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Director, Opportunity Housing Initiative

Publication or Company	National Housing Institute/Shelterforce
Industry	Marketing, Non-profit, Public Policy, Public Relations
Job Duration	Full Time
Job Location	Montclair, NJ
Job Requirements	Over the past eight years, the sector has seen considerable growth in practice, research, and support organizations. A number of organizations, most notably Cornerstone Partnership, Center for Housing Policy, Urban Institute, the National Community Land Trust Network, Innovative Housing Institute, and ROC USA have done an outstanding job of performing research on, moving public policy, and providing capacity-building support for shared equity housing or affordable housing in general, with an emphasis on long-term affordability. The Opportunity Housing Initiative will support the efforts of existing organizations to bring the sector to scale, help unify and coordinate its various parts, and get its message broadly disseminated by:? • creating and helping to coordinate communications material for various audiences, to be used by existing organizations, their members and supporters, and the initiative itself;? • supporting current efforts of the sector to have a larger impact on policy change and public awareness;? • helping identify, attract, and cultivate new allies. The initiative will work with existing, goal-directed efforts of groups like those mentioned and others, supporting and enhancing their work toward a common goal. Initiative Activities: The specific activities that the initiative will start with will be developed following an analysis of the existing state of the field. However, they will fall under the following broad categories. Communications Hub Generate and curate content for use both internally and externally, at the local level by organizations themselves, in national outreach work by national organizations and the initiative itself, and for placement in mainstream media at all geographies. For example we may: • Create case studies/narrative journalism articles.? • Support the creation of articles/reports on themes that cross sub-sectors.? • Create accessible supporting narrative/lay versions of academic research.? • Work with organizations to craft accessible, engaging and persuasive narratives.? • Document noteworthy efforts and disseminate these as articles or issue policy papers (broadly accessible) to be used by practitioners and policy advocates to support local, state, regional or national efforts.? • Work with other media creators to disseminate and use their content, help with the creation of support/collateral materials, and identify opportunities to use the media effectively. Strategic Outreach Activities • Work with organizations to help propose, organize, and moderate panels/workshops on inclusionary or shared-equity themes at conferences/events to introduce these concepts and programs to a broad range of organizations working for the benefit of low- and moderate-income communities or communities of color. • Track and broker presentations as needed. • Work with organizations to provide invited speakers on shared-equity themes to similar places, plus smaller gatherings. (Create a speaker’s bureau.) • As appropriate and needed facilitate meetings between SEH subsectors and other national organizations. Strategy Development and Coordination • Help identify opportunities for collaborations, efficiencies, and coordination; create and maintain a map/analysis of all the players and their relationships. Support cross-silo relationships. • Support existing web portals with definitions of the sector and its subsectors. • As appropriate, hold convenings independently or in tandem or collaboration with other organizations and support organizations as they develop a strategy to meet their goals, such as educating elected officials and state or federal regulatory agencies. • Support efforts to assure the entire sector is represented and working together on policy and funding initiatives. Support policy development that crosses sub-sectors. • The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and implementing the activities listed above. The OHI director will play a lead role in fundraising for the initiative, including identifying and cultivating new funders and all grant writing and reporting. Qualifications • Knowledgeable about and committed to the mission of NHI/Shelterforce and to economic and social justice. • A great sense of humor. • Unquestionable integrity and highest ethical standards. • Experience in working with a range of interest groups and fostering collaborations and consensus among independent organizations. • Ability to develop and foster a stellar rapport with colleagues, partners and funders, and maintain relationships over time with individuals and organizations. • Bachelor's degree. • Five or more years experience in communications or journalism?or related field. • Experience with housing programs and land use issues with knowledge of inclusionary housing and other shared-equity programs. • Knowledgeable about the development of public policies at the local, state or federal level, especially in affordable housing, land use, and housing finance. • Experience marketing ideas to various constituencies and developing a variety of written marketing and communications materials. • Excellent, accessible, persuasive and versatile writing and communication skills. • Flexibility in scheduling to attend meetings and events in the evenings and weekends. • Willingness and ability to work hours and schedule as needed to complete projects. • Willingness and ability to travel, as needed.
About Our Company	Are you great at taking complex ideas and making them clear? Are you able to write for a variety of audiences? Do you know housing, community development, and land use programs and policies as well as you know how to write and speak persuasively? Have you always wanted to connect your public policy knowledge with your communications skills? Are you committed to social justice and equal opportunity for everyone? If so, we may just have a job for you. The National Housing Institute/Shelterforce is looking for a talented person to direct the launch and growth of the Opportunity Housing Initiative. OHI will support the expansion of inclusionary/shared equity housing programs and policies by providing communications and strategic support to the various organizations engaged in these activities, especially those promoting inclusionary housing, limited-equity cooperatives, community land trusts and resident-owned manufactured housing communities, collectively known as shared-equity housing. It will help support collaborative efforts to bring shared-equity housing to scale and help coordinate sectoral communications efforts, including print and multimedia (articles, reports, videos, online and social media). The National Housing Institute/Shelterforce is an independent nonprofit communications, education, and research organization driven by a belief in the ability of all communities to be healthy and thriving. NHI/Shelterforce provides vital information through reports, workshops, conferences, Shelterforce, the only national independent publication written for and by advocates and professionals dedicated to equitable community development, and through digital media. Since 1975, NHI/Shelterforce has consistently written about and promoted a set of housing practices—inclusionary housing, forms of permanently affordable housing—that has come to be seen as a distinct housing sector.