Overview
Full-time position starting at $106,000/yr (D.O.E) with COMPETITIVE BENEFITS INCLUDE:
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability
- Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account
- Generous PTO, paid sick time, 15 days of paid vacations, 13 days of paid holidays, plus a personal holiday
- CCS/CHS 403(b) Employee Saving Plan
- Employee assistance program
Agency Description
Catholic Housing Services develops, owns, and manages housing programs and provides social services for poor and vulnerable populations that need safe and affordable housing. CHS is a prophetic voice for justice, recognizing the sacredness and dignity of every human person. Rooted in the Gospel message of hope, we are leaders, advocates, providers and partners serving poor and vulnerable people. CHS provides permanent housing for a wide variety of people, in over 60 properties throughout Western Washington. We house single adults, families, elders, veterans, farmworkers, low wage workers; people with physical, cognitive, mental illness and addiction disabilities; and people who have extensive histories of homelessness and trauma.
CHS strives for performance excellence in delivering upon its agency strategy and vision in property and asset management. All efforts are directed to provide the best quality housing for the people we serve.
Position Description
The Director of Compliance’s primary responsibility is to combine housing individuals and families according to our agency’s mission, while keeping resident eligibility and projects in compliance with requirements for HUD, Tax Credit, state and local funders, and investing partners. The Director of Compliance manages the 5 person compliance team for CHS, overseeing all aspects of compliance of the agency with funder and government regulations and reporting. The Director will work closely with multiple stakeholders to develop dashboards to track key metrics around compliance and revenue.
This position will be responsible for all aspects of affordable housing compliance regarding file reviews and reporting, contracts and regulatory agreements, compliance policy and procedures, lease-ups of new properties, move-ins and transfers, annual re-certifications, on-site file reviews.
The Director of Compliance is a member of CHS leadership team, and is an active participant in our shared leadership model. They report to the CHS Agency Director.
This position will work with on-site property managers and area and regional directors. They will lead compliance trainings for Property Management and Services Teams. The Compliance Director must be highly detailed, well-organized, self-directed, date-sensitive and knowledgeable in all technical aspects of contract compliance.
For this position we seek not only a compliance expert, but a department manager and leadership team member with great people skills. Candidates must demonstrate an understanding and appreciation for diversity and anti-racism. This is an in-person job at CHS headquarters in central Seattle, and will require some travel to buildings in Western Washington.
Responsibilities
The following duties are those of the Director of Compliance, and the Compliance Department under the director’s supervision:
Compliance
- Supervise the Compliance Department to assure compliance with all funder conditions, including low-income housing tax credit, HUD regulations, local funder regulations, and investor requirements, as applicable.
- With the accounting department and compliance staff, ensure timely and complete filing of all required reports with project funders and other necessary parties.
- Develop and maintain good relationships with all funders and partners.
- Provide CHS Leadership Team with advice and information regarding property operations, portfolio performance, compliance, leasing, legal documents, legal processes and other aspects of compliance best practices and requirements.
- Monitor overall portfolio performance of timeliness and accuracy of compliance reporting and file submissions.
- Lead department and site staff to correct file deficiencies, correct findings, and prepare and submit responses. Be responsible for timely response to all corrections.
- Conduct formal site inspections of properties and monitor results of funder site inspections. Lead response to findings and make recommendations to improve future results.
- Actively monitor and track notices and changes of federal and state laws regarding HUD, Tax Credit, and other governing regulatory developments related to affordable housing and incorporate changes into policy and procedure including communication with third party compliance and Property Management Teams.
- Create tools and instructions to streamline processes; and templates to obtain required verifications.
- Jointly create and maintain the master calendar to ensure all reporting to the appropriate agencies and asset managers is completed and delivered by the required deadline.
- Review all regulatory agreements prior to new project launches.
- Be a consultant for Development, Operations and internal/external partners for funding layer requirements of new builds, acquired properties and conversions.
- Ensure all leases, attachments and forms are compliant with Federal, State and Local landlord tenant laws, HUD requirements, and CHS policies and best practices.
- Recommend lease language to ensure enforcement of contracts and regulatory agreements.
- Review regulatory agreements for each property and conduct a review to ensure full compliance.
- In the event a property is found out of compliance, report and submit recommendations for implementing a correction plan to bring the property back into compliance.
- Participate and assist with accounting and property audits as needed.
Direct the Compliance Department Staff in these duties:
- Ongoing compliance activities include timely eligibility reviews, recertifications, and new applications, and reporting on vacancies. Manage the completion of these actions through our staff and our compliance vendor.
- Supervise the Compliance Department to monitor and review client/resident files to ensure compliance with contracts and regulatory agreements across all regulators. Conduct periodic and annual on-site file reviews.
- Provide Property Management Teams with lease-up support.
Rent, Utility Allowances and Income changes
Direct the Compliance Department staff in these duties:
- Monitor rent increase notices from public funders.
- Manage annual rent increase schedule for properties with project-based section 8 by HAP anniversary date; conduct an analysis to determine if an OCAF or budget-based increase is appropriate.
- Prepare and issue rent increase requests to residents and funders such as PHA and HOME. Ensure rent increase requests to PHA are for the maximum allowable fair market rent for that area and PHA.
- Develop and monitor schedule for each household below maximum rent to bring them up to maximum restricted rent.
