Senior Program Analyst

San Diego Housing Commission; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 Schedule

14 paid holidays

Pension contribution 14%

457 plan

Health insurance

Dental

Vision

Flexible spending account

Wellness perks

Rewards program

Job summary

The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) seeks a Senior Program Analyst to join the Quality Assurance team. This role provides advanced administrative, financial, and regulatory support, supervises QA staff, and leads initiatives ensuring HUD standards and agency policies are met.

Collaboration across RAD and other departments is essential to resolve audit issues and improve processes. Ideal candidates bring deep knowledge of HUD Housing Choice Voucher regulations, strong analytical abilities,

Qualifications

• Equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college with major coursework in business or public administration, finance, or a related field and at least five years of progressively responsible housing program experience.
• Minimum three years of experience equivalent to a Program Analyst role within housing programs.
• Strong knowledge of HUD policies and RAD compliance and related regulations.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervisory leadership to QA staff; prioritize work and escalate complex audit questions.
• Lead internal/external QC reviews, contractor audits, and financial QC related to check runs and adjustments.

Skills

Leadership

HUD regulations

Data analysis

Compliance

Project management

Staff training

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/public administration/finance

Tools

Microsoft Office

Yardi

SharePoint Online

DocuSign

EIV

Box

Job description

About SDHC

The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) is an award-winning public housing agency in the City of San Diego that provides innovative housing assistance programs for households with low income or experiencing homelessness. The San Diego City Council, in its role as the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego, oversees SDHC. SDHC helps pay rent for more than 17,000 households with low income annually; is a leader in collaborative efforts to address homelessness, such as the Community Action Plan on Homelessness for the City of San Diego and SDHC’s homelessness initiative, HOUSING FIRST - SAN DIEGO, which has created more than 11,000 housing solutions since November 2014 for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness; and creates and preserves affordable rental housing, with more than 23,000 affordable units in service in the City today with SDHC’s participation.

About the Department

The Rental Assistance Department (RAD) is the San Diego Housing Commission’s (SDHC) largest department. It administers the federally supported Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) including special programs such as Project Based Voucher (PBV), Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Sponsor Based Subsidy (SBS), and others. RAD provides vital rental assistance to more than 15,000 low-income families across the City of San Diego. The department ensures that participating units meet federal Housing Quality Standards, monitors affordable housing developments for compliance, and supports families in achieving greater financial stability through collaborative programs offered by the SDHC Achievement Academy.

The Quality Assurance (QA) team’s main functions are to ensure the excellent quality of Rental Assistance program file submissions to the Housing & Urban Development (HUD). QA audits and submits the RAD biweekly and monthly check runs, which is the mechanism by which all rental assistance landlords receive Housing Assistance Payments. We oversee the division's file audit programs and ensure the integrity of the rental assistance programs, including program violation and fraud investigations and resolution. QA conducts new staff training cohorts, maintains current and updated training materials and trains current staff on policy and procedural changes. QA leads and assists with division- and agency-wide projects including new HUD policy implementation. The QA team partners with other RAD teams, community organizations, and external agencies to deliver high-quality services, strengthen processes, and uphold accuracy in rental assistance administration. Through these efforts, RAD advances the agency’s mission to provide safe, stable, and affordable housing opportunities for the community.

Benefits include, but are not limited to:

• 9/80 Compressed Work Schedule (office closed every other Friday)
• 14 paid holidays
• Employer paid pension contribution of 14% to base salary
• 457 tax-deferred savings plan
• Social security exempt
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,000 annually
• Sharp PPO or HMO Plan, Kaiser Permanente HMO Plan,
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible spending account
• Health and wellness perks
• Rewards & Recognition program

To see full benefits package, please visit:

https://www.sdhc.org/sdhc-employee-benefits/

About the Position

The Senior Program Analyst on the Quality Assurance (QA) team plays a pivotal role in ensuring the integrity, compliance, and operational excellence of the Rental Assistance Department’s programs. Reporting directly to the Director of HCV Compliance and Quality Assurance, this position provides advanced administrative, financial, and regulatory support, supervises QA staff, and leads key initiatives that uphold Housing & Urban Development (HUD) standards and agency policies. The Senior Program Analyst collaborates extensively with RAD staff and management, across departments, and with contractors to resolve audit issues, implement process improvements, and deliver high-quality customer service. The Senior Program Analyst will directly influence the accuracy of Housing Assistance Payments, uphold HUD standards, drive process improvements, and elevate staff performance through training, coaching, and audit quality controls.

The ideal candidate is a highly motivated individual who is a proactive problem-solver with deep knowledge of federal housing regulations, exceptional analytical skills, and a commitment to fostering positive working relationships throughout the agency and community. They will have a proven ability to work well in a team, as well as independently. Must exercise good judgment, possess exceptional organization skills and have expert knowledge of Housing Choice Voucher program regulation(s) and policy. Demonstrate flexibility, resourcefulness, excellent communication skills, and strong training abilities.

