection of personal information

Collaboration and Partnership:

• Assist and support executive leadership and other program directors in maintaining and developing productive relationships with government agencies, NUL staff, financial institutions, community-based organizations, and other relevant partners.
• Host advisory group discussions and collaborate with external partners to leverage resources, discover new opportunities, and expand the reach of homeownership assistance programs.

Community Engagement:

• Conduct listening sessions and nurture relationships with community members to ensure ongoing program relevance, effectiveness and authenticity.
• Represent the organization with the public and funders to increase awareness of constituents needs, advocate for policy changes, and promote Housing Center program value and impact.
• Act as a representative of the Housing Center and serve as the voice of our community in providing expertise at third-party led working groups and in preparing testimony for Council hearings.

Team Management:

• Build a high-performing team of professionals by fostering learning, effective communication, and a collaborative work environment.
• Recruit, orient, and train new hires dedicated to housing counseling and home purchase assistance.
• Shape and approve staffing plans, standard operating procedures, and staff development strategies.
• Provide supervision of Center staff by conducting frequent individual and team coaching and consultation sessions.

Professionalism and Customer Care:

• Set an example and be a role model for professionalism and high-quality customer care.
• Conduct case management reviews to influence effective customer care through all stages of the purchase assistance and counseling pipeline.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (in a business, public administration, or human service field) is required; advanced degree preferred
• Five (5) or more years of experience in housing purchase assistance and housing counseling services, with three (3) of those years in a senior management position preferred
• Experience working directly with individuals as described by the program description in a housing program is strongly preferred
• Three (3) years of experience providing mortgage purchase assistance and loan processing, or other related experience in the mortgage industry is required, and five (5) years of experience is preferred;
• Professional housing purchase assistance and housing counseling certifications preferred
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. permanently
• Must complete a criminal background investigation
• Must have strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Must have the ability to communicate and relate to persons of diverse backgrounds
• Must have the ability to establish and maintain working relationships with the community
• The employee will be working in a normal office setting to include a possible hybrid schedule.
• While performing the duties of this opportunity, the employee will frequently sit, stand, walk, and reach.
• May need to lift files or packages periodically.

How To Apply

GWUL has retained Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR as their Executive Search Partner for this important hire. To be considered, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter via the Nonprofit HR website at

Priority will be given to applicants who apply before August 12th, 2024

Please direct inquiries regarding this search to Hakimu Davidson, Senior Executive Search Consultant at hdavidson@nonprofithr.com