Executive Director, City of Bridges Community Land Trust - Pittsburgh, United States - Equitable Hiring Group

Description

About City of Bridges CLT

City of Bridges Community Land Trust (CBCLT) was founded in 2019 as the first community land trust in Western Pennsylvania. The organization has created 36 units of permanently affordable housing to date, and has more than 38 additional units in various stages of development. City of Bridges leads a transformative, sophisticated, and innovative agenda that is broadly supported by public, philanthropic, and community-based organizations, and benefits from a diverse and committed network of financial partners. CBCLT serves neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh and Allegheny County in Pennsylvania on the lands of the Adena, the Hopewell, the Monongahela, the Seneca, the Lenape, the Shawnee, and the Osage people, among others. The membership of the organization is made up of CLT homeowners and community members who support our mission to build community ownership that preserves permanent affordability, empowers individuals, and ensures responsible growth and stewardship. Throughout the country, CLTs have proven to be a strong partner within regional housing-justice ecosystems working to create equity and prevent displacement, and are considered a key strategy within the solidarity economy movement.

The community land trust model is a product of the Civil Rights movement in the Jim Crow South, and with that history, the DNA of our work is interwoven with direct democracy and the rethinking of a system built to propagate and protect white wealth. City of Bridges takes the 50 year history of the CLT movement seriously in our work to overcome entrenched racism in housing. City of Bridges CLT strives to build wealth for households and families who have been shut out of homeownership and to support our residents for long-term success, while remaining grounded in the diverse communities we serve.

The national standard for CLT governance is a board comprised of three equal parts. One third of our board is reserved for individuals who live in CBCLT homes, one third is reserved for individuals who live in the communities we serve, and the final third is reserved for individuals who bring a specific personal or professional experience to the board that will help advance CBCLT's mission. This model ensures that the people and communities we serve are centered in organizational decision making.

To learn more about City of Bridges Community Land Trust, visit our website, our Membership Welcome Packet, and a podcast/transcript about our work.

The Opportunity

The Executive Director is responsible for the overall operation, administration, culture, and collective vision of the City of Bridges Community Land Trust (CBCLT). They will continuously develop and steward a base of community, financial, and public support for the organization. This role supports a staff of five who develop and implement innovative programming, homeowner stewardship, and services to low- and moderate-income households. The Executive Director officially reports to the City of Bridges Community Land Trust Board of Directors. The organization has a culture of mutual support and collaboration across the staff, board, and membership.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Portfolio & Program Development

• Leads the organization's strategic goal-setting, in collaboration with board, staff, and membership, and ensures those strategic goals are being met.
• Develops, implements and monitors programs; identifies program priorities and outcomes.
• Leads on implementation of the Real Estate Development Strategy, ensuring that the Director of Real Estate has necessary resources for development of new construction, acquisition and rehab, affordable rental, and commercial CLT units.
• Identifies and builds partnerships to secure creative, new, and ongoing funding sources for acquisition, predevelopment, and development subsidy.
• Supervises program staff on developing and implementing Real Estate programs from concept to execution, such as Buyer Initiated, Homeowner Incubation, etc.

Fundraising, Administration, & Financial Management

• Develops and implements a fundraising plan for CBCLT, targeting the private sector, individuals, government and philanthropic organizations. Aggressively seeks out new funding sources and innovative ideas for revenue generation.
• Prepares grant proposals in collaboration with staff. Maintains professional relationships with current and potential funders and meets funder reporting requirements in a timely and professional manner.
• Negotiates, executes and manages contracts including: purchase of property and property management; development projects; fundraising; outside vendors; banks; and other government and service organizations. Supervises consultants as needed. Manages all legal matters for CBCLT.
• Collaborates with the Director of Finance and Operations to prepare a realistic and fiscally-sound annual operating budget to enable the organization to achieve its objectives.
• Works with the Finance & Audit Committee to develop and implement policies and procedures, and ensures accurate recordkeeping.

Organizational Culture

• Manages with a deep understanding of organizational equity and a culture of care that allows staff across identities to be supported and thrive.
• Recruits, retains, and supports staff.
• Collaborates with each staff member to establish clear annual goals and intentions for their work and roles.
• Monitors and adjusts staff capacity as the organization grows.
• Provides leadership, motivation, and coaching-centered feedback to staff.
• Maintains a humane working environment conducive to positive morale, excellence, creativity, and collaboration.
• Create a healthy work culture by supporting the entire team in:

Building trusted relationships.

Embodying a culture of deep equity.

Cultivating radical hope, joy, and balance.

Setting clear expectations.

Having effective accountability mechanisms.

Communicating clearly and proactively.

Working transparently.

Community Engagement & Partnerships

• Along with the team, represents CBCLT to local, regional, state, and national audiences. Acts as advocate for CBCLT priorities, and for public policy that supports the development of permanently affordable housing.
• Supports the Director of Stewardship and Community Engagement and the Housing Operations Manager in building relationships with current and potential homeowners and residents, and supporting CLT households as needs arise.
• Develops and maintains partnerships with key constituent groups including community representatives, funders and elected officials. Coordinates organization's activities with other community organizations, advisory boards, governmental entities and residents.
• Leads community outreach and engagement efforts with partner communities, and advances strategy to onboard new communities.
• Responds to media inquiries in collaboration with the Communications and Marketing Manager.

Board Development

• Primary staff liaison to the Board, providing regular updates, support, and direction while the board similarly provides support and collaboration to the ED.
• Staffs board operating committees (Executive, Governance, Finance, Real Estate) and works with board and staff to develop advisory boards as needed.
• Collaborates with the Governance Committee to recruit a slate of candidates from the three groups that make up the board (residents of CLT homes, community members, and practitioners in fields that support our work) to be elected at an annual meeting.

Advocate for Housing Justice

• Strong understanding of racial, economic, and housing justice and their intersections, and the systems and structures that cause ongoing harm in these areas.
• Collaborates and builds power among organizations and individuals committed to housing as a human right.
• Ensures that CBCLT is an integral part of the affordable housing tapestry in Western PA.

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

The following describes the primary experiences and skills needed in this position, but it is not required that you have all of them right now. If you like to learn and grow, and have most of these, we encourage you to apply.

City of Bridges CLT is seeking an experienced leader who will be committed to the organization's core values:

• We demand dignity and respect for people and community, and advocate against discrimination and displacement
• We empower people and lead the way together
• We are courageous, credible, and worthy of trust
• We inspire thoughtful and honest community participation, and activate community plans and values
• We advance fairness, justice, and equity

The ideal candidates will have excellent relationship management skills, strong communication abilities, and a proven track record in collaborating and building consensus around short- and long-range plans and programs, as well as experience and knowledge with affordable housing financing, real estate development, community development, and non-profit management to identify emerging issues and implement new approaches.

City of Bridges CLT seeks a leader with a proven track record of:

• A commitment to racial, gender, economic, disability and housing justice
• Developing and executing strategic plans
• Building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders
• Organizational management and administration
• Building and leading a team
• Sound financial planning and oversight
• Demonstrable results in fundraising
• An understanding of the regional community development and banking network
• Knowledge of the basics of the Community Land Trust structure and history is a plus

COMPENSATION

• The salary for this position is $115,000-$120,000 annually. CBCLT believes in aligning our values with our structure and budget, so we have a compensation philosophy that establishes a maximum salary ratio, meaning that the highest full time salary is no more than 3 times the lowest full time equivalent wages.
• For further information on benefits please click through to the job posting and application