Director of Development - Affordable Housing

Harmony Housing Affordable Development; North Carolina; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Harmony Housing Affordable Development seeks an experienced Director of Development to lead the strategic direction, planning, and execution of USDA-financed rural affordable housing projects and our multi-family development portfolio from our Raleigh, North Carolina office.

The role oversees a development team, ensures projects close on time and within budget, and coordinates with Finance, Construction, and Executive teams while maintaining compliance with affordable housing regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, real estate, finance, urban planning or related field; Master’s degree is a plus.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in affordable housing development, real estate investment, or related field.
• Experience managing relationships with developers, owners, brokers, and stakeholders in a designated region.
• Deep knowledge of affordable housing mechanisms (LIHTC, FHA, USDA, Agency debt).
• Proven ability to lead complex projects from inception to completion.

Responsibilities

• Oversee development lifecycle for multiple projects, meeting milestones.
• Coordinate schedules, funding applications, and entitlement processes.
• Lead and document development-phase meetings with stakeholders.
• Negotiate development and financing agreements and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Manage risk, maintain budgets, and report progress to leadership.

Skills

Development leadership

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Analytical thinking

Public speaking

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, real estate, finance, urban planning

Master’s degree (plus)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe

SharePoint

SmartSheet

LIHTC knowledge

USDA program familiarity

Job description

Harmony Housing Affordable Development Inc. (“HHAD”) is among the largest real estate developers of affordable rental housing in the United States. Our mission is to positively impact communities by creating and preserving quality affordable housing for low wealth households. HHAD is a wholly owned subsidiary of Harmony Housing, a 501c3 not-for-profit owner of affordable housing with an expanding portfolio of owned assets across the country.

Our fast-growing organization is currently seeking an experienced Director of Development to join the expanding Development team. This individual is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, planning, and execution of the development and repositioning of USDA financed rural affordable housing projects ("RD") and our multi-family development portfolio. This leadership role involves leading a development team and ensuring projects are closed on time and within budget. This is a management position, which includes supervisory responsibilities for personnel, collaboration with the executive management team and oversight of deal structuring and terms. This position works in close coordination with HHAD’s Finance, Construction and Executive teams and is based in our Raleigh, North Carolina office, reporting to the Vice President of Development.

The Director of Development is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, planning, and execution of the development and repositioning of USDA-financed rural affordable housing projects and advancement of our multi-family development portfolio. Reporting to the Vice President of Development, this leadership role includes supervising a development team, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget, and maintaining compliance with affordable housing regulations. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in affordable housing, strong leadership and project management skills, and the ability to engage effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including investors, government agencies, and community partners. This position requires a great deal of autonomy and accountability, along with strong experience in critical thinking and problem solving, negotiating, networking, and teamwork.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Project Oversight & Management
• Manage the full development lifecycle for multiple projects, ensuring all milestones are met
• Oversee project schedules, funding applications, and entitlement processes
• Facilitate and document all development-phase meetings effectively
• Financial & Legal Coordination
• Negotiate purchase and sale agreements, development agreements, and other legal documentation
• Identify, secure, and coordinate capital sources, including federal funding, LIHTC, and USDA programs
• Ensure compliance with financing and regulatory requirements
• Stakeholder & External Relations
• Represent the organization in meetings with local and state government officials, planning commissions, and community stakeholders
• Build strong relationships with governmental agencies, capital providers, and external partners
• Lead community engagement efforts, including public meetings and hearing
• Design & Construction Integration
• Collaborate with internal construction teams and external designers to ensure project goals are met
• Manage risk assessment and implement mitigation strategies throughout the development process
• Lead and coordinate a development team, fostering a culture of accountability and results-driven performance
• Work closely with internal teams across construction, finance, and accounting, ensuring seamless project execution
• Report on project progress to executive leadership and key stakeholders

Experience, skills, and abilities required

• Bachelor’s degree in business, real estate, finance, urban planning, or a related field; a Master’s degree is a plus.
• Minimum of 7+ years of progressive professional experience in affordable housing development, real estate investment, or a related field
• Management of existing relationships with developers, owners, management agents, and brokers throughout the designated region
• Experience reviewing relative property documents (operating statements, rent rolls, audits, loan documents, etc.); ability to process information including gathering, assessing, organizing, auditing, and verifying data
• Strong knowledge of affordable housing mechanisms (e.g., programs such as LIHTC and tax-exempt bond financing, FHA mortgage insurance programs, as well as Agency debt products (Fannie, Freddie, USDA), and familiarity with other affordable housing funding programs and compliance regulations
• Proven ability to lead complex projects from inception through complete
• Demonstrated excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with varying amounts of available information
• Ability to recognize and mitigate investment risks; strong negotiation skills
• High-energy, accurate, organized, highly detailed, and results-oriented professional with demonstrable ability to successfully manage multiple projects and successfully work under pressure of strict deadlines
• Excellent written, oral, and public speaking communication skills with an ability to clearly and concisely express ideas, thoughts, and concepts verbally and in writing to diverse teams
• Advanced computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, SharePoint, and SmartSheet and other similar programs)
• Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to manage daily responsibilities and projects with minimal direction, while also working in close collaboration with a team to provide solutions where needed
• Ability to maintain a “big picture” focus while attending to incredibly detailed work and providing thorough documentation
• Resourceful, flexible and maintain the ability to react and respond quickly towards positive outcomes
• Strong personal standards and values consistent with HHAD’s core values (entrepreneurial, integrity, caring, and excellence

A satisfactory background check will be required as part of the selection process.

At Harmony Housing Affordable Development (HHAD) we believe that finding creative solutions for our clients comes from the collaboration of people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We strive to build a work environment that empowers all individuals with opportunities to channel their entrepreneurial spirit. HHAD is an EEO employer.

This job description is not inclusive of all responsibilities, skills, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with this position. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, management reserves the right to modify the position or to require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change. This job description replaces all previous descriptions for this po