Director, Housing Affordability

hraadvisors; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

Healthcare, dental and vision benefits

Discretionary year-end bonus

Hybrid work policy

Job summary

HR&A, housed in Los Angeles, seeks a Director for the Housing Affordability Practice to lead engagements with cities, developers, and housing authorities nationwide. You will guide policy design, financial feasibility, and stakeholder outreach, advancing affordable housing programs.

You will oversee teams, develop market analyses, and craft persuasive narratives for clients while contributing to firm growth and thought leadership in city planning and affordable housing finance.

Qualifications

• 6–10 years of work experience in housing policy analysis and design, housing market analysis, affordable housing finance, and/or consulting in a related field.
• 5–7 years in Real Estate Development or Finance with 4+ years underwriting experience, preferably in affordable multifamily.
• Thorough knowledge of underwriting practices and housing market forces.
• Strong ability to synthesize data and present a compelling narrative.
• Experience presenting to senior leadership and clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead engagements and training to build the housing affordability practice.
• Manage internal and external teams to complete market analysis and stakeholder engagements.
• Evaluate economic feasibility of housing policies including pro forma analyses.
• Present deliverables to clients via memos, reports, and presentations.
• Support marketing and client engagement efforts.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Relationship management

Housing finance

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in public policy/urban planning/economics

Tools

Financial modeling

Real estate underwriting

Pro forma analysis

PowerPoint

Job description

ABOUT US | At HR&A, we are problem solvers for cities.

We guide decision-makers, including mayors and agency heads, real estate owners and developers, and non-profit leaders, to create impact when the stakes arehighand the path forwardisn’tclear.We believe in creating vital places, building moreequitableand resilient communities, and improving people’s lives, from Los Angeles to Brooklyn.

We come from diverse backgrounds, have a breadth of lived experience, and share a passion for cities. We are former public officials, executive directors, planners, social scientists, lawyers, architects, and economists.

HR&A has offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, New York, Raleigh, andWashingtonD.C.

THE PRACTICE

The Housing Affordability Practice works at the state and community level to create and preserve homes that meet the needs of the community. We develop housing plans and strategies that address local housing needs and priorities. We design and implement solutions, from inclusionary zoning policies to affordable housing investment funds. And we underwrite and close housing transactions on behalf of mission-driven clients. This range of work, from planning to deal making, makes us better at designing policies and tools that work in practice. We enjoy understanding and working with the complexities of the housing market to advance the public good, in partnership with our clients.

Plans:We create housing plans and strategies based on local needs and priorities. Most recently,we’vecreated a housing plan that tackles affordability and climate resilience for Houston and Harris County and a regional strategy that responds to displacement challenges in Atlanta.

Policies:We design and implement solutions, from inclusionary zoning policies toanti-displacement programs. We have studied the feasibility of office to residential conversions in Boston, social housing development in California, and rent control in New York.

Transactions:We helped craft Amazon's Housing Fund, a$3.6 billioncommitment to preserve existing housing and create inclusive developments through below-market loans andgrants, andcontinue to serve as one of its underwriting partners. We also launched the $150 million Central New York Housing Fund, supporting over 2,500 new homes in the Syracuse region.

Digital Tools:The Housing Affordability Practice developed HousingWeaver, a housing market analytics platform designed to help you understand your housing market, develop policies and programs to address the housing needs of your community and track the impact of those policies and programs over time. We have used it to set housing production goals for the State of Maine, evaluate the suitability of public land for affordable housing in the Puget Sound Region, and estimate the impact of changes in land use regulations Montgomery County, MD.

THE ROLE

We are seeking Director candidates with a passion for addressing housing affordability challenges to work closely with the lead partner for the Housing Affordability practicein ourLos Angeles office.HR&A’s housing affordability practice works with cities, advocates,developersand housing authorities across the country to understand their housing challenges and develop effective solutions.

• Passion for housing affordability, communitydevelopmentand inclusive communities overall;

• Familiarity with local housing policy tools (e.g.inclusionary zoning, preservation loan funds, by-right development, etc.) and emerging housing challenges;

• Grasp of the development process, real estateeconomicsand the ability to draft and read develop project financials;

• Ability to engage with local officials and community leaders on complex housing policy issues;

• Desire to help build the housing affordability practice by leading engagements, trainingstaffand advancing thought leadership;

• Broader interest in HR&A’s work to address the most pressing challenges facing cities.

• Day-to-day tasks will require managing internal and external teams to complete housing market analysis, leading stakeholder engagement activities, and evaluating the economic feasibility of housing policies including pro forma analysis for a range of uses, market feasibility research, business planning, public-private partnershipstrategy, and public policy design. The Director will review and present deliverables to clients, including memos,reportsand PowerPointpresentations;and will support the firm’s marketing and client engagement efforts.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Successful candidates will bring strong analytical, project management, relationship management and housing finance capabilities aligned with the roles and responsibilities described above. Mostimportantlythey willbring a passion and interest in developing andimplementingnew programsandpoliciesto address the housing challenges ofcommunitiesacross the country.Key experience includes:

• 6–10years of work experience in housing policy analysis and design, housing market analysis, affordable housing finance, and/or consulting in a related field.

• 5-7 years of experience in Real Estate Development or Finance, including4+ years of real estate underwriting experience, preferably with affordable multifamily, and2+yearof relationship management.

• Thorough knowledge of common underwriting practices and procedures.

• Thoroughunderstanding of housing and affordable housing related market forces including general real estate principles, supply and demand economics and other multifamily demand drivers.

• A high degree ofproficiencyin real estate financial modeling, experience with affordable housing finance is a plus.

• Comfort synthesizing data and crafting a compelling narrative.

• Comfortpresenting tointernal senior leadership and external clients.

• Strong project management experience, including professional and interpersonal communicationskillsaligned with guiding teams.

HYBRID WORK POLICY

HR&A fosters a collaborative and flexible work environment through our hybrid work policy. Employees work from the office at least three days a week, which allows individuals the freedom to balance their professional and personal lives whilemaintaining a strong connection to their teams.

COMPENSATION

The base salary range for this position is$141,600–$163,779,plus the opportunity for a discretionary year-end bonus.Where an offer fallsinsidethis payrangeis dependent on experience. We offer competitive compensationpackages,based on qualifications and experience. We are an employee-owned company, meaning you will have the opportunity tobenefitfrom the firm’s growth over time through participation in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Each year, the firm will contribute funds to this long-term wealth-building account and may make contributions to other retirement accounts.We also provide a comprehensive benefits package that goes well beyond coverage of 90-95% of healthcare premiums, including dental and vision coverage.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, veteran status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.