CHICAGO (Aug. 31, 2026)- The Caucus is hiring a Manager of Housing and Community Development Initiatives. Interested candidates should apply by September 18, 2026.
Manager of Housing and Community Development Initiatives Position Description
Scope
The Manager of Housing and Community Development Initiatives is a full-time position to lead and coordinate housing and community development programs provided by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and its project partners.
Nature of Responsibilities
Homes for a Changing Region (65%)
The Manager leads all aspects of the Homes for a Changing Region housing planning program, which works with municipalities to develop housing action plans. Over the past twenty years, the program has worked with over 65 municipalities to encourage a balanced and healthy housing stock to meet the needs of residents of all incomes and age groups. The Manager will:
- Work closely with the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the program funder, as well as staff at municipalities participating in the program.
- Lead a team of four individuals, both part-time and full-time, that contribute their expertise and skills to the program.
- Manage a planning process which includes data analysis, community engagement, municipal policy and program review, and research of successful models utilized by peer municipalities.
- Organize meetings, provide presentations, and facilitate stakeholder group discussions.
- Contribute to final written reports and materials.
Housing and Community Development Committee (3%)
Over the past twenty years, the Caucus’ Housing and Community Development Committee has brought local leaders together on a quarterly basis to collaborate and learn from each other’s experiences in housing and community development. The Manager will:
- Work closely with the mayor who serves as Committee Chair to establish meeting topics.
- Survey the Committee on an annual basis to understand issues of interest.
- Recruit, organize, and prepare speakers for meetings.
- Prepare meeting agendas and schedule meetings, which are typically virtual via Zoom.
- Maintain records of Committee membership and contact information.
Additional Housing and Community Development Initiatives (2%)
From time to time, the Caucus’ Housing and Community Development Committee will survey interest among municipal members in technical assistance on a specific housing and community development topic. Past examples include a one-year peer network on Missing Middle Housing and toolkits created for rental inspection programs and responding to housing vacancies.
Based on interest from municipalities, the Caucus is currently in the process of pursuing funding partnerships to provide technical assistance to municipalities in the following area.
- Establishing a network of regional business and municipal leaders to work together on housing solutions.
The Manager will work with regional experts to continue these pursuits, which would require and result in additional staffing capacity to provide.
Grant Program Administration (30%)
The Manager administers three grant programs: Powering Safe Communities, which supports local public safety and sustainability efforts; Powering the Holidays, which supports sustainability and energy efficiency in local winter holiday events; and Aging in All Communities, which helps municipalities play a leading role in holistic, cross-sector efforts to become more age friendly by gaining knowledge, skills, and partnerships needed to set and achieve aging in community goals tailored for their communities. The Manager will:
- Work closely with representatives from ComEd and RRF, the grant program funders.
- Promote the annual application for the Powering Safe Communities and Powering the Holidays program.
- Recruit, train, and coordinate a panel of independent reviews with relevant expertise for each program.
- Communicate with grant applicants and respond to questions as they prepare applications.
- Prepare and distribute grant awards and contract documents.
- Assemble an advisory group for the Aging in All Communities Program (AACP).
- Draft Assessment Tool for the AACP.
- Creating a webpage for the AACP Program.
- Monitor progress of each grant project.
- Maintain accurate financial records and project accomplishment data for monitoring and reporting.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
This position requires a working knowledge of:
- Housing and community development challenges and solutions.
- Community engagement best practices.
- Municipal government administration.
- State or federal policy in related issue areas.
The position requires the following skills and abilities:
- Project management.
- Coordination of a team.
- Ability to express – through writing and presentation – operations of local policy and practices to a variety of understandings and audiences.
- Analysis of data and trends in local housing and community development issues.
- Research local housing and community development best practices.
- Aptitude for managing tasks across multiple projects.
- Represent the Caucus at appropriate regional housing forums.
- Pursue philanthropic and government grants to support the Caucus’ work.
- Proficiency in the Microsoft Platform suite of services including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Teams as well as external platforms such as Dropbox, Adobe, and Zoom.
Education and Experience
The Manager must be a graduate from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in public policy, urban planning, or a related field.
A master’s degree in urban planning or public policy or 2+ years of experience in housing, community development, municipal government, public policy, or a related field is preferred but not required.
The Caucus understands that no candidate checks every single box in a job description, and it values multiple pathways towards attaining professional experience and education. This includes relevant lived experience and/or equivalent experiences in housing and community engagement, including volunteering. If the position interests you, we encourage you to apply.
Employment Conditions
This is a hybrid position. Work will be performed at the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Office (433 W Van Buren St, Chicago, Illinois, 60607), remotely at home, and in communities across the Chicago region for meetings with municipalities. Hours of work will generally be between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., though some additional duties before and after these standard hours may be required for meetings or presentations with municipalities. Travel will be fully compensated at federal rates.
Salary and Benefits
Starting salary range is $60,000 – $75,000 DOQ. The Caucus offers a generous benefits package including a 401K contribution, expense reimbursement, PTO, and 100% payment for health insurance premiums (family/individual).
How to Apply
Interested candidates should apply by September 18, 2026, with a cover letter, resume, contact information for at least (5) professional references, and a writing sample up to 5 pages to:
Neil James
Executive Director
Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
Housing Manager 2026 Final Position Announcement – Manager of Housing and Community Development Initiatives PDF
Final Housing Manager 2026 PDF