- Ensure rent increases are within the most restricted funding layer.
- Support site staff to prepare and issue rent increase notices to each household.
- Enter rent increases in Boston Post property management software system.
- Take part in annual budget and forecasting processes to enhance accuracy and projection of GPR and other rent related metrics.
- Review voucher adjustments and reconcile the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) in BP.
- Monitor annual Utility Allowances, Rent & Income changes in jurisdiction and immediately alert and communicate with the Property Management Teams and third- party vendors.
- Monitor to ensure updated income and utilities information is in Boston Post and WBARS.
- Pull EIV reports for all HUD move-ins.
- Complete monthly EIV zero income checks, and resolve EIV discrepancies.
Grant Management
Direct the Compliance Department staff in these duties:
- Seek new private and public grant opportunities in coordination with fund development for as needed.
- Write, prepare and submit new and renewal grant applications.
- Manage and submit periodic reports as applicable.
Data and Training
Direct the Compliance Department staff in these duties:
- Use property management software to determine current baselines for compliance and occupancy and create easily accessible dashboards to reflect this data.
- Create training materials with instructions.
- Provide and facilitate regular trainings in-person, through Microsoft Teams or video recordings.
- Inform staff of all internal & external compliance trainings available.
- Create and maintain a central calendar of all completed internal and external compliance training workshops, classes, and seminars for all management staff.
- Provide and/or coordinate training classes regularly with compliance updates, new regulations, and/or review of identified areas of improvement with HUD, Tax Credit, all other funding regulations and partners/vendors.
- Create and maintain system to track and ensure staff complete required training.
- Provide trainings for various databases such as Boston Post, Web Based Annual Reporting System (WBARS), third party vendor, and any new or updated software databases.
- Create and disseminate new hire onboard training and support of property compliance regulations.
- Design and implement regular diversity, equity and inclusion analysis of legal notices and eviction proceedings, applications, and housing placements.
Software Management, Support and Reporting
- Lead communication with third party compliance partners and problem solve support or quality issues.
Direct the Compliance Department staff in these duties:
- Manage and perform data transfer from external compliance partner to property management software.
- Have a point of contact for all Boston Post system adjustments that Property management Teams do not have access to change or correct.
- Initiate and oversee implementation of comprehensive and effective Document Management within BP, and, with CHS Admin Coordinators, shared drive and SharePoint.
- Initiate and oversee implementation and ongoing review of BP-to-WBARs upload for all relevant properties in coordination with third party vendor.
- Provide support with updating the Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan.
- Write compliance and in-house policies in conjunction with the Director of Property Management to ensure system wide consistency.
- Provide administrative support to Enterprise Income Verification (EIV) users.
- Manage and complete WBARS reporting and Annual Owner Certification reporting requirements.
- Assist accounting team with preparing and providing documents for annual and fiscal audits.
General Responsibilities
- Organize and maintain records of compliance reports and responses for housing and services operations.
- Observe/follow guidelines on confidentiality rights of residents and respect their privacy.
- Maintain accurate record of hours worked and turn in timesheets and mileage records on schedule.
- Attend trainings required of employees and staff meetings as scheduled.
- Attend external trainings regularly and as appropriate to improve knowledge and job skills.
- Contribute to the mission of Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services.
- Contribute to and support a positive, team-oriented work environment.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Other Leadership
- Represent CHS to the communities we serve by participating in industry and professional organizations as appropriate.
- Represent CHS in advocacy efforts with public funders regarding policies, funding priorities, and other issues relevant to affordable housing.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements
- Five years of experience in affordable housing compliance management, directing a team of compliance staff.
- Five years of property management or asset management experience.
- Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills.
- Demonstrated strong organizational skills.
- Knowledge of property management software.
- Exposure to non-profit accounting and financial reporting requirements.
- Understanding of physical building systems and maintenance procedures.
- Five years’ experience practicing compliance with homeless services program and with a strong knowledge of HUD 202 and Tax Credit requirements.
- Working knowledge of HUD 4350.3 handbook and IRS section 42 compliance.
- Understanding of basic multifamily property management concepts.
- Working knowledge of WBARS reporting system.
- Working knowledge of Landlord-Tenant Act and Fair Housing policy.
- Be bonded or bondable.
- Ability to shift priorities in an atmosphere where interruptions are frequent.
- Ability to meet all timelines and target dates with complete and accurate reporting.
- Proficiency with computers (especially Windows and MS Office), and ability to learn property management software.
- Successful completion of Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS) for 202 properties must be achieved within first year of employment.
- Must successfully pass required background checks prior to an offer of employment.
- Ability to work independently in addition to working as a member of a team.
- Demonstrates the necessary attitudes, knowledge and skills to deliver culturally competent services and work effectively in multi-cultural situations.
- Support and uphold the mission, beliefs and values of Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services.
- Have a valid Washington State Driver’s License and meet the conditions of the agency driving policy.
Preferred Requirements
- Certificate of completion from community college resident manager course.
- HUD certified occupancy specialist certificate.
- Washington State Housing Finance Commission Trained (Tax Credit Compliance Training).
- Experience as a property manager with operations and maintenance.
- Experience in direct service with chemically dependent and/or mentally ill persons.
- Familiarity with social service agencies and social service resources in the area.
- Two years’ experience with the tax credit program including certifications.