Program Specialist I/Ii

Are you passionate about helping your community?  

Are you eager to produce high quality, impactful work helping our most vulnerable residents attain and maintain housing?

The City of Santa Rosa is seeking qualified applicants to join a team of committed, compassionate housing specialists working to build community and preserve the quality of life for Santa Rosa residents.

The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.

The Benefits of City Employment

In addition to offering a challenging, rewarding work environment and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits, including retirement through CalPERS, a competitive leave accrual package, your choice of health plans, a flexible spending program, employer contributions to a Retiree Health Savings plan, and top of the line employer paid (free to you) vision and dental coverage. More information regarding benefits associated with this position can be found on our Miscellaneous Employee Benefits Page.

Additional Benefits Include

• 11 paid holidays annually, plus 1 to 3 'floating holidays' per year, depending on start date and years of service
• A flexible work schedule: 5/8 or 9/80
• $500 annually for wellness

About the Position

There is one current opening in the Rental Assistance Division in the Housing and Community Services Department.  Program Specialists provide a variety of highly skilled, specialized professional activities relating to the development, implementation and administration of programs.  Depending on the qualifications of the selected candidates, the positions may be filled at the I or II level. Professional work assignments of a Program Specialist II are performed more independently, require significant prior related work experience and incorporate previously learned practices and principles. The current annual salary ranges are:

Program Specialist I: $80,530 - $97,935 Annually

Program Specialist II:  $94,233 - $114,506 Annually

We are looking for self-starters with demonstrated experience with contract and/or project management and data tracking and reporting, research and analysis; excellent communication skills - oral and written; and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Experience with public speaking and developing and presenting to governing bodies, committees, community and business groups, and members of the public is also desirable.

The ideal candidate for this position will possess:

• multiple years of experience working in a Federally regulated housing program, ideally the Housing Choice Voucher Program; and knowledge and experience with specialty vouchers and programs, including but not limited to Project Based Vouchers (PBV); Veteran's Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers; Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) Program; and Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) Program; 
• knowledge and training related to upcoming Housing Choice Voucher programmatic changes, including the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) and National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE);
• multiple years of experience supervising a committed, high-performing, hard-working team in a fast-paced setting; 
• a commitment to excellent customer service, active listening skills, and effective oral and written communication skills;
• experience communicating effectively with a variety of stakeholders, including  a governing board, like the Housing Authority, community advocacy groups, landlords, program participants, and others;
• experience interfacing with other City Departments (e.g. Finance, Information Technology) to ensure programmatic requirements are met; and 
• the ability to work independently, demonstrating good judgment and decision making in a challenging regulatory environment.

How To Apply:

Please complete a thoughtful, thorough Supplemental Questionnaire submission. As part of the selection process, your responses to these questions will be scored using criteria specific to this position. Incomplete responses, or responses such as "See Resume" can result in disqualification from the selection process.

Additional Requirements:

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.

The Selection Process:

The first step in the selection process will consist of a review of each applicant's employment application and supplemental questionnaire for minimum qualifications. The next step is anticipated to consist of a thorough evaluation of training and experience as presented on the applications and responses to supplemental questions. Applicants scoring highest in this process will be invited to the next step, which will include interviews and may include additional components such a skills examination, role play exercise and/or review of a portfolio.

For more information about this exciting opportunity, please contact Karen Rodriguez at krodriguez@cpshr.us.

The following is a list of examples of duties and responsibilities of all Program Specialists in the City. Specific duties will vary by assignment. Professional work assignments of a Program Specialist II are performed more independently.

• Research, analyze, develop and administer economic development, affordable housing and community services related policies, programs and procedures

• Analyze and apply Federal, State and local regulations and policies to new or existing programs and projects

• Update staff and public regarding changes in Federal, State or local regulations and policies

• Prepare and administer Requests for Qualifications, Requests for Proposals and/or contracts or agreements for public and private development and professional or technical services

• Prepare development agreements

• Represent the department at meetings of neighborhood, community and/or policy groups;

• Plan, schedule and assign work

• Address personnel-related issues, such as hiring, training, evaluation, discipline and career development of subordinates

• Review and check accuracy of subordinates' work and serve as a resource to assist them in solving problems

• Administer debt and financial management programs

• Prepare a wide variety of reports, memoranda and correspondence

• Manage public improvement and/or private development and rehabilitation projects from conception through completion of construction

