Grant Project Manager, New York Main Street

POSSIBLE HYBRID WORKPLACE OPPORTUNITIY

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is the State’s affordable housing agency, with a mission to build, preserve, and protect affordable housing and increase homeownership throughout New York State.

This position is on HCR's Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC). HTFC is a public benefit corporation, and a Civil Service exam is not required for this position. Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications outlined below to be considered.

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Our work would not be possible without the diverse backgrounds, experiences, ideas, and abilities of our employees. HCR is committed to developing a workforce which represents the diverse population of New York State. HCR embraces a diverse and inclusive work environment by encouraging all individuals, including those with disabilities, to apply to open positions at the agency.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR) consists of all the major housing and community renewal agencies of New York State, which were recently merged and integrated under a single management structure.

The Office of Community Renewal (OCR) is one of four program offices within NYSHCR. The OCR’s mission is to administer a combination of State and Federal funding resources to develop or support programs that provide decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities for low and moderate-income persons.

Position Summary: HCR is looking for a new staff member to join the Office of Community Renewal’s New York Main Street (NYMS) program team. The NYMS team manages grant projects awarded to not-for-profit organizations and units of local government to strengthen the economic vitality of the state’s downtowns, mixed-use neighborhood commercial districts, and village centers. In addition to NYMS grants, this team also oversees grant projects as part of the Buffalo Main Streets Initiative and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). These programs are unique within HCR’s portfolio because they provide funding for rehabilitation of mixed-use properties and a wide variety of other uses including public art and other public realm improvements, technical assistance, and planning activities.

A NYMS Project Manager oversees a diverse portfolio of downtown development projects in various regions of the state and provides support throughout the full lifecycle of a grant: Reviewing grant applications, preparing grant agreement materials, processing payment requests, conducting site visits and providing technical assistance to applicants and awardees. Most days this means answering questions by phone and email, researching and troubleshooting difficult questions and scenarios, reaching out to awardees to check on status of activities, reviewing and editing written materials. Some days this includes traveling to visit grantees to see construction sites and prospective projects, participating in local planning meetings and coordinating activities with partners at other state agencies. The best days include preparing and contributing to new types of written materials to make processes simpler for grantees, interacting with interesting people and learning about their work in a downtown in New York State.

This position is an opportunity to work on impactful projects that support downtown revitalization efforts throughout the state. A NYMS grant project manager position requires significant administrative work and effort but offers unique opportunities to become familiar with every corner of New York State, learn about different local governments and observe the operations of a wide variety of types of not-for-profit organizations. The ideal candidate for this position is: 1) Organized and able to work independently, 2) Interested in learning about and playing a part in the revitalization of New York’s Main Streets and Downtowns 3) Curious and eager to contribute to process and procedural improvements.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Responsibilities: Under the general direction of the Program Director or Assistant Program Director, a Project Manager will:

• Provide significant role in evaluating program-related applications and making project funding recommendations.
• Track and monitor project portfolio through funding, development, and compliance phases.
• Build and maintain relationships with municipalities and not-for-profit organizations.
• Assist in providing and directing technical assistance to program grantees to ensure comprehension of program regulations, requirements, and the application and award processes.
• Maintain working relationships with other state, regional, and local agencies to address impediments to delivering downtown development initiatives.
• Represent the Office of Community Renewal in community development meetings, conferences, and interagency working groups including the Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) and Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) activities.
• Attend, participate, conduct presentations and/or assist with preparation for community development meetings, conferences, webinars and workshops.
• Special projects and general Program-related support and assistance, as needed.

These positions require occasional travel. Amount of travel varies throughout the year.

WHO YOU ARE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Urban or Regional Planning/Development, Economic Development, Public Administration, or a related field plus work experience in a professional office setting. Government, grants or project management experience a plus.

• Two (2) years of experience and/or interest Historic Preservation, Downtown Revitalization, Housing, Community & Economic Development.

• Substitutions: four years of specialized experience or associate degree and two years of specialized experience may substitute for bachelor’s degree; J.D. or master’s degree may substitute for one year of specialized experience; Ph.D. may substitute for two years of specialized experience.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills; self-motivated with ability to work under pressure, while prioritizing and managing multiple tasks.

• Ability to establish effective working relationships
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.

This job description is not intended to be all inclusive and employee will be expected to perform other reasonably related duties as assigned.

APPLICANTS MUST INCLUDE RESUME AND COVER LETTER

WHAT WE OFFER AT NYS HCR:

• Extensive benefits package including paid leave, including excellent health, dental, vision and retirement benefits with the New York State & Local Employees’ Retirement System.
• Promotional opportunity for dedicated professionals
• Work life balance benefits including a 37.5 hour work week and paid time off benefits including, vacation, sick, personal days, and Federal Holidays
• Opportunity for compressed scheduling
• 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Family Leave
• As a New York State employee, you may qualify to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under an accepted repayment plan and while working full-time for an eligible employer.

ABOUT NEW YORK STATE HOMES AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL:
Under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul and Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas, HCR is a vibrant, innovative agency that integrates and leverages New York State’s housing resources. We have offices in New York City, Albany, Buffalo and Syracuse, and employ a diverse workforce of professionals who are hard-working and committed to serving low and moderate income families. Our mission is far reaching, encompassing single and multifamily housing finance, home improvement, rent regulation, housing subsidies, and community development. We partner regularly with a variety of public and private stakeholders.

Achieving this mission requires a wide range of skills and backgrounds in public policy, administration, real estate, construction. finance, law, and many other areas of expertise. We seek to provide a workplace environment that is productive, flexible, accountable, ethical, and caring. Our employees are empowered to make a difference where they live and work. We offer competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package, including paid leave, health, dental, vision, retirement, and family-friendly policies.

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)