Housing Innovation Specialist

When joining the City of Steamboat Springs, you can expect to work for an organization with:

A team that strives to make this the best place you’ve ever worked!
A focus on supporting our employees’ mental, physical, and financial well-being.
A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion that creates a welcoming city.
A highly engaged workforce proudly serving our community with excellence and distinction.
A passion for strategically providing outstanding municipal services.
A promise to each other to support the work we all do for the city, community & Yampa Valley

Uniqueness Fuels Our Innovative Spirit
Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and experiences drives us forward every day. It's the collective sum of our experiences that makes Steamboat Springs and the Yampa Valley a powerful, insightful, and welcoming community.  We offer excellent benefits and competitive pay, but being a part of our amazing team of people is even better.   

GENERAL PURPOSE
Designs, develops, and administers housing affordability programs and regulations using the Steamboat Springs Housing Strategy as an initial roadmap. This position will increase capacity and skills within the Planning Department and enable the creation of new affordable housing units and housing-focused programs. Areas of focus will be affordable and workforce housing and include designing, evaluating, and implementing policies and programs that aim to increase affordable and attainable housing, convening regional housing partnerships, and developing tools and processes to inform housing-related activities and ensuring transparency and accountability.  

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Works under the supervision of the Principal Planner (Long-Range Planning).

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Supervises and provides oversight to a variety of third-party contractors, internal stakeholders, as well as other community partners that may assist the Housing Innovation Specialist with various housing-related activities. 

The qualified individual:

Serves as an ambassador of the City of Steamboat Springs and upholds City values of Service, Teamwork, Integrity, Well-being, Respect and Compassion, while espousing safety at all times.

Under general supervision of the Principal Planner (Long-Range), the Housing Innovation Specialist will be responsible for creating and managing budgets, planning, and carrying out work in the following areas:

Housing Program Administration and Investment

Contribute to efforts to identify City investments that will result in near-term affordable units, both in the near- and long-term, including cultivating partnerships with public and private entities that develop affordable and workforce housing.

Develop, administer, and monitor outcomes of a two-year Short-Term to Long-Term Rental pilot program.
 

Develop initial guidance for new programs designed to incentivize current homeowners and real estate buyers to deed restrict their market rate property to help maintain and sustain homes for local employees and residents in the community.

Evaluate, develop, and administer programs to incentivize affordable Secondary Dwelling Units (SDUs) through homeowner resources, grants, low-interest financing, and/or regulatory tools.

In partnership with City’s Finance and Human Resources departments, assist with management of the City’s growing portfolio of employee housing units, with a focus on qualified occupants that are not employees of the City of Steamboat Springs.
Develop processes and tools needed to evaluate investments, monitor compliance, and report progress toward housing affordability outcomes.

Housing Partnership, Planning, and Policy
Lead drafting of new initiatives, policies, and programs as identified in the Housing Strategy (adopted) and Steamboat Springs Community Plan (anticipated adoption in June 2025) that promote the development or preservation of affordable housing (i.e., fee rebate program, regulatory protections that encourage the preservation of mobile home parks, emergency rental assistance, inter-agency approaches to deed-restricted properties, etc.).

In coordination with the city’s Development Review Team, ensure compliance with current and future housing codes, programs, and ordinances, including review of project-specific applications and development of summary reports (e.g., number and characteristics of housing units reviewed annually, etc.).

Participate in the development and implementation of the new Steamboat Springs Community Plan, with an emphasis on an expanded set of housing goals and actions that are over-and-above those identified in the City’s Housing Strategy, including amendments to the Community Development Code.

Identify and lead implementation of housing-related process improvement activities, i.e., evaluation of, and revisions to, existing expedited review policy as applied to affordable housing projects.

Collect and monitor data on housing affordability in Steamboat Springs and Routt County necessary to report the status of housing affordability goals, policy and program outcomes, and other information that may assist with the evaluation and/or identification of additional housing policies, programs, and regulations.

Participate in local and regional efforts to develop Housing Needs Assessments that identify number and type of housing units needed to meet current and future demand.

Serve as staff liaison to the Yampa Valley Housing Authority (YVHA) to ensure coordination of resources and maximized impact.
Cultivate, foster, and maintain positive and productive relationships with individuals within and outside of the organization to advance housing affordability goals, including affordable housing developers, elected and appointed officials, individuals and households with housing needs, and team members from other departments.

Develop two-year Housing Action Plans for consideration by City Council

Identify and conduct updates to the Housing Strategy as warranted.

Monitor and pursue funding and resource opportunities to advance the City’s housing affordability goals, including Proposition 123 and other state and federal affordable housing resources.

PERIPHERAL DUTIES
 

• Conducts research, drafts reports, and creates presentations for a wide variety of audiences, including community groups, city staff, and elected officials.
• Attends seminars and workshops related to duties and responsibilities.
• Collaborates with other affordable housing stakeholders locally, regionally, and at the State level.
• Participates in various internal and external committee groups and project management teams as assigned.

We are seeking the following qualifications

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, real estate, urban planning, public administration, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of three (3) years professional experience in housing and community development, real estate, housing programs, and public policy analysis including experience in housing program administration. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.

Necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
 

• Knowledge of best practices in local government policies and regulations related to housing affordability.
• General knowledge of the design and construction industry and processes to build housing, and ability to work with a broad spectrum of people in the industry.
• Working knowledge of sources and research methods for developing data relating to housing affordability.
• Skill in designing, implementing, and monitoring new policies and programs.
• Communication skills (verbal, visual, and in writing) and the ability to adapt communication styles for various audiences, including planners, developers, other agency personnel, City officials, consultants, city staff, and residents.
• Skill in grant writing and navigating and identifying affordable housing resources at the state and federal level.
• Ability to serve as liaison between various government agencies and private development representatives on affordable housing projects.
• Ability to modify existing policies, strategies and/or methods to advance the City’s housing affordability goals.
• Ability to implement housing recommendations in various adopted documents such as the City’s Housing Strategy, Community Plan, and subarea plans.
• Ability to advise, interpret, and apply policies, procedures, and standards to specific situations.
• Organizational skills, management skills, clerical skills, problem solving skills, teaching skills
• Ability to manage and analyze data.
• Must possess a valid Colorado driver’s license or be able to obtain one within 30 days of start date.

Other

EOE.