Community Development Program Lead Manager

King County's Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, and connected to community.

The Housing and Community Development Division (HCD) has an exciting opportunity to lead its Community Development Program, overseeing and aligning three programs to provide capital funding to support a range of community development needs throughout the County to create healthy, equitable communities. HCD is looking for a strong people leader with a passion for implementing equitable community development. The ideal candidate will have experience managing a variety of capital funding sources, including compliance with federal, state, or local requirements, the ability to train and oversee staff, and work effectively with internal and external partners.

This position oversees three programs: 1) King County's Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), carried out with a Consortium of 38 cities using federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds, 2) the Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Account (PSTAA) Early Learning Facilities (ELF) strategy using local funds, and 3) the Best Starts for Kids (BSK) Capital Grant Program using local funds. These programs provide capital funding for low- and moderate-income communities to support a range of projects including infrastructure improvements; the development of community, recreational, or early learning facilities; economic development; and improvements to family child care facilities.

To be considered minimally qualified, applicants must demonstrate a background that provides the knowledge, skill, and ability to:

• Serve as overall program lead for Community Development programs.
• Manage team of six staff, setting annual goals and work plans, tracking progress, and supporting an inclusive learning culture.
• Collaborate with internal teams, across divisions, and with community partners to ensure alignment for program direction, outcomes, and implementation.
• Work with 38 CDBG Consortium cities and coordinate five committee meetings annually to manage and deploy federal CDBG funding.
• Lead Consortium process to renew Interlocal Cooperation Agreements (ICAs) every three years.
• Oversee multiple Requests for Proposals each year, of approximately $8.7 million.
• Ensure the equitable distribution of funding as required by implementation plans or ICAs.
• Develop annual work plan and deliverables. Oversee program responsibilities including procurement compliance, project implementation, labor compliance, contracting, monitoring, and HUD reporting requirements and NEPA environmental reviews, as applicable.
• Evaluate existing processes and recommend and implement program changes to promote equitable community development.
• Coordinate with internal teams to revise contract compliance protocols. Train staff and monitor processes to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements.
• Support staff's capacity to provide technical assistance on local and federal regulations to participating jurisdictions, King County agencies, and community groups interested in applying for funding.
• Coordinate across division to draft and submit required plans and reports, including the annual Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), and the community development portions of the Consortium Consolidated Plan, as well as related aspects of the federal IDIS system.
• Ensure that the public notification and citizen involvement requirements of the CDBG program are met.
• Coordinate with Finance team to track program spend plans.
• Serve on the management team for the HCD and provide program and policy updates to Division, Department, and County leadership, including elected officials.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• A combination of education and/or professional and life experience (a minimum of 5 years) providing one with the ability to understand complex issues quickly, make informed decisions, while also supporting and mentoring staff.
• A minimum of 5 years' supervisory experience, including creating a learning culture and ensuring accountability.
• A minimum of 3 years' experience leading community development capital programs or projects to achieve equitable community outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience ensuring program compliance with policies, procedures, program and funding requirements.
• Ability to operate in a politically sensitive environment, with nuance and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated experience applying equity and social justice principles and practices, and an understanding of the effects of place, race and policy and systems-based inequities on marginalized communities.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local government requirements related to the program funding including HUD's CDBG program.
• Excellent writing skills and analytic skills with the ability to develop reports for public presentation.
• Excellent communication skills including the ability to make presentations to large and small groups.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders who may have different perspectives, including individuals, teams, and agencies (internally as well as externally).
• Strong facilitation and negotiation skills, and the demonstrated ability to develop partnerships with stakeholders to build consensus and develop reasonable solutions to issues and problems.
• Excellent organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize work assignments and adjust priorities in a multi-task environment.
• Working knowledge of basic accounting and project budget development.
• Intermediate skills in Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and the internet.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS:

• Experience working with federal, state, or local capital funds.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate programs and implement change to improve program success.
• Successful completion of HUD and/or NCDA training on overall CDBG program requirements.
• Experience working with communities disproportionately impacted by inequities.

ADDITIONAL POSITION INFORMATION:

• This position has been designated Non-Mission Critical. Unless otherwise directed by the County Executive, department director or agency head, all employees, regardless of designation, are expected to report to work or request leave during an emergency or inclement weather. For more detailed information, please visit HR Policy County Operations During Emergency Situations and the King County Guidelines for Workforce Management in an Emergency.
• The HCD Division works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change.The primary onsite location is Chinook, 401 5thAve, Seattle, WA Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
- This position is scheduled to work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm. This position meets the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is overtime eligible with supervisory pre-approval.
- This position is represented by PROTEC17 (C23).
- Classification: Project/Program Manager IV

WHO MAY APPLY:

This position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications. First round of interviews for this selection process will take place on or around December 10, 2025. Candidates who wish to be considered for this position must submit an online King County application and respond to the supplemental questions. Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the requested and relevant information in the online application and supplemental questionnaire. Applications and/or supplemental questionnaires that state, "see my resume" are considered incomplete and will not be considered to be competitive. If you have any questions, please contact Phitsamai Xaxouthep,

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To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.