VP, Housing Programs & Systems Change

The Housing Collective; Bridgeport (CT); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

The Housing Collective in Bridgeport, CT is seeking a Vice President, Programs (VPP) to lead and strengthen HC's programmatic work across the housing system. This senior role reports to the CEO and sits on the Senior Leadership Team.

The VPP provides strategic direction, operational oversight, and external representation for major initiatives, including Opening Doors, Centers for Housing Opportunity, and Housing for All, guiding a system-wide, integrated approach.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10-12 years of senior-level experience in affordable housing, housing policy, community development, housing systems change, nonprofit management, or a related field.
• Deep experience in affordable housing strategy, policy, planning, production, preservation, municipal engagement, housing development ecosystems, or housing systems implementation.
• Strong housing-sector relationships with public agencies, municipalities, philanthropy, developers, advocates, planning entities, nonprofit partners, and/or community-based organizations.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between homelessness response, housing supply, affordability, preservation, subsidy, services, and housing stability.
• Fluency in homelessness response systems, Continuum of Care structures, Coordinated Access, HMIS, HUD-funded environments, or related systems strongly preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience supervising senior staff and leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex programs across multiple geographies, funding streams, stakeholder groups, and implementation environments.
• Demonstrated success using collective impact, systems-change, or backbone organization frameworks to align partners around shared goals and measurable results.
• Experience managing complex budgets, grants, contracts, work plans, reporting requirements, and partner commitments.
• Strong data acumen and communication skills, including facilitation, writing, public speaking, and presenting to diverse audiences.
• Commitment to housing justice, resident voice, and the belief that stable, affordable housing is foundational to thriving communities.
• Strategic, systems-oriented thinker
• Deep housing policy and systems-change fluency
• Strong collaborator able to lead through influence
• Confident executive presence with staff, partners, funders, policymakers, and Board members
• Able to build clarity and trust during transition, ambiguity, and organizational change.
• Skilled people leader who can coach senior staff and build accountable teams
• Clear and credible communicator on programmatic and housing policy issues
• Strong operational judgment and ability to translate strategy into execution
• High degree of integrity, diplomacy, emotional intelligence, and accountability

Responsibilities

• Lead an integrated program strategy that connects HC's work across homelessness response, housing stability, affordable housing production, preservation, housing policy, municipal engagement, community voice, and systems reform.
• Ensure HC's initiatives and programs operate as aligned, mutually reinforcing components of a broader housing systems-change agenda.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear program priorities, work plans, budgets, staffing plans, results frameworks, and accountability structures.
• Strengthen HC's role as a cohesive backbone organization by aligning partner facilitation, technical assistance, community voice, data, policy, and implementation support across regions.
• Identify and advance strategic housing opportunities that leverage policy, funding, partnerships, and best practices to support the production, preservation, and protection of affordable housing.
• Provide executive oversight and leadership for HC's program portfolio, including Opening Doors Initiative, the Centers for Housing Opportunity, Housing for All, preservation work, and related housing systems-change initiatives.
• Ensure HC's homelessness response work is connected to broader housing strategies, including supply, preservation, subsidy, services, housing navigation, and long-term housing stability.
• Ensure HC's affordable housing work advances practical strategies for production, preservation, protection, policy, planning, resident engagement, and public will-building.
• Support program leaders and partners in identifying system bottlenecks, strengthening housing pathways, defining and advancing regional housing agendas, and moving communities from planning to implementation.
• Surface funding opportunities, develop and steward donor relationships, collaborate closely with development to seek, deliver, and report impact for government and privately funded initiatives.
• Ensure program teams meet all grant and contract compliance requirements and obligations, reporting deadlines, partner commitments, and collaborative governance expectations.
• Serve as a key external voice for HC on programmatic and policy issues related to housing systems change, including homelessness response, affordable housing supply and demand, housing stability, municipal housing planning and implementation, and collective impact.
• Represent HC in public meetings, funder conversations, municipal and regional convenings, state-level policy discussions, legislative and administrative forums, partner tables, conferences, media opportunities, and other external settings.
• Help define and advance HC’s program-informed housing policy agenda by elevating what HC is learning through its regional work.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with public agencies, municipalities, philanthropy, nonprofit partners, housing developers, advocacy organizations, regional planning entities, service providers, community leaders, and people with lived experience.
• Supervise and support senior program leaders responsible for regional implementation and housing systems change.
• Lead a collaborative and accountable program team and structure across HC's core program areas.
• Ensure program teams have clear roles, decision-making authority, work plans, supervision, communication strategies, and professional development support.
• Work closely with the CEO, finance, development, communications, and operations leaders to ensure program plans are financially realistic, fundable, operationally sound, and aligned with HC's long-term sustainability.
• Partner with the CEO and development leadership to identify fundable program opportunities, align program strategy with funding prospects, and communicate HC's impact to public and philanthropic partners.
• Oversee the development and management of program budgets, performance, grant and contract deliverables, shared measurement, data-informed learning, and impact reporting.
• Establish clear operating rhythms for program leadership, including cross-team coordination, workplan review, issue escalation, resource planning, and accountability for deliverables.
• Support organizational resiliency through stronger documentation, cross-training, knowledge transfer, project management, and transparent programmatic resource planning.

Job description

The Housing Collective in Bridgeport, CT is seeking a Vice President, Programs (VPP) to lead and strengthen HC's programmatic work across the housing system. This senior role reports to the CEO and sits on the Senior Leadership Team.

The VPP provides strategic direction, operational oversight, and external representation for major initiatives, including Opening Doors, Centers for Housing Opportunity, and Housing for All, guiding a system-wide, integrated approach.