• Provide financial and technical assistance to parties seeking financing

• Analyze financial pro formas, project budgets and operating expenses, negotiate deal points, negotiate with parties for program or funding support, and make related recommendations to policy making bodies

• Provide information to homeowners, landlords, developers, financial institutions and others; conduct appropriate levels of environmental review

• Prepare and present information to policy making bodies and other Boards, committees and/or community groups as required

• Track funding commitments

• Maintain an awareness of business needs, community needs and political issues as they relate to assignment

• Prepare and present loan packages in accordance with applicable underwriting standards

Additional Duties

In addition to the duties listed above, each employee in this classification may perform the following duties.  Any single position may not be assigned all duties listed below, nor do the examples cover all duties which may be assigned.

• Testify on behalf of the department in hearings and other proceedings

• Respond to media requests for information, conferring with management on controversial issues as appropriate

• Develop grant applications to Federal, State and local agencies

• Provide work instruction to less experienced staff

• Participate in conflict resolution activities

• Develop and administer project budgets

• Participate in development and administration of department and program budgets by conducting research, analyzing and monitoring financial information, and making recommendations for project or program activities

• Administer and coordinate property acquisitions, relocations and dispositions

• Research, analyze and propose financing mechanisms for department revenues and projects

• Establish and administer qualifications for contractors

• Process applications and perform a variety of verification activities

• Supervise and participate in determining eligibility of new housing applicants and re-examining eligibility of program participants

• Locate and provide information to Federal auditors as required

• Perform related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of:  Federal, State and local laws, policies, regulations and procedures relating to assignment; financial and real estate procedures, methods and practices; underwriting methods and procedures; methods used in developing cost estimates; building codes and zoning laws; principles of supervision, training, and evaluation.

Ability to:  Understand economic development, local affording housing and community services issues and problems; develop and implement possible solutions; plan and organize workload; analyze and compile technical and statistical data; read, understand and interpret federal, state and local laws, policies, regulations and procedures; understand building specifications, drawings and other construction documents; establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; negotiate with building owners, contractors and developers; maintain clear and concise records; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; produce written documents with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation and grammar; enter data or information into a terminal, personal computer or other keyboard device; comprehend and draw inferences from written material; work under pressure and meet established deadlines. The ability to speak Spanish is desirable.

Experience and Education:  Any combination equivalent to experience and education that could likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience

• Sufficient years of experience in a professional capacity in a housing, economic development or similar program, or in an urban or municipal planning, architecture or development finance environment, or in a federal or state assistance program, to demonstrate possession of the required knowledge and abilities;

Education

• Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in planning, architecture, public administration, or a related field.

LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE

This classification may require the use of a personal or City vehicle while conducting City business. In order to drive, individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely and must possess a valid, Class C, California driver's license OR be able to demonstrate the ability to travel on scheduled or unscheduled visits to various locations in the City which may or may not be reachable by public transportation.

See the full job description for working conditions and more information:

Program Specialist I

Program Specialist II

Working Conditions:

Incumbents in this classification communicate orally with customers, clients, or the public in a face-to-face, one-to-one or group setting, and by telephone, giving instructions, providing information and responding to questions. Program Specialists I review or check the work products of others to ensure conformance to standards.  They produce and/or use graphic instructions, such as schematic drawings or other visual aids, when making presentations, analyzing proposals and monitoring construction progress.  Incumbents learn new, job-related material through oral and/or written instruction in an on-the-job setting, and through structured lecture and reading in a classroom setting. When completing paperwork at a desk, incumbents sit for extended periods of time with the ability to change positions, e.g., stand, stretch and move about, at will; and they operate a variety of standard office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements.

Santa Rosa

• A Wonderful City to Call Home

The City of Santa Rosa is nestled in the center of famous Sonoma Wine Country, located just 55 miles north of San Francisco and 30 miles east of the Pacific Ocean with a population of approximately 180,000. Santa Rosa serves as the County seat and the center of trade, government, commerce, and medical facilities for the North Bay. The surrounding area is home to over a hundred wineries and vineyards and many beautiful parks and recreational facilities, including golf courses. Santa Rosa is in the center of a nationally recognized cycling area. We boast many attractions associated with large cities, including a symphony, performing arts center, theater productions and internationally recognized restaurants, yet still retain the warmth and small town feel of decades past. Santa Rosa has been named one of the 50 greenest cities in the United States with one of the top five mid-sized downtowns in California.

The City of Santa Rosa is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.