Jobs View
Community Development Program Manager
City of Los Angeles, Office of Mayor Garcetti / Los Angeles, CA
Posted on: May 21, 2018
Application Deadline:
Job Description
SUMMARY: The Watts Rising program is an initiative supported by the California Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program. TCC is designed to empower and revitalize communities impacted by pollution by providing funding for environmental, educational, health, and housing initiatives. This $35 million TCC grant will fund a Watts Rising Community Development Program Manager (hereafter referred to as “Program Manager”) in The Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (MOEO) to coordinate all activities of multiple City Departments for the implementation of the TCC grant. The Program Manager will also be responsible for coordinating with community-based organizations to develop and execute an anti-displacement initiative in Watts and to create and report various metrics to demonstrate the successful implementation and impact of the TCC grant.
The Program Manager will be housed under the Housing and Community Development Policy team in MOEO, which also oversees the Mayor’s Jordan Downs Working Group and carries out the Mayor’s chief executive roles over the City’s housing and community development functions. In close collaboration with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and Council District 15, the Program Manager will also ensure that the TCC implementation is aligned with other initiatives driven by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Office of Economic Development, and the Mayor’s Innovation Team.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: The Program Manager’s responsibilities will be:
Developing and coordinating a multi-pronged anti-displacement strategy for low- and moderate income residents and businesses by leveraging existing City programs and initiatives with new public-private partnerships with mission-driven affordable housing developers, providers, FamilySource, YouthSource and WorkSource Centers. This will include organizing and staffing community workshops and briefings, as well as policy formation for new programs and initiatives.
Staffing the Mayor’s Jordan Downs Public Housing Redevelopment working group, which facilitates cross-Departmental coordination that drives forward $1B of investment into housing, commercial and infrastructure improvements in Watts.
Creating, chairing and staffing the new Mayor’s Watts Rising working group, which will facilitate cross-Departmental coordination that drives forward multiple, State-funded infrastructure and sustainability improvements across Watts.
Developing and tracking metrics that measure success of the implementation and impact of the TCC grant across the entire Watts community.
Facilitation and coordination between multiple Community Based Organizations (CBOs) funded by the TCC grant and multiple City Departments.
The Program Manager will also track place-based investments from other City, State and Federal partners within the TCC project area and will identify new investment opportunities that align with the TCC goals and objectives.
Required Experience / Skills / Education
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Public Policy, Urban Planning, Business, Economics, Political Science or closely-related field. Master’s degree is preferred.
WORK EXPERIENCE: The successful applicant will have demonstrated at least five years of full-time work experience in complex political and/or community development environments and in negotiating with education, business, civic, housing, community development and other key stakeholders at a local and/or regional level. A Master’s degree will be considered equivalent to two years of work experience.
SKILLS: An applicant with strong writing, organizational, communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to comfortably deliver public presentations and work directly with community members is desired. Applicants with strong quantitative analysis abilities are also encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to candidates that demonstrate a strong working knowledge of affordable housing, public housing, and/or community development policies and programs, especially at the local level. Preference will also be given to candidates that either speak Spanish fluently or can demonstrate a deep knowledge and understanding of the Watts community.
Application Instructions
Interested applicants must send their resume and cover letter to Mayor.HousingPolicy@lacity.org. Interviews will be held at City Hall with a targeted start date in June or July of 2018. Applicants will be selected by a committee representing various stakeholders involved in the TCC grant implementation process.
The Watts Rising Community Development Program Manager is an exempt, at-will position. The individual appointed to this position will not accrue any civil service tenure, contractual employment rights, or due process rights. The incumbent may be removed, without any finding of cause, by the hiring authority.