Senior Specialist, Affordable Housing (Program Admin Officer 4)

at  Province of Nova Scotia

Department: Municipal Affairs and Housing
Location: HALIFAX
Type of Employment: Term
Union Status: NSGEU - NSPG
Closing Date: 02-Oct-24 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

ABOUT US

The Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing is dedicated to working with municipalities to build healthy, vibrant, and safe communities throughout Nova Scotia. The Department provides programs, grants, and funding opportunities for municipalities and community groups. The Department also provides services and guidance to municipalities in many areas including land use planning, budget planning and finance, infrastructure development, policy and program development.
The Department is also responsible for ensuring the availability of safe, suitable, and affordable housing for all Nova Scotians. Our work involves making strategic investments, leveraging new funding, and building on critical partnerships to help further position ourselves to meet current and future housing challenges.

ABOUT OUR OPPORTUNITY

We’re hiring a Senior Specialist, Affordable Housing. This role is perfect for individuals with a background in mortgage lending or experience within the banking industry, and who are passionate about making a difference in the housing sector. Under the guidance of the Program Manager for Affordable Housing, the Program Specialist will play a key role in administering a variety of programs aimed at preserving and creating affordable housing across the province.
We are looking for a detail-oriented and analytical professional who has a strong understanding of real estate development and can quickly adapt to evolving work demands. Join our team and use your expertise to impact affordable housing options!

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Your expertise will be instrumental in driving the success of our affordable housing initiatives. You will:

• Address program queries and collaborate with private and non-profit real estate developers to clarify project scopes and work plans.
• Evaluate applications for capital funding for affordable housing projects, ensuring compliance with established guidelines.
• Draft and issue conditional approval letters and legal agreements.
• Review appraisals, environmental site assessments, building condition reports, and other technical documents.
• Prepare mortgages, review progress claims, and manage payment disbursements.
• Partner with external stakeholders such as Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), lawyers, engineers, and community housing groups.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

This may be the perfect opportunity for you if you have completed a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Business, Real Estate, Commerce, Finance, Land Development) and have at least six (6) years of relevant experience in program delivery, mortgage/ loan administration, real estate development, or affordable housing.

You must demonstrate:

• strong financial analysis skills including reviewing financial statements and understanding financial reports, development cost projections, and pro forma budgets.
• excellent verbal and written communication abilities, including report writing and presenting recommendations.
• interpersonal, consultative, influencing/negotiating, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish productive relationships with senior representatives from private, non-profit, and government sectors (municipal, provincial, and federal).
• excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to balance priorities.
• an understanding of client service principles, with the ability to handle confidential information discreetly.
• ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint).

Assets include familiarity with:

• General knowledge of mortgage lending, the ability to read construction documents, and familiarity with real estate development processes and/ or property management.
• Managing grants for housing or community development projects.
• Property law, zoning regulations, land-use planning, sustainable building practices and green certification programs

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

Please refer the Job description for details