← Work With Us

All Jobs

Assistant Director, Co-op Development

The Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) is seeking an Assistant Director of Co-op Development to facilitate the acquisition, renovation and permanent conversion of distressed rental properties into affordable housing cooperatives. UHAB creates, strengthens, and advocates for community-controlled housing through the preservation of affordable housing through the creation tenant-controlled housing models. The Assistant Director of Co-op Development will report to the Director of Co-op Development and work closely with the Director of Policy and New Projects.

About UHAB

UHAB empowers low- to moderate-income residents to take control of their housing and enhance communities by creating strong tenant associations and lasting affordable co-ops. Since 1973, UHAB has helped form hundreds of tenant associations and transformed troubled rental buildings into 1,200 affordable co-ops, providing homeownership opportunities for over 25,000 families. With democratic community control at the core of our mission, we work to sustain this thriving affordable housing community for this generation and those to come.

We organize residents to be active participants and decision-makers in shaping their neighborhoods. UHAB’s programs address a full spectrum of affordable housing needs: from building resident power and organizing tenants as community leaders, to developing thousands of units of affordable housing across the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, to making small loans to first-time homeowners, and to preserving affordable co-ops through training, education, and technical assistance. UHAB’s programs address the affordable housing crisis  through long-term solutions: developing new affordable co-ops, increasing energy efficiency and introducing renewable technologies, and strengthening housing policy locally and nationwide.

About Co-op Development

UHAB is one of the largest and most successful affordable co-op developers in NYC. Since 2002, UHAB has developed 57 HDFC co-ops and 10 rental projects, totaling 102 buildings and 1,873 units with a combined total development cost of over $240 million. We are a nationally recognized leader in limited-equity cooperative development. We worked with the City of New York to develop the Tenant Interim Lease (TIL) program in 1978, which allowed hundreds of distressed rentals to become limited-equity co-ops. UHAB is currently developing new HDFC co-ops through the Third Party Transfer Program, TIL/ANCP, and most recently, organized buildings working toward a tenant purchase directly from their landlords.

Position

This is a unique opportunity for someone with real estate development experience and an interest in the full cycle of affordable housing creation and stewardship. Our development work begins with targeted organizing, performed by our Organizing staff, who identify low-income rental and co-op buildings in distress; reaching out to residents to assess internal governance capacity and financial options, then organizing and training residents. It also includes building relationships with public officials, agencies and other stakeholders to determine a path to long term stability, including the option of co­operative ownership.

UHAB’s culture is one of cross program collaborations.  This position will report to the Director of Co-op Development and will work collaboratively with UHAB’s Director of Policy and New Projects, Director of Organizing, and other staff to help further UHAB’s mission. The successful candidate for this role is a bright, motivated professional who wants to make a tangible, positive impact on the residents with whom we work and on our UHAB team. This full-time position has a flexible work schedule to accommodate evening meetings with tenant and co-op leaders.

Responsibilities

  • Co-op Housing Development Oriented Activities:
  • Project manage development projects at varying stages of predevelopment, construction, and co-op conversion, including:
  • Develop underwriting for limited equity homeownership projects that prioritize deep and permanent affordability.
  • Work closely with HPD, HCR, and private lenders to create financing packages for each project
  • Work closely with architects and engineers to create a scope of work.
  • Coordinate and conduct site assessments, walk-throughs, and environmental testing with residents and property management.
  • Supervise property management companies and serve as a liaison between management and residents.
  • Facilitate monthly evening tenant association meetings to engage residents at different stages of the co-op development process, share project updates, and cultivate resident leadership.
  • Be flexible and creative in solving problems and resolving disagreements among residents and shareholders.
  • Build and maintain relationships with HPD, HCR, lenders, managers, architects, engineers, contractors, lawyers, and other stakeholders, and maintain a database of contacts.
  • Facilitate weekly team meetings, keep clear and accessible project notes, and help coordinate departmental meetings and site visits.
  • Coordinate closely with UHAB’s Director of Co-op Development and Director of Policy and New Projects to assess new development opportunities and City, State, or Federal programs to create limited equity co-ops.
  • Work closely with UHAB’s Director of Policy and New Projects to coordinate hand-off of buildings entering the UHAB’s development pipeline.
  • Conduct outreach to tenants in rental buildings that are interested in becoming a cooperative or where we think there may be an opportunity for cooperative ownership.
  • Participate in organization-wide meetings, committees, and activities and contribute to improving and promoting the organization.

Qualifications

  • At least two years of experience of real estate development related experience
  • Project management experience and relevant skills including project tracking, systems thinking and coordinating with a wide variety of stakeholders.
  • Strong financial analysis skills, including financial modeling and financial statement analysis;
  • Detailed-oriented; self-motivated; able to independently manage multiple complex development projects.
  • Self-motivated, creative, problem-solver.
  • Excellent organizational, multitasking, follow up and interpersonal skills.
  • Experience preparing and submitting loan requisitions for funding and payment.
  • An ability to communicate complex ideas, verbally and in writing, in a clear and accessible way.
  • Ability to establish, cultivate and maintain relationships with many different types of individuals and groups promoting solidarity, inclusion and respect.
  • Strong commitment to social and economic justice.
  • An understanding of and interest in cooperative housing and alternative models of ownership.
  • Ability to work as part of a team or individually, in a fast-paced environment that values and requires openness, transparency, and information sharing.
  • Prior experience working in property management and/or as a community organizer, in NYC strongly preferred
  • Community outreach and organizing experience, or experience with cooperative housing is a plus. Leadership development, team building, or conflict resolution skills are a plus.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other common workplace technology systems.
  • Bilingual applicants, especially Spanish or Bangla/Bengali language, preferred.

Location This position is currently hybrid, based at UHAB’s office in Lower Manhattan and requiring regular travel to other locations across NYC.

Compensation $75,000 annually. UHAB offers a generous benefits package including 100% employer paid medical and dental insurance; long-term disability insurance; a 403b retirement plan; medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts; 3 weeks of paid vacation for new employees and 4 weeks of paid vacation after 2 years of employment; 14 paid holidays, 12 sick days, and 1 personal day per year; and bereavement leave.

Application To apply, send a resume and cover letter to jobs@uhab.org with the subject: Assistant Director of Co-op Development.

UHAB works with a diverse community of tenants, community members and co-op shareholders and believes that the UHAB Staff should reflect this diversity. Women, people of color, LBGTQ+ people, and people with lived experience of economic and housing instability are encouraged to apply. UHAB is an equal opportunity employer.