Executive Director

GGWash; Virginia; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Benefits package

Travel required

Job summary

Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance seeks an Executive Director to provide strategic, operational, financial, programmatic, and relational leadership. Reporting to the Board, the ED will balance long‑term vision with day‑to‑day management, strengthen systems, grow the donor base, and raise the organization’s profile in Northern Virginia.

This full‑time, hybrid role requires residing in the Washington metropolitan area; some travel to statewide and regional events is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in management, nonprofit management, business or public administration, planning, social sciences, or a related field; or equivalent in experience.
• Demonstrated leadership experience of a nonprofit, community-based, government, or related organization.
• Demonstrated experience and record of success with grant writing, grant management, fundraising, donor relations, and revenue development.
• Experience developing budgets, overseeing organizational operations, and reporting financial information to a Board or governing body.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, and facilitation skills.

Responsibilities

• The ED reports to the 9-member Board of Directors to develop and implement a strategic direction that aligns with our mission, supports our program expansion, and provides internal and external leadership to increase NVAHA’s profile and visibility in the Northern Virginia community.
• The ED, along with staff, is responsible for being a thought leader on housing policy in Northern Virginia; monitors local housing policy activities and provides analysis and recommendations for advocacy.
• Overseeing Leadership Council activities, convening, program development, and events such as the Leckey Forum & Regional Housing Leaders Awards.
• Working with the Board to ensure financial sustainability; grant writing, donor relations, expansion of donor base, and exploring fee-for-service opportunities.
• Managing a small staff of remote and hybrid personnel and coordinating administrative duties with a bookkeeper.

Skills

Leadership

Grant writing

Fundraising

Communications

Budgeting

Stakeholder engagement

Nonprofit management

Public policy understanding

Education

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field

Job description

The mission of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance is to increase supply of and equitable access to affordable housing in Northern Virginia through education, advocacy, and community partnership. Our activities include:

• Advocating for public policies and adequate financial investments to develop and preserve housing that is affordable;
• Building political will to advance affordable housing through better understanding of the interplay among housing, health, equity, and economic development;
• Partnering with underserved communities to lift their participation in our civic discourse;
• Calling for the deconstruction of land use systems and policies that perpetuate inequities and disparities, opposing the misallocation of resources, and dismantling, existing racial, socioeconomic and wealth divisions within our communities;
• Conducting research and providing technical assistance on housing needs and policies to promote inclusive, equitable communities in Northern Virginia.

The Executive Director (ED) provides strategic, operational, financial, programmatic, and relational leadership and serves as the steward of NVAHA’s mission, programs, partnerships, staff, and resources. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED should balance long-term vision with active day-to-day management, strengthen NVAHA’s financial position and internal systems, cultivate staff, continue fundraising, and maintain and increase the organization’s visibility and impact primarily in Northern Virginia but also throughout the Commonwealth.

Key Responsibilities

We are seeking an ED, working with a total staff of 5 (3.5 FTEs), who will ensure the continued success of the organization after a period of sustained growth. The new leader will have the following skills and experience to direct all programs and activities that support the organization’s mission and visibility, including the following:

Board Reporting

The ED reports to the 9-member Board of Directors to develop and implement a strategic direction that aligns with our mission, supports our program expansion, and provides internal and external leadership to increase NVAHA’s profile and visibility in the Northern Virginia community.

Housing Policy

The ED, along with staff, is responsible for being a thought leader on housing policy in Northern Virginia. Through our network of Local Alliances in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, the ED, along with staff, monitors local housing policy activities in multiple Northern Virginia jurisdictions, provides analysis and recommendations for advocacy that support housing affordability. The current ED serves as the Director of the Prince William Local Alliance. The ED collaborates with key partners, stakeholders, and Board and Leadership Council members, for analysis and recommendations. The ED represents NVAHA in local, regional, and statewide housing advisory boards or councils.

The ED, with staff, is responsible for Leadership Council’s (LC) convening, program development and activities. Larger than the board, the LC is a non-governing network of industry professionals engaged in public policy, affordable housing development, finance, and resident services who gather to follow housing activities in Northern Virginia. The LC meets 6 times a year for presentations from industry experts, and updates on new initiatives or policies that impact housing development.

Communications & Programming

As a small organization, NVAHA leverages its outreach through relationship-building and partnerships. As the spokesperson to the organization’s external partners, the ED is a frequent participant in regional and statewide forums, sharing expertise as a regional housing organization with a track record of success in public outreach, education, and advocacy. Additional responsibilities include:

• Working with staff to oversee and coordinate the messaging and content across our social media platform, including website, blogs, Lunch & Learn education series, monthly Housing in Action newsletters to align with our goals and objectives, etc.
• Identifying gaps and evaluating opportunities to work on fee-for-service engagements with local governments and other partners to produce housing research.
• Leading the development and curation of programming for the annual Leckey Forum & Regional Housing Leaders Awards, including identifying and securing speakers, and working with staff and the Board to plan and execute the event.

Sustaining the Organization

Working with the Board, the ED is responsible for the organization’s strategic planning and financial sustainability. Activities include the following:

• Oversight of grant writing and reporting;
• Expanding donor base and new grant opportunities;
• Exploring ‘fee for service’ and special project opportunities;
• Managing a small staff of remote and hybrid personnel.

There are limited administrative duties related to the organization’s finances and personnel that are carried out by the ED. They include:

• Working with a bookkeeper on processing invoices and review of financial reports.
• Overseeing the annual tax return preparation and filing with the assistance of the bookkeeper.
• Oversight of hiring staff and contractors.
• Oversight of annual filings of required certifications, sales tax exemptions, updating insurance policies and reviewing benefits programs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in management, nonprofit management, business or public administration, planning, social sciences, or a related field; or equivalent in experience.
• Demonstrated experience in working in affordable housing development, housing policy or other related fields.
• Demonstrated leadership experience of a nonprofit, community-based, government, or related organization.
• Demonstrated experience and record of success with grant writing, grant management, fundraising, donor relations, and revenue development.
• Experience developing budgets, overseeing organizational operations, and reporting financial information to a Board or governing body.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, organizational, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to build relationships across diverse communities and institutions.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Northern Virginia affordable housing housing market.

This job is a full-time, hybrid position with benefits. The position offers a flexible work arrangement, primarily remote. Candidates must live in the Washington metropolitan area, preferably in Northern Virginia. Travel throughout Northern Virginia is required and frequent, and may include travel to statewide convenings, evening meetings or occasional weekend events.

Salary Range: $120,000 - $140,000 with benefits package.

Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.