Highly preferred experience in the following programs/software: Microsoft Office apps: Word, Excel, Teams, OneNote, Outlook; Yardi, Adobe Pro, OnBase, DocuSign, SharePoint Online, EIV, Box, Copilot.

• Provide supervisory leadership to QA staff: assign and prioritize work, conduct regular reviews, approve timecards and leave, and serve as the primary escalation point for complex audit and policy questions.
• Lead audit & reporting functions: internal/external QC reviews, contractor audits (e.g., Nan Mckay & Associates), and financial QC related to biweekly and month end check runs and manual adjustments; ensure findings are remediated on time and prevent erroneous payments.
• Oversee HUD reporting & compliance: EIV reconciliation/recertification, IMS–PIC transmissions, income limit updates; provide expert guidance to ensure alignment with HUD and agency procedures.
• Develop and maintain QA policies, procedures, training resources, and workflow documentation; lead initiatives to streamline processes and improve accuracy /productivity across RAD.
• Coordinate cross-department initiatives and other agency-wide process changes.
• Serve as liaison for auditing partners and contractors (e.g., NMA), Finance, Special Programs; investigate escalations, resolve audit disputes, prepare case summaries, and brief leadership.
• Conduct advanced analyses on programmatic, regulatory, and financial issues; recommend policy/procedural enhancements to improve quality and service delivery.
• Administer QA-related contracting/procurement (RFQs/RFPs); monitor contractor compliance with schedules/deliverables; resolve issues impacting audit/compliance outcomes.
• Produce high-quality written deliverables such as Quality Assurance Express communications, agenda reports, policy impact summaries, audit documentation, and training materials.
• Maintain organized recordkeeping so audit documentation, compliance records, and program data are stored, tracked, and retained per regulatory requirements.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge of

• Principles and practices of Federal, State, and local housing programs, with a strong emphasis on Housing Choice Voucher policy, EIV requirements, PIC reporting, income limits, and RAD-specific compliance frameworks.
• Quality assurance methodologies, audit standards, and compliance monitoring practices used to evaluate program accuracy, regulatory adherence, and internal process effectiveness.
• Principles and practices of employee supervision, including workload planning, performance monitoring, coaching, and training staff in audit procedures, policy interpretation, and workflow standards.
• Project and program management techniques including building and administering complex housing program workflows, planning multi-stage audits, and managing recurring compliance cycles.
• Research, statistical, analytical, and reporting methods; particularly as applied to audits, program reviews, corrective action tracking, and compliance reporting.
• Principles and practices of contract administration, especially for audit-support contractors (e.g., NMA) and other external partners.
• Organizational and management practices for analyzing, evaluating, and improving policies, procedures, workflows, and operational systems across large housing assistance programs.
• Techniques for representing the Commission effectively when serving as a liaison to staff, landlords, applicants, community agencies, and legal or regulatory partners.
• Modern office practices and software, including compliance tools, audit systems, Yardi, data reporting platforms, and Microsoft Office applications used to create QA documentation, dashboards, and reports.
• Customer service strategies for navigating sensitive or escalated cases, explaining complex program rules, and ensuring consistent, fair, and compliant enforcement of policies.

Ability to

• Lead, supervise, and mentor staff performing audits, investigations, and compliance reviews; maintain high QA standards and ensure accuracy across all work products.
• Independently interpret, apply, and enforce Federal, State, and local regulations, including HUD requirements, while balancing quality assurance with customer service needs.
• Conduct high-level analytical and operational studies, interpret complex data sets, identify trends, forecast impacts, and propose corrective actions or workflow improvements.
• Prepare clear, concise, and technically accurate audit reports, policy guidance, training materials, agenda items, and communications.
• Plan, organize, and manage multiple concurrent projects and deadlines, including cyclical compliance and high-priority audit assignments.
• Represent the Commission effectively in meetings with government agencies, community groups, contractors, and stakeholders; communicate confidently and professionally under sensitive circumstances.
• Establish and maintain record-keeping, tracking systems, audit documentation standards, and data integrity processes that comply with HUD and agency retention requirements.

• Use sound judgment and problem-solving skills to navigate nuanced compliance situations, regulatory discrepancies, audit disputes, or complex case escalations.

Education and Experience

Equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in business or public administration, finance, or a related field and at least five years of progressively responsible housing program experience, including at least three years equivalent to a Program Analyst role.

Physical Demands

Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone. This is primarily a sedentary office classification although standing in work areas and walking between work areas may be required. Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer keyboard or calculator and to operate standard office equipment. Positions in this classification occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, and pull drawers open and closed to retrieve and file information. Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects weighing up to 25 pounds.

Environmental Elements

Employees work in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances. Employees may interact with upset staff and/or public and private representatives in interpreting and enforcing departmental policies and procedures.