What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Director Housing Division position at State of Washington Dept. of Commerce?
Description
Assistant Director, Housing Division
The Department of Commerce seeks a leader committed to pursuing safe and affordable housing for all residents. This position is based in the Olympia or Seattle office.
About Commerce
Commerce is the lead state agency charged with enhancing and promoting sustainable community development and economic vitality in Washington. We are the one agency in state government that impacts every aspect of community and economic development. Commerce manages a diverse portfolio that includes five divisions, all focused on helping communities achieve positive growth. Commerce offers flexible work options with many employees working remotely or on a hybrid schedule. Join us at one of Washington’s fastest growing state agencies!
About the opportunity
We seek an innovative, inclusive, and decisive leader to serve as the Assistant Director (AD) of the Housing Division. The AD leads a dynamic team of 188 professionals within the Housing Division (HD), all working to provide tools to local governments, nonprofits, and community action agencies to ensure that everyone is housed in their communities. The HD is separated into eight units: Multifamily Housing Unit, Homeownership Unit, Apple Health & Homes and Permanent Supporting Housing Unit, Housing Policy and Strategic Initiatives Unit, Data and Performance Unit, Administration, Homelessness Assistance Unit, and Office of Homeless Youth Protection and Prevention. The AD is responsible for further improving the successful community-based service delivery system through effective business and contracting practices while planning innovative strategies to address affordable housing, homelessness, and emerging needs and issues in housing policy.
This position serves as a member of Commerce’s Executive Leadership Team, sharing in overall policy development for the agency and as an advocate for the division, the staff, and its programs.
What you’ll work on
Among the varied range of responsibilities of this role, the Assistant Director of the Housing Division will:
- Provide strategic leadership of the Housing Division’s daily operations, providing overall management and policy implementation.
- Oversee the administration of 8 units and over 82 programs focused on housing and homelessness, including being responsible for compliance with all state, federal, and program requirements.
- Responsible for the effective management, development, and spending of a $2.5 billion division budget in accordance with laws, rules, processes, and directives.
- Advise the Director and Commerce staff on political and policy implications for broad issues related to housing and homelessness programs.
- Communicate with national and state organizations, federal, state, and local policy makers, legislative and congressional staff, the Office of the Governor, and the Office of Financial Management.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships and strategic partnerships with Tribes, local governments, advocacy groups, non-profit organizations, and the business community.
- Collaborate with Commerce leadership to attract, train, support, and retain a diverse and skilled workforce.
- Cultivate a positive work environment that promotes a sense of belonging, leadership, and accountability.
Who should apply?
As part of the Commerce leadership team, the Assistant Director of the Housing Division is expected to be a strategic and action-oriented leader with deep housing expertise.
Professionals with any combination of nine (9) total years of education or experience are encouraged to apply. This could be gained by a combination of relevant education, beyond high school equivalency, or senior level public management experience, including the management of a large operating budget, team, or equivalent.
A minimum of five (5) years of the above referenced experience must be in senior management, advising, supervising, and leading within state government or a large organization.
We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one from a less traditional background. Don’t let doubts stop you from applying for this position. If you have transferable experience, please tell us about it or contact us with questions about the required qualifications and how your experience relates to them.
What we need you to bring
Required competencies:
- Housing expertise – Extensive knowledge in multiple aspects of affordable housing, including development, funding, compliance, and assistance programs across federal, state, and local levels.
- Leadership – Able to provide leadership and direction to managers and staff. Demonstrated executive management level experience in a team environment. Able to enhance the effectiveness of employees through timely appraisal and professional development opportunities. Maintains the highest standards of personal and professional ethical conduct.
- Organizational savvy – Able to plan, lead, organize, and manage the internal operations of the division. Operates within the organization's formal and informal structures, builds allies and relationships across divisions, uses allies to build consensus and create results, is appropriately diplomatic, understands others' roles and perspectives, and can champion projects and ideas across the organization. Understands legislative processes and operating in a political environment.
