Mission: To improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of Greater Kansas City
We're more than fundraisers. We're hand-raisers and game-changers. We go looking for the tough issues in our community, and with your help, we go solve them. United Way Greater Kansas City unites donors, volunteers, businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders to help change the lives of those in need. We are making Kansas City and the surrounding area better...100 years and counting. Join us.
Position Summary:
The Program Director will provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, partner coordination, and performance management for the Kansas City Housing Gateway (KCHG), a collaborative initiative designed to reduce and prevent homelessness through coordinated housing placement, rapid resolution, landlord engagement, rental assistance administration, and housing stabilization services. The role serves as the central leader responsible for ensuring alignment among City leadership, funders, nonprofit partners, landlords, and community stakeholders while delivering measurable housing outcomes.
The Program Director will oversee implementation of KCHG strategies and ensure effective administration of public and private resources, contracts, reporting, compliance, and continuous improvement efforts.
Responsibilities:
The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.
Program Leadership & Strategy
- Lead the overall implementation and execution of the Housing Gateway Program for United Way of Greater Kansas City
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Develop and maintain program goals, work plans, performance metrics, and operational strategies.
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Ensure alignment between program operations, community needs, City priorities, and funder expectations.
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Facilitate cross-sector collaboration among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, housing providers, and philanthropic partners.
Contract & Partner Management
- Oversee procurement, RFQ processes, contract development, and management of subrecipient service providers delivering housing stabilization, diversion, and rapid resolution services.
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Ensure partner organizations meet contractual obligations, performance standards, and compliance requirements.
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Manage partner relationships, renewals, amendments, invoicing, and performance reviews.
Housing Stability & Homelessness Response
- Coordinate with service providers to ensure participants receive case management, benefits access, employment supports, and successful housing transitions.
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Monitor participant outcomes and remove barriers to housing placement and retention.
Rental Assistance & Financial Oversight
- Oversee administration of municipal vouchers, rental subsidies, security deposits, utility assistance, and housing payments
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Ensure strong fiscal stewardship, financial controls, reconciliation processes, and compliance with funding requirements.
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Monitor fund utilization and ensure timely disbursement of resources to support housing placements.
Landlord Engagement & Housing Supply Development
- Lead strategies to recruit and retain landlord partners, in collaboration with landlord engagement subcontractor and the City.
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Support the development of a diverse inventory of housing units across the community.
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Collaborate with landlord engagement staff and partners to address housing barriers, create the landlord incentive model co-designed with partners, administer its standalone activity, and improve landlord participation.
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Over time, support the development of a growing data repository of affordable housing, available to service providers and, ultimately, the public.
Stakeholder Engagement & Communications
- Serve as a primary representative of the program with City leadership, funders, service providers, and community stakeholders.
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Convene leadership meetings, workgroups, and community briefings.
Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Establish and monitor key performance indicators and outcome measures.
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Oversee program reporting, dashboard development, and data-informed decision-making.
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Ensure compliance with HMIS and other reporting requirements.
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Present program outcomes and recommendations to executive leadership, funders, and governing bodies.
- May directly supervise and/or provide oversight to Program Managers, Contract and Compliance Staff, Landlord Engagement Team, Data and Reporting Personnel, and external consultants and service provider partners.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the basic knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Education and/or Experience: Required
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Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Social Work, Nonprofit Management, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Business Administration, or related field.
- Seven (7)+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in homelessness services, housing programs, human services, community development, or related sectors.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-partner initiatives.
- Experience overseeing public and private funding sources, contracts, grants, and budgets.
- Strong project management, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
- Experience using data to drive performance and improve outcomes.
Education and/or Experience: Preferred
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Master's degree in a relevant field.
- Experience with housing assistance programs, homelessness response systems, Continuum of Care initiatives, or coordinated entry systems.
- Knowledge of HMIS reporting and housing program compliance requirements.
- Experience working with municipal governments, philanthropic funders, and housing providers.
Metrics of Success:
Within the first 12 months, the Program Director will be expected to:
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Maintain effective coordination among City leadership, funders, landlords, and service provider partners.
- Develop scalable infrastructure to support new rehousing and rapid resolution strategies.
- Ensure timely and accurate financial and performance reporting.
- Strengthen landlord participation and available housing inventory.
- Demonstrate measurable progress toward homelessness reduction goals and participant housing stability outcomes.
This role is ideal for a collaborative, systems-focused leader who can operate at both strategic and operational levels to build an effective, accountable, and results-oriented homelessness response initiative.
Core Competencies:
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Catalyst: A change agent who actively convenes partnerships with others who offer diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to drive community transformation and foster mission goals.
- Achievement: Driven to make a difference; actively sets challenging stretch goals and passionately and purposely aims to achieve them, demonstrating adaptability and perseverance.
- Responsive: Can be counted on to do what needs to be done. Models a consultative engagement approach in all interactions, develops relationships internally and externally, brings the right stakeholders into decisions and actions, and resolves conflicts respectfully.
- Excellence: Invests in continuous learning, generously shares knowledge and strives to do the right thing in all endeavors to positively reflect the UWGKC brand and mission.
- Solutions: Exhibits fierce resolve to understand root issues that impact achievement of results. Collaborates to devise creative, innovative solutions to optimize outcomes for those we serve.
- Role-Specific Competencies: Strategic leadership, systems thinking, partnership development, financial management, contract administration, change management, results orientation, data-driven decision making, communication and public presentation, and equity and community engagement.
Position Leads: Kansas City Housing Gateway program implementation, partner/vendor relationships, housing stabilization and rapid resolution strategies, landlord engagement, rental assistance administration, data/reporting, and related staff/consultants/service provider partners, as applicable.
FLSA Status: Exempt (Salary)
United Way of Greater Kansas City - Equal Opportunity Employer
http://www.unitedwaygkc.org/about/careers
About United Way of Greater Kansas City
United Way of Greater Kansas City serves the six-county metropolitan area of Kansas City, partners with 145 agencies, and serves more than 25,000 donors. The organization's mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of Greater Kansas City. Its focus is to improve the health, education, and financial stability of every person in the community. United Way of Greater Kansas City's partners include global, national, and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students, and more. For more information, please visit www.UnitedWayGKC.org
