Director of Housing Compliance

Christopher Community, Inc. (CCI) is a not-for-profit development and management company that helps low- and moderate-income families and seniors secure suitable housing across Upstate New York. Reporting to the President & CEO, the Director of Housing Compliance is responsible for CCI's full technical compliance function across its affordable housing portfolio, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), HUD, USDA Rural Development, and Fair Housing requirements. This position owns CCI's regulatory relationships with HCR, HUD, and other agencies; manages and oversees the quality of any third-party compliance vendor engagement; and supervises the Housing Compliance Specialist, who serves as the primary day-to-day liaison to that vendor and to site-level staff. The Director is the organization's senior escalation point for compliance risk and is accountable for defensible documentation, timely investor, regulatory, and Board reporting, and the ongoing integrity of CCI's compliance systems.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own CCI's regulatory relationships with HCR, HUD, USDA Rural Development, HOME, and other funding and oversight agencies, serving as the organization's primary point of contact for compliance matters.
• Supervise the Housing Compliance Specialist and oversee the day-to-day relationship with any third-party compliance vendor, ensuring vendor deliverables meet CCI's quality and timeliness standards.
• Responsible for oversight of internal audits of resident files for quality assurance, in coordination with the compliance vendor and the Director of Property Management, to ensure compliance with applicable regulations.
• Responsible for timely reporting to external stakeholders, including investors, lenders, and regulatory agencies.
• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and workflows to ensure compliance with city, state, and federal requirements.
• Prepare and submit required compliance reporting, including Annual Owner Certifications, Tenant Events reporting, EIV/HUD reporting, and LIHTC annual reports.
• Maintain compliance tracking systems and databases, ensuring accurate and audit-ready record-keeping.
• Develop training plans for site staff in conjunction with the Director of Property Management and Regional Property Managers for properties with file audit findings, and monitor performance in collaboration with the regional property management team.
• Work directly with the Director of Property Management, Regional Property Managers, and site staff to prepare for compliance inspections, including MOR and REAC/NSPIRE reviews for HUD properties.
• Coordinate MOR notification with property management and facilities, and conduct MOR close-out meetings with site staff to explain results.
• Respond to official letters of findings, work directly with Regional Property Managers to cure findings, and submit corrective responses to auditors.
• Monitor compliance requirements for all tax credit sites within their compliance period, and provide monthly to quarterly reporting to the Executive Team on certification status and compliance requirements by site.
• Coordinate and oversee HCR audits with Regional Property Managers and compile responses to HCR for review.
• Review site requirements with new site staff managing tax credit properties, including regulatory agreements, income requirements, and required recertification documentation.
• Update annual income limits, provide this data to site staff, and coordinate with IT to ensure software reflects current requirements.
• Monitor compliance requirements, status reporting, and documentation deadlines; ensure Federal, HUD, and State document updates are relayed to property management and entered into software.
• Own and maintain Fair Housing policy and serve as the organization's escalation point for Fair Housing, Section 504, VAWA, and other resident-facing compliance and reasonable accommodation matters.
• Partner with Property Management, Asset Management, Resident/Service Coordination, and legal counsel on compliance matters, accommodation requests, and resident issues.
• Maintain required industry certifications and support the Housing Compliance Specialist in obtaining and renewing theirs.
• Report compliance status, risks, and audit findings to the CEO and Board as needed.
• Coordinate with the Facilities & Asset Management function on property performance reporting as it relates to compliance and asset preservation.

Salary Range: $85,000-$95,000

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES):

Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in affordable housing compliance, with emphasis on HUD and LIHTC programs. A Bachelor's degree is preferred. Certification in Tax Credit Compliance, Affordable Housing Manager, Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS), or Specialist in Housing Credit Management (SHCM) is strongly preferred and encouraged at time of hire; candidates without current certification must be willing to pursue and obtain an appropriate certification within 12 months of hire. Prior supervisory experience is strongly preferred. Strong working knowledge of the Fair Housing Act, Section 504, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and reasonable accommodation/modification processes is required. Must demonstrate strong attention to detail, excellent oral and written communication skills, and the ability to work independently under deadline pressure while maintaining confidentiality. Valid driver's license and ability to travel periodically to properties across CCI's New York State portfolio required.

SUPERVISORY SKILLS:

The Director of Housing Compliance directly supervises the Housing Compliance Specialist and manages the working relationship with any third-party compliance vendor engaged by CCI.

PROBLEM SOLVING/DECISION MAKING:

Ability to interpret regulatory guidance, agreements, and audit findings, and apply sound judgment in resolving routine and escalated compliance issues.

Ability to present findings and recommendations clearly to the Executive Team, board members, and external auditors or agency representatives.

COMPUTER/TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Demonstrated experience with OneSite, RealPage, Yardi, or comparable property management/compliance software.

Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and standard office technology, including email and database/spreadsheet tools.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. Travel to properties for file audits and inspections is required. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

Compensation will be commensurate with experience; salary range to be confirmed by Human Resources.

NOTE: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship. Additionally, there may be circumstances that would require the employee(s) to work additional hours over and above the normal 35-hour work week.

Christopher Community is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Christopher Community is a drug free workplace and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.