The Director of Housing Choice Voucher Program monitors the day-to-day operations of Washington County Housing Authority’s (HAWC) HCV program, manages the department’s staff, and ensures the program’s compliance with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) regulations. This position is responsible for the evaluation of the work and workload of HAWC’s HCV Department staff. The role requires a thorough understanding of HAWC’s HCV Administrative Plan. This position will also ensure that all HAWC’s programs adhere to and are compliant with all federal, state, and local guidelines.
This position is housed at the main office but may report to all locations as needed to meet the needs of the position.
Duties and Responsibilities
This position will perform the following:
Administrative Plan
· Maintains knowledge of all requirements as assigned from the Administrative Plan.
· Implements and updates all requirements as assigned from the Administrative Plan.
· Ensure staff training and that staff regularly refer to the Administrative Plan for compliance.
Maintaining Vouchers/Compliance
· Holds departmental meetings to manage all aspects of HCV staff and their goals and compliance to all programs. Empower staff to be responsible for high quality work and to work efficiently. Prioritizes tasks to support the social service mission of the agency ensuring that HCV provides decent, safe, and affordable housing to the vulnerable populations of Washington County with deadlines and deliverables at the highest quality. Review the performance of all HCV staff to ensure compliance and agency success.
· Ensures that the HCV is deliverable for the agency’s strategic plan to be completed in December and with Executive Director input.
· Leads the department grant applications to ensure that all opportunities for supportive income are attempted.
· Prepares for all informal hearings, ensures a hearing officer is properly trained and assigned, and the hearing is held in a timely manner.
· Manage staff to prevent, detect and recover fraudulent activity. Manage repayment agreement payments and coordinate any issues with the Finance department.
· Verifies HQS inspections are completed by HHA, manage the subcontractor, and ensure the contract is up to date. Lead staff to transition to the new HUD inspection standards, negotiate the contract to reflect that as HHA requires and verify Yardi software is working with HHA inspectors.
· Confirm the annual audit is properly supported by assignments made by the CFO and ED and any responses to questions for the audit are provided to the auditor in a professional, complete, and timely manner. Manage any changes in policy or personnel that the auditor identifies to ensure the agency does not have any findings in the audit.
· Manages the HCV program to be compliant with HUD regulations and provides support to HAWC property management to ensure voucher holders are provided for HAWC property vacancies.
· Oversees all HCV program compliance and reporting activities.
· Monitors and ensures the timely and accurate monthly submissions to the Voucher Management System (VMS) by the 22nd of each month.
· Directs the staff and develops the HUD forecasting tool to determine voucher values monthly and reports the findings to ED in the HCV departmental meetings and to HUD.
· Ensures the individual interviews for new participants are completed timely, accurately, and compliant with Federal Regulations supporting the HCV program.
· Manage staff to conduct move-ins, including briefing voucher holders, updating their folders and data, and triggering inspections in a compliant and timely manner.
· Manages the HCV staff to complete the participant termination process.
· Verifies Section 8 self-certification (SEMAP) is completed and submitted to HUD by August 28th each year.
· Handles use of housing authority software such as Yardi making sure the HCV staff has the appropriate training. Ensure all issues HCV staff experience are reported as a ticket to Yardi immediately, the ticket is resolved, and the problem is corrected for the benefit of the agency.
· Oversees staff to ensure that the information on utility schedules and payment standards from every utility source is provided to any of HAWC’s HCV program housing units. Presents changes to HAWC’s Board of Commissioners for approval. The HCV team gathers this information annually in September and October; new schedules and standards are effective January 1 the following year.
· Lead staff to ensure that the Property Manager completes the process of increasing rents for HCV participants.
· Ensures that the department consistently meets Public and Indian Housing Information Center (PIC) reporting requirements.
· Manage staff to update the Public Housing Authority (PHA) plan annually, present the changes to the ED and then the RAB (resident advisory board) and the HAWC board resolution in February or March annually. The State agent needs to sign it after the HAWC board signs the resolution and submits the plan to HUD by April 15 annually; also updates and submits the Five-year Plan.
· Direct staff to negotiate any housing conflicts between HAWC’s HCV voucher holders and their landlords.
· Manage staff to coordinate with Finance and complete monthly check run for participant expenses, providing information to the Finance Department.
· Oversee all FSS grant applications and FSS program requirements.
· Manage the caseworker to improve the voucher utilization per set policies to improve the use of HCV vouchers. The current voucher utilization rate is 36% with the goal of increasing the utilization rate by 5% a month (negotiable but obtainable)
· Apply for additional vouchers as available to the agency and identify areas of the population underserved by the current vouchers available to HAWC and apply for supportive vouchers in those areas.
· Be the liaison with Legal Aid for any HCV participant issues.
Program Compliance
· Confirm programs within the agency adhere to all federal, state and local guidelines.
· Ensure compliance with HCV program,
· Manage staff to maintain required files for tenants and programs to ensure compliance. Be sure that staff know why the accuracy, legibility and complete collection of these documents are important.
· Family Self Sufficiency program requirements and guidelines, updating the action plan as required by HUD.
· 504 Coordinator and reasonable accommodations requests.
Finance
· Manage HCV Specialists in monitoring and make requests for raising rents and updating payment standards.
· Monitors administrative fees monthly.
· Reconciles housing assistance payments (HAPs) monthly.
· Coordinates with Executive Director to develop annual Housing Choice Voucher program budget.
· Creates and manages the policies and procedures for the new case worker and utilization rate improvement initiative.
Other
· Monitors the workload of HCV Department Staff.
· Coordinates the inspections through Hagerstown Housing.
· Conducts and leads monthly Administrative Plan review to ensure staff knowledge of HUD requirements and implementation of all standards and policies.
· Writes and updates all HCV standard operating procedures.
· Oversees all direct reports and the quality of their work.
· Responsible for meeting continuing education requirements of the position and reporting this information to Human Resources.
Authorities
· Purchasing authority up to $2,500.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Finance, Business Administration, Social Work, Urban Studies, or a related field or
three years or more experience working with an HCV program or
three years or more managerial experience or
a combination of the above.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
· Written and oral communication skills.
· Comprehension and application of rules and policies.
· Ability to work independently and dependably.
· Ability to use Microsoft Office Products (Excel, Word, Outlook)
Physical/Work Demands:
May require lifting to 50lbs. Work is typically performed in a normal office environment; some duties may require lifting and carrying boxes of materials/supplies, climbing stairs, walking, and consistent use of a computer.
Pay: From $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
