Housing Specialist (remote)

Do great work, with a great team, for great clients.

Camoin Associates is looking for a remote-working Housing Specialist who is passionate about housing issues and is interested in crafting affordable, workforce, and market-rate housing solutions for communities across the U.S. The ideal candidate will have experience in analyzing housing data, communicating housing issues to the general public and local officials, and developing strategies and recommendations to address local and regional housing challenges. This position is geared towards individuals who are able to work independently, are self-motivated, and have demonstrable experience in housing.

Housing continues to be an urgent and growing issue facing local communities and Camoin Associates has been at the forefront of helping communities understand their unique housing issues, needs, and challenges and creating wide-ranging strategies and approaches to address these issues. The Housing Specialist will have the opportunity to work directly with the Real Estate Services Team Leader to grow the firm’s  Housing Needs Assessment service line and provide housing insights for a range of other projects including market studies, redevelopment strategies, and economic development strategic plans.

This is a fully remote position. Camoin Associates is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Our company is committed to a diverse and multi-cultural workforce that strives to represent the communities where we live and work and we seek BIPOC and other culturally diverse candidates to apply to this position. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, individuals with disabilities, and members of other marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

About the Firm:

Since 1999, Camoin Associates’ mission has been to support our customers in their efforts to create meaningful employment opportunities. Across our service lines, we offer research, analysis, and business intelligence services that help build healthy and vibrant economies that work for all.

Camoin Associates is proud of the efforts made over the last 20 years to offer team members the opportunity to build a dynamic career that includes interaction with a wide variety of people, projects, and communities daily and regular chances for personal and professional growth.

We do great work. As a firm, we pride ourselves on being forward thinking, collaborative, and able to help clients identify and solve their critical economic development related issues. Through our work, we strive to make a positive change, create job opportunities, improve quality of life, and increase prosperity for all. It is interesting work, something different every day, and it makes a positive impact on people’s lives.

We have a great team. We care deeply about the work we do and the people we work with. As a fully remote team of 25+ employees, we have regular check-ins with all staff to foster a culture of close and trusting relationships. We strive to enable staff to work at a level that allows for a healthy life-work balance. We are supportive, collaborative, open to new ideas and approaches, and personal interests and professional development goals are encouraged to be pursued. The firm offers competitive salaries, health insurance benefits, retirement contribution, professional development support, paid time off, holidays, and a flexible work schedule.

We have great clients. Our clients include local and state government, U.S. territories, economic development organizations (EDOs), non-profit organizations, private developers, and corporations. We build long-term relationships with our clients because they trust us to provide honest, accurate, and impactful guidance on pressing decisions.

To learn more about our experience and projects in all our service areas, please visit our websites at www.camoinassociates.com.

Role:

The person chosen for this position will be involved in both the project management and research and analysis for housing related  projects. The Housing Specialist will work closely with the firm’s principals on housing studies and will also be responsible for analyzing data and delegating and overseeing data analysis and research. The person will work with the firm’s analysts who will provide staff support for this position on larger projects. The Housing Specialist will also assist in marketing of the firm’s housing services, including proposal preparation and marketing materials.

Example activities for this position include:

• Collecting, analyzing, and presenting data to understand the housing characteristics and trends of a community or region, including housing tenure, condition, age of housing stock, cost burden and affordability, seasonality and short term rentals, and other similar housing data.
• Help facilitate public outreach and engagement for housing studies, such as preparing housing needs surveys, presenting at public meetings, facilitating public housing workshops, and working with project steering committees.
• Synthesize demographic, economic, and housing data along with qualitative research from interviews, focus groups, and public input to identify key housing issues, themes, and needs.
• Collaborate with team members and clients to craft strategies to address housing needs, including funding/financing approaches, regulatory changes, program development, policy changes, public-private partnerships, and others.
• Assisting with proposal preparation and marketing materials.
• Provide housing expertise and advisory guidance for a variety of firm projects.
• Reviewing national articles and research on housing to stay current on housing issues and innovative solutions
• Example projects that would be similar to what this person will work on:
  • Housing Diversity Study – Cape Elizabeth, ME
  • Community Housing Needs Assessment – North Elba, NY
  • Housing Action Plan – Brattleboro, VT
  • Housing Market Study – Groton, CT

Qualifications:

• Undergraduate and Master’s level degree in urban planning, public policy, public administration, geography, real estate, economics, or other related field.
• Four years of professional work experience in housing (Two years of professional work experience may be considered as a substitute for Master’s degree)
• Strong analytic skills in data analysis and economic research, professional-level competencies in Excel, and excellent writing and communication skills required.

Additional Skills Desired: 

• Knowledge of the residential development process, urban planning process, gap and leveraged financing, affordable housing pro forma, government funding sources, density bonus law, inclusionary housing policies and implementation, HUD programs, evaluation of fair choice concerns, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) program.
• Aptitude for assessing and understanding numeric data and ability to identify trends and critical points.
• Ability to interpret information and succinctly articulate its meaning in written and graphic form for a non-technical audience.
• Confident and effective presenter and facilitator of public meetings, focus groups, and interviews.
• Knowledge of research methods including survey analysis and web-based research.
• Excellent attention to detail, time-management, and organizational skills.
• A good communicator, strong collaborator, and team player.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic working environment.

Camoin Associates provides all equipment (PC, dual monitors, camera, and optional headset for video conferencing). Please note that we are only making this position available to citizens and residents with all necessary authorizations already in place (OPT does not qualify). While this position is remote, the Housing Specialist is expected to travel occasionally for on-site meetings with clients and periodically to meet with the Camoin team.

Salary and Benefits:

Compensation for this position is expected to range from $60,000 – $80,000 depending on experience and education level. Camoin Associates also offers paid time off, a week off at the end of the year, 11 paid holidays, retirement contributions, health insurance, and the flexibility of 100% remote work.

Application Process:

Please e-mail cover letter and resume to Rachel Selsky, C/O Erin Teets at eteets@camoinassociates.com. Please describe in your cover letter why you want to be in a position of consulting with local communities on housing issues. Your application will be considered if it includes both a cover letter and a resume.  If selected for further consideration, we will request additional documentation at a later date. Please no telephone inquiries.

Key Words: housing, affordable, workforce, economic development, consultant, housing needs assessment