Fair Housing Specialist (Project up to 2 years)

OAKLAND HOUSING AUTHORITY

FAIR HOUSING SPECIALIST

(PROJECT UP TO 2 YEARS)

INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

SALARY: $4,704.43 - $5,192.81 / BIWEEKLY

$122,315.18 - $135,013.06 / ANNUALLY

DEADLINE DATE / TIME: TUESDAY, APRIL 8TH, 2025 AT 8:59 PM PST

DEFINITION

Under general direction and supervision, the Fair Housing Specialist provides expert regulatory and policy analysis, technical expertise, and comprehensive oversight of the Authority’s fair housing and housing protections program. This role ensures the effective implementation and auditing of organizational policies and procedures related to fair housing, accessibility, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and other related areas.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Administers and enhances the Authority’s fair housing, reasonable accommodation, and other equity and housing protection initiatives; and
• Provides guidance and support to staff in order to make effective and accurate recommendations; and
• Receives, tracks, and assesses public inquiries, complaints, and requests for assistance related to fair housing, VAWA, reasonable accommodation, etc.; and
• Oversees procurement and administration of vendor contracts related to implementation of the Authority’s fair housing, accessibility, and VAWA program; and
• Lead and coordinate staff committees that review policies and practices affecting fair housing, VAWA, reasonable accommodations, etc.; and
• Coordinates, schedules, and conducts hearings and informal reviews for program participants; and
• Serves as the Authority’s official 504 Coordinator, VAWA Coordinator, and fair housing point of contact; and
• Prepare critical documents including applications, reports, and official correspondence for signature by senior staff-level leadership; and
• Engages a variety of stakeholders, including community groups, government entities, and advocacy groups, to gather input and build support for fair housing initiatives; and
• Creates and maintains complete and accurate records, including coordinating documentation and data entry in the business system, files, repository, or other databases as appropriate; and
• Deliver training sessions and represent the Authority at external events, promoting program goals and engaging stakeholders; and
• Develop topic-specific materials, toolkits, templates, forms, policy documents, procedures, and implementation guidance for internal and external staff use; and
• Organize and maintain the Authority’s library of fair housing information, resources, and reference materials; and
• Compile data and summaries for regular reporting to the Board of Commissioners, HUD or other regulators; and
• Conduct file reviews and program audits to ensure the Authority’s compliance with applicable requirements.

The Fair Housing Specialist shall perform all these responsibilities in service to the social enterprise mission of the Oakland Housing Authority to achieve statutory requirements and objectives.

Performs other duties as assigned. Will be required to facilitate and/or attend meetings outside of regular business hours.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Urban Planning, Public Administration, or a closely related field.

Three (3) years of increasingly responsible policy analysis, project management, program coordination experience.

Must possess and maintain a valid California driver’s license and an insurable driving record.

Bilingual skills in ASL, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and/or Spanish are a plus.

An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Basic principles of modern public administration; federal and state fair housing, VAWA, and reasonable accommodation laws and regulations;
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, vendors, contractors, and the Authority staff;
• Familiarity with assisted housing programs, education, or health delivery systems and programs preferred.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Strong writing, public speaking, organization and time management skills;
• Policy analysis, database development or management, collecting and compiling data from a variety of sources;
• Automating processes to provide and share information; '
• Development of analytical tools
• Skilled in the use of modern software applications such as Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Data visualization software.

ABILITY TO:

• Interpret complex rules and regulations and train others on interpretation;
• Analyze complex data sets from multiple sources; identify trends;
• Advanced skills in reporting and analytics to interpret data and make data-driven decisions that support policy, program adjustments, inform and guide programs, and new program development;
• Communicate effectively (oral, written and graphic) with diverse populations, including low-income individuals, OHA staff and senior management, community members, service providers, and public officials;
• Develop and implement policy for public housing and voucher programs;
• Evaluate data, manage multiple tasks;
• Understand and follow applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures;
• Embody the agency’s mission, strategic vision, and leadership goals each day with fervor and commitment.

TO APPLY: Please complete an online application at www.oakha.org . All applications must be completed by Tuesday, April 8th, 2025 at 8:59pm PST.