Background:
THE ORGANIZATION
Launched in 2003, Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (“SAHF”) is a collaborative and innovation laboratory of thirteen nonprofit, multi-state housing providers. SAHF also is affiliated with the National Affordable Housing Trust (NAHT), which provides syndication and financing solutions. SAHF members own more than 140,000 affordable rental homes nationwide. SAHF members are committed to long-term sustainable rental housing that makes a difference in people’s lives, incorporating services to support health, wellness and opportunity wherever feasible. Drawing on their deep experience, members come together to anticipate the future, increase impact and challenge one another. SAHF co-creates solutions grounded in business realities and advocates for quality rental housing. We work within our industry and across sectors to disseminate our learnings.
SAHF’s vision is that every person has a healthy home in a flourishing community. Our mission is to advance the creation and preservation of healthy, sustainable affordable rental homes that foster equity, opportunity and wellness for people of limited economic resources. We work to achieve our mission through our values of respect, integrity, stewardship, collaboration and diversity and inclusion.
SAHF and its members are a dynamic team focused on learning from and applying on-the-ground experience to systems change and to advancing more effective and equitable policy and practice. We leverage one another’s best practices and collaborate to expand, innovate and scale business and mission opportunities and policy change.
To achieve its mission, SAHF focuses on three key areas:
• Affordable Housing Policy and Financing
SAHF brings a strong expertise in practice-based policy, utilizing the experiences of SAHF members, our NAHT affiliate, and the expertise of SAHF’s team to develop, analyze and advocate policies that make a critical difference in addressing the challenges of affordable rental housing supply and preservation. While SAHF works mostly on the federal level, it does identify and promote important components of state policy and state implementation of federal programs, such as the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. SAHF identifies and promotes policies that support our mission to foster equity, opportunity and wellness for people of limited economic resources through housing. SAHF also supports critical areas of intersection between housing, health and the many social determinants of health. SAHF supports members on identifying and recommending new financing opportunities and products and works closely with NAHT on financing options.
• Health and Housing, Resident Outcomes and CORES
SAHF knows that housing is one of the most important social determinants of health. SAHF focuses its health and housing efforts in three ways: (1) increasing and preserving the supply of quality affordable rental housing; (2) supporting the health and wellness of affordable housing residents through services and opportunities; and (3) identifying and promoting healthy building design and materials. SAHF’s Resident Outcomes’ efforts build on this approach to health and housing and enable SAHF to fulfill its mission to foster equity, opportunity and wellness for people of limited economic resources. SAHF does this principally through supporting best practices, innovation and measurement in service-enriched housing. SAHF has recently launched CORES, the Certified Organization for Resident Engagement and Services, to recognize owners and third-party providers that have developed a robust commitment, capacity, and competency in providing residents services coordination in affordable housing communities.
• Energy and Water Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability
SAHF and its members are committed to the sustainability of our planet and our communities by building and operating housing that is energy and water efficient. As leaders in the affordable multifamily housing sector, we continually seek new ways to ensure the transition toward a low-carbon future is one that benefits our low-income residents and makes our communities more resilient. We strive to reduce our environmental impact through greater adoption of efficiency and renewable energy models and solutions. In its environmental sustainability work, SAHF works with the industry, its members and other affordable housing developers to help implement programs on the ground, improve program design and delivery, and integrate proven strategies into management practices.
Position Summary:
The position offers a thoughtful, accomplished entrepreneur the opportunity to lead a highly regarded national organization focusing on affordable rental housing issues. In addition to vision and thought leadership, the CEO must possess the intellect and passion to identify, develop, articulate and advocate for key strategic issues and initiatives of concern to the organization and its members. The CEO must also possess the skills, experience, and temperament to lead the implementation of these strategies and to facilitate collaboration among the SAHF team and members. Leading a team of ten smart, dynamic individuals, the CEO will be leading and contributing to SAHF’s program and policy efforts every day.
The CEO must enhance current relationships and forge new ones and bring a collaborative approach whenever possible. Key relationships include policymakers, advocates, funders, thought leaders and nonprofit and for-profit partners.
Responsibilities:
Executive Leadership and Management
▪ Provides executive leadership for SAHF and motivates and inspires a high-performing team.
▪ Leads with mission and embraces and implements SAHF’s values.
▪ Exhibits a deep commitment to equity and racial justice.
▪ Embraces change.
▪ Leads innovation through new products, services, programs or geographies.
▪ Creates and fosters a collaborative culture.
▪ Serves as the principal spokesperson to the greater community, including, but not limited to, Congress, the Administration, State Housing Finance Agencies, policymakers, advocates, affordable housing and social justice organizations, media, lenders, investor and funders.
▪ Develops, recruits, and retains the diverse talent necessary for mission success. Identifies and acts on development and growth opportunities for the SAHF staff, wherever feasible. Ensures SAHF has appropriate levels of benefits and compensation to attract and retain talent.
▪ Establishes and facilitates a strong and effective partnership with the SAHF Board.
Strategic Planning and Program Development
▪ Leads the successful execution of a strategic plan and the development of a new plan, as necessary, in partnership with the Board and staff.
▪ Identifies new programmatic and policy initiatives, through active listening, close collaboration with the SAHF team and members, and tracking and awareness of innovations in the field and other related sectors.
▪ Works closely with NAHT to identify programmatic and strategic opportunities and provide support for those efforts, as appropriate.
▪ Identifies and evaluates partnership and collaboration opportunities that will advance SAHFs strategic plan.
▪ Connects key external stakeholders with relevant strategies and initiatives to engage their support.
