Senior Housing Specialist

Job Summary

Please note this position is open until filled; however, to ensure consideration applications should be received by June 3, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. 

The King County Housing Authority (KCHA) is a national leader in providing innovative and effective housing solutions so that people and communities can prosper. Our vision is that all residents of King County have quality affordable housing. KCHA is the largest housing provider in the county, and annually, the agency serves over 55,000 low-income individuals.

We transform lives through housing. 

We are recruiting for a talented, detail oriented, and customer service focused Senior Housing Specialist based in Tukwila, WA. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys working with diverse customers, and is committed to the highest standards in public service. Multiple positions may be filled through this process. 

The ideal candidate will be: 

• Able to provide exceptional customer service to a diverse population of internal and external stakeholders.   
• Resourceful and able to independently address and resolve issues as they arise.   
• Highly skilled as an effective communicator both verbally and in writing.   
• Flexible and able to adjust to shifting priorities and needs while maintaining a positive attitude.   
• A collaborative team member who is also a strong leader with well-developed organizational and time management skills.   
• Able to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.   
• Reliable, with a proven reputation for being consistently dependable. 

This position supports the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Excellent communication skills will be important as the individual selected will be relied upon to advise clients, landlords and other housing employees on housing policies, procedures, and requirements. Other important duties will include auditing case files for accurate, consistent application of program policies, procedures, and regulations and checking accuracy of housing assistance payments. This role will be responsible for conducting reviews of suspected program violation or fraud. In some cases, this role acts as lead case manager and will provide assistance to landlords and tenants to resolve financial and housing issues, negotiates rents, and recommends termination of services, if necessary. May mediate claims between tenants and landlords.   

Essential Functions

The Senior Housing Specialist will:

• Provide customer service to tenants and landlords; mediate concerns between landlords and tenants; monitor program compliance.
• Conduct annual and interim reviews by verifying household, income, expenses, and deductions; calculate Housing Assistance Payments (HAP).
• Compose and verify moves and new admissions.
• Investigate and compose terminations.
• Research and determine retro rent agreements and fraud complaints.
• Generate and monitor monthly reports and scans and indexes documents.
• Calculate billings for portability and HAP contracts.
• Attend meetings and trainings as needed.

Qualifications and Competencies

Required Qualifications: 

• Associate's Degree AND
• Considerable experience in Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs, public housing, low-income housing OR    
• An equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• A collaborative team member who is also a strong leader with well-developed organizational and time management skills; ability to develop effective working relationships with internal and external partners; works cooperatively, exchanges ideas, and addresses issues in a constructive manner.    
• Communicates effectively and collaboratively with individuals, and internal and external organizations; applies effective written and oral communication techniques to convey clear and timely messages.   
• Uses critical, creative, and reflective thinking skills to identify problems, analyze and evaluate and implement various solutions, and monitor their effectiveness; ability to analyze data and resolve problems; generates unique but workable and useful solutions to difficult problems.   
• Ability to provide exceptional customer service to a diverse population of internal and external stakeholders.   
• Ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.   
• Reliable, with a proven reputation for being consistently dependable.   
• Adapts to changing business needs, conditions, and work responsibilities; responds to change with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn new ways to accomplish work activities and objectives.   
• Ability to work effectively and positively with individuals of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.   
• Proficiency using MS Office applications including Word, Excel, Outlook and the internet; skill and ability to learn and use agency software housing management programs (Tenmast, OnBase, Adobe, DocuSign). 

Special Requirements: 

• Consent to and pass required assessments.   
• Consent to and pass criminal records background check.

Position Information and Application Process

Application Requirements:  
To be considered for this opportunity, you must: 

• Complete the online application profile in its entirety.   
• Upload a cover letter that addresses how your experience and education qualifies you to perform the essential functions listed in the job announcement. (Cover Letter)  
• Upload a detailed résumé of all educational and professional experience. (Résumé) 

Salary & Benefits:  
In the absence of direct experience administering the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the starting rate of pay for this position is $31.93 per hour. The complete salary range for this position is $31.93 - $46.30 hourly. A comprehensive health care benefits package for you and your dependents includes medical, dental and vision insurance, life and long-term disability insurance plans, vacation, sick and personal leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits are also available. For more details regarding KCHA comprehensive benefits, please visit our benefits page, www.kcha.org/employment/employeebenefits.aspx.

Work Environment: 
Incumbent(s) must be able to meet the physical requirements of the classification and have mobility, balance, coordination, vision, hearing and dexterity levels appropriate to the functions performed. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
After initial onboarding, this role may have the opportunity to work remotely up to 60% in accordance with the KCHA's flexible work arrangements; however, remote work conditions will be reviewed on a regular basis based on business and program need. The ability to report to the Central Office in Tukwila will be required. 

Physical Environment: 
This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work frequently sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms and repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, pushing or pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities; work frequently requires working near moving mechanical parts and occasionally requires wet, humid conditions (non-weather) and exposure to outdoor weather conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

Equal Opportunity:  
King County Housing Authority is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.