- Decision making and judgment – Recognizes problems and responds, systematically gathers information, sorts through complex issues, seeks input from others, addresses root cause of issues, makes timely decisions, can make difficult decisions, uses consensus, when possible, and communicates decisions to others.
- Strategic thinking – Creates and communicates a long-term vision, balances short and long term goals, keeps own and team's work aligned with overall goals, and creates and adjusts strategic plans. Prioritizes well, shows energy, reacts to opportunities, and meets deadlines.
- Change management – Experience leading change initiatives, improving organizational efficiency, and navigating complex governmental or nonprofit organizations.
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion – Understands and has experience applying the language and concepts of a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) culture. Committed to creating and maintaining a DEI and anti-racist work environment. Committed to applying a DEI and anti-racist lens to policy setting and decision-making, including program planning and development, community outreach, and allocation of resources.
Collaboration –Helps team and impacted parties meet goals and responsibilities, listens to others and values opinions, promotes a collaborative environment, and is a trusted partner who communicates openly and honestly. Experience building and maintaining relationships and facilitating differences with a wide array of parties, including local governments, Tribes, the legislature, the Governor’s office, nonprofit service providers, other state agencies, and associations.
- Budget and cost control – Plans for and uses resources efficiently, always looks for ways to reduce costs, creates accurate and realistic budgets, tracks and adjusts budgets, and contributes to budget planning. Experience managing and developing a large, complex budget.
- Quality – Is committed to excellence, looks for improvements continuously, monitors quality levels, finds root causes of issues, owns/act on issues, and turns mistakes into learning opportunities.
- Communication – Excellent written, oral and public speaking skills. Clear, transparent, and effective communicator, both verbally and in writing. Creates accurate and punctual reports, delivers presentations, shares information and ideas with others, and has good listening skills.
- Interpersonal skills – Possess good listening skills, builds strong relationships, is flexible/open-minded, negotiates effectively, solicits performance feedback, and handles constructive criticism.
Preferred qualifications:
Master’s degree in public administration, public policy, social work, or a closely related field.
How to Apply
A letter of interest specifying why Commerce and this position is of interest to you, an example of your life or work that demonstrates your ability to learn and how you meet the qualifications listed above. (enter online)
- A complete and detailed online application.
- At least three professional references (enter online) who can attest to your work performance, skills, and job-related competencies.
For questions about this recruitment, please contact Jon Rodriguez via email: Jon.Rodriguez@commerce.wa.gov - please reference the job number in your message.
Where you’ll work
- Your duty station will be Commerce Headquarters in Olympia, WA or the Commerce Seattle Office in Seattle, WA.
- Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.
Your schedule
- This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
- A minimum of one day per week is required in the office for this position.
- You may telework most of your work time outside of the required in-office day, with the exception of in-person meetings and activities.
- Schedules are dependent upon the position needs and are subject to change.
Additional Information
- The full range for the position is $95,825.00 - $165,119 yearly. The initial salary offered will consider internal equity and will be based on relevant knowledge, skills, and experienced and may be less than the top of the range.
- This high-level leadership position may occasionally speak or act for the Director. Working extra hours on weekends, holidays, or evenings is often normal for a position at this level.
- This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies over the next 60 days.
- Technical support is provided by NEOGOV, 855-524-5627 (can't log in, password or email issues, error messages). DES job seeker support may answer general questions regarding the recruiting system at?careershelp@des.wa.gov.
- The initial screening will be solely based on the contents and completeness of your application and application materials submitted. All information may be verified, and documentation may be required.
Supplemental Information
This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies over the next 60 days.
Technical support is provided by NEOGOV, 855-524-5627 (can't log in, password or email issues, error messages). DES job seeker support may answer general questions regarding the recruiting system at careershelp@des.wa.gov.
The initial screening will be solely based on the contents and completeness of your application and application materials submitted. All information may be verified, and documentation may be required.
Salary : $95,825 - $165,119