▪ Assures that organizational metrics and plans are in place with clear benchmarks.
▪ Reports to the Board on the implementation of SAHF’s strategic plans and ongoing programs.
▪ Identifies and applies for funding opportunities that are in service to SAHF’s strategic plan and program initiatives.
Member Engagement
▪ Maintains a strong working relationship with the members, seeing them as trusted confidantes and advisors; demonstrates strong listening skills.
▪ Creates a strong customer service culture among the staff for excellent service and support of the members.
▪ Leads the SAHF team to provide quality peer engagement opportunities and fosters member engagement in SAHF’s peer groups and initiatives.
▪ Identifies topics and potential guests, develops effective agendas and works closely with the SAHF Chair and Executive Committee to provide valuable and robust Board meetings and annual retreats.
▪ Consistently demonstrates the value of the organization to its members.
▪ Facilitates and encourages the utilization of NAHT by members.
▪ Leads any recruitment and onboarding of new SAHF members as well as new SAHF Board members.
Outreach and Supporting Greater Impact in the Field
▪ Represents SAHF at conferences and public meetings, and with the media.
▪ Identifies and facilitates opportunities to leverage SAHF’s programmatic initiatives with the broader affordable housing industry.
▪ Consistently works to heighten SAHF’s brand, profile and impact as a key organization in affordable rental housing policy and practice.
▪ Develops and maintains strong relationships with Congress, the Administration and key affordable housing advocates and policy partners on pertinent policy and budget issues.
▪ In collaboration with the SAHF team and outside consultants, promotes SAHF, its initiatives and its members through effective communication with traditional media, social media, web presence, podcasts and webinars and other communications vehicles.
▪ Supports and participates in outreach and business development opportunities for NAHT.
▪ Leads business development opportunities for CORES.
▪ With the SAHF team, strengthens SAHF’s and the members’ relationships with the health sector.
▪ Fosters a close collaboration with the SAHF members on communications and fundraising opportunities.
Fundraising and Financial Stewardship
▪ Serves as principal fundraiser for SAHF and also guides and mentors SAHF team to support and manage some fundraising efforts. Presents SAHF, its initiatives and its members through a variety of approaches that are consistent with SAHF’s strategic plan and mission.
▪ Identifies new and non-traditional funders, with a special focus on increasing unrestricted dollars.
▪ Supports and fosters a culture of strong funder accountability with excellent communications and reporting.
▪ Assures financial stability and sustainability; ensures that SAHF operates within budget and is financially sound.
▪ Provides clear communication to the Board and Finance and Audit Committee on SAHF’s financial opportunities and challenges.
▪ Identifies, evaluates and implements opportunities to generate earned income and fees.
▪ Serves as a fiduciary for the effective financial management of SAHF.
▪ Works closely with SAHF’s accounting and financial management team at NAHT.
▪ Develops and oversees annual budget.
▪ Works closely with NAHT, SAHF’s financing affiliate, to optimize efficiencies and identify opportunities for NAHT growth and sustainability and SAHF sustainability.
Requirements:
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
▪ Advanced degree in a relevant subject (e.g., public policy, law, real estate, or business) preferred. Bachelor’s degree required.
▪ Sophisticated working knowledge of affordable rental housing policy and practice; a thought leader in affordable housing.
▪ Demonstrated success raising funds from multiple sources and facile in framing SAHF’s work and opportunities through a variety of lenses.
▪ Demonstrated track record of executive leadership. Leadership in an affordable housing context preferred. Leadership in a nonprofit and/or policy-focused setting a plus.
▪ Demonstrated success developing and implementing strategic plans with positive results.
▪ Experience leading and motivating staff.
▪ Experience working effectively with a board.
▪ Effective collaborator.
▪ Committed to and interested in inter-sectoral work that supports the Social Determinants of Health.
▪ Strong commitment and interest in environmental sustainability, especially as it relates to affordable rental housing.
▪ Strong analytical, written and oral communication skills; communicates effectively with a wide variety of audiences.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Vision and Purpose: Communicates a compelling, inspired vision or sense of core purpose; sees over the horizon; talks beyond today; inspires and motivates; has an innovative spirit.
Positive Presence: Articulate, optimistic, energetic; motivates and inspires people and groups at all levels. Invites input and shares ownership and visibility; leads by example.
Strategic Agility: Anticipates trends and consequences; has broad knowledge and perspective; paints credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods.
Hands-On Worker: Personally participates in idea generation, analysis, financial management and production of written products.
Passion for Mission: Embraces and is energized by desire to support members’ and SAHF’s missions.
Commitment to Equity and Racial Justice: Leads with a commitment to improve equity and racial justice across SAHF’s staff, programs and members.
Decision-making: Discusses issues openly, gathers information, draws conclusions, is decisive; sees root causes; looks beyond the obvious answers. When appropriate, digs into an issue or problem, pulling it apart and putting it back together.
Leveraging: Astutely assesses organizational opportunities, seeking maximum “bang for the buck.”
Negotiating: Negotiates skillfully in tough situations internally or externally; wins concessions without damaging relationships; forceful as well as diplomatic; quickly gains trust of all parties.
Delegation: Clearly and comfortably delegates both routine and important tasks and decisions, whenever possible; broadly shares responsibility and accountability.
Time Management: Uses time effectively and efficiently; can attend to a broad range of activities, but concentrates efforts on the highest impact issues and opportunities.
Compensation:
Commensurate with experience.
How to Apply:
Send resume and cover letter to linny@simkinsearch.com.