Program Officer Housing, Memphis

THE POSITION

The Program Officer, Housing is responsible for the day-to-day management of LISC Memphis' Home Repair Program including the Memphis Homeowner Empowerment Loan Program (901HELP) and the upcoming Senior Emergency Grant Program. The Program Officer, Housing will work closely with the Executive Director on new housing programs and manage current housing initiatives. This position will also work closely with the Executive Director to vet potential lending opportunities for affordable housing projects in Memphis; analyze and underwrite deals and move deals through the LISC internal process. This team-oriented, detail driven person must have the capacity to simultaneously work on multiple tasks, set priorities for a challenging workload with great organization, initiative, attention to detail, and timely follow-through, as well as high standards for accuracy and efficiency.

The ideal candidate must demonstrate cultural competency working with diverse communities; a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice; and a proven record of shaping programs designed to positively impact community development.

Responsibilities

Home Repair Program Management:

• Work with LISC's program partner to identify and approve potential candidates for the loan and grant programs.
• Lead community outreach efforts, develop partnerships in the community to spread awareness of the home repair loan program, attend outreach events which may include evening and weekend events.
• Oversee loan portfolio including loan delinquencies with program partner, portfolio analysis and internal reporting on the status of portfolio.
• Create invoices for reimbursement of costs incurred by LISC, review and process monthly invoices from partner partners.
• Work with program partner to ensure the following activities are completed per household applicant:
• Review and process complete application packets for each applicant, including program intake forms and support documents, homeowner loan agreements and final construction completion/sign-off forms in Salesforce.
• Collect demographic data related to the home repair applicants for reporting, analyze overall program performance and make recommendations for program improvements as appropriate.
• Field inquiries from residents about the home repair program
• Interface with program partners as well as homeowners, contractors, City of Memphis and other LISC staff during the intake, loan underwriting, and construction process to trouble-shoot issues that may arise.
• Produce weekly and monthly reports for funders and external stakeholders.
• Conduct annual monitoring review of program partners to ensure compliance with federal regulations. .
• Work with National LISC to update policies and procedure manuals, forms, process maps and other documents as required.
• Support additional program activities of the housing programs, as necessary and assigned.

Lending:

• Assist in the program design and implementation of an affordable housing strategy for LISC Memphis to increase opportunities for affordable housing production and preservation.
• Support the origination and underwriting process for LISC Memphis to invest in affordable housing, community and economic development deals for the Memphis market.
• Analyze real estate project budgets and proformas; evaluate the financial status of potential borrowers; assess financial statements and credit history of potential borrowers.
• Structure deals and perform risk assessments.
• Make informed decisions on potential deals using sound judgment.
• Help to originate and deploy affordable housing, community or economic development capital annually to meet office lending goal.

Communications:

• Represent LISC Memphis in coalitions, working groups and other forums related to affordable housing and capacity building.
• Compile and share best practices in community development and related policy and program areas from within the LISC community and from sources outside of LISC.
• Provide internal and external briefings.

Other Duties:

• As directed, manage staff, interns, and consultants.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelors' Degree from an accredited college or university in finance, business, real estate, urban studies, planning, public administration or related fields. A combination of education and work experience can be substituted.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in economic or community development, real estate, capital development, lending, community revitalization, or related field.
• Minimum 3-5 years of real estate experience preferably working with LIHTC and/or NMTC or comparable experience in commercial real estate, banking/finance or urban planning.
• Candidate must have working knowledge of real estate, construction monitoring, asset management, finance and/or operations.

• Experience with acquisitions, credit, underwriting in community development is a plus.
• Local market knowledge of community development and Memphis housing ecosystem, and expertise in working with federal funding (CDBG, ARPA, Earmarks) and private sources.
• Experience implementing and managing new housing programs or initiatives focused on low-to- moderate-income communities.
• Experience in home repair program management is a plus, Creative problem-solving skills; and successfully working simultaneously on multiple tasks and projects, with multiple internal and external parties, to meet deadlines and achieve objectives.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills: ability to review and synthesize information, write clearly and concisely, and speak publicly on behalf of LISC Memphis in diverse forums.
• Proficient computer skills: word processing, Salesforce or comparable databases, Excel spreadsheets.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a small team, ever changing, and entrepreneurial work setting.
• Passion for the mission of LISC and commitment to the community development sector including its critical role in advancing racial equity and inclusion.

Salary

LISC offers a competitive salary ($55,400-$69,277) and excellent fringe benefits.

TRAVEL

This is a full-time position based in Memphis TN, with some regional and occasional national travel, estimated at 15% annually. This position may require a hybrid work arrangement. There is an expectation of a percentage of time working in a LISC Office and/or in the Field (meetings, site visits, community events), depending on local circumstances.