Multi-Family Development Director

The Role:

Workbench is looking for a mission-aligned, mixed-use/multifamily Development Director. This role is unlike any other development director position out there. Workbench has integrated development, design, and construction under one roof and has a real mission to help improve California’s housing affordability crisis while improving environmental sustainability and equity. The Workbench Development Director therefore has a unique opportunity for innovative and successful social impact on some of the most important issues facing California. This position oversees the work of a growing team that already works on over 10 projects in parallel and is responsible for leading the execution of development work on projects from conception to completion. You will be supported by Workbench’s executive team and coordinate with other directors in the company. We are a team, and we work together to achieve our common goals.

Who we are:

Workbench is a develop design build company dedicated to helping solve California’s housing crisis while improving equity and environmental sustainability. This means that we prioritize creating housing and community places that are more affordable, more equitable, and well-designed for both human well-being and environmental sustainability.

We are a team of experienced multi-family, commercial, and residential builders, developers, designers, architects, finance experts, policy wonks, and social entrepreneurs. We are unusual in our industry as a majority women company, and we value diversity and inclusion within our staff and project partners. Our diverse portfolio includes many housing types, from large-scale multi-family housing and mixed-use projects down to ADUs. We create housing that is more affordable in part through the increased effectiveness and efficiency of integrating development, design, and construction management in one company. We also innovate financial structures and partnerships to build more affordable housing without public subsidy. (See New Way Homes, www.newwayhomes.org, founded by a Workbench Principal.)

Our development team-sponsored projects span everything from market-rate projects with inclusionary housing and commercial uses to all-affordable projects (typically without public subsidy) to permanent supportive housing. For some projects we partner with non-profit and other mission-aligned land owners, and we’ve developed a specialty of working with churches in particular. We want to continue building a team that prioritizes equity, diversity, and deep community partnerships.

Some of the major responsibilities are:

The Director of Development is a member of the Workbench Management Team and is responsible for the supervision of Workbench’s development activities. The Development Director will manage and oversee Workbench’s affordable and market-rate housing development activities, including site investigation and planning, site and project studies, owner project requirements, project risk management, financial analysis, coordination with the design team, permitting processes, project debt financing for construction, and successful transition of projects from planning to construction and construction to operation. The Director is responsible for training and supervision of the development team. The position involves carrying out some project management responsibilities for individual projects as needed and overseeing activities of projects assigned to other development staff. Specific responsibilities of the position include (but are not limited to) a combination of doing and overseeing the following:

· Preparing financial and physical feasibility analyses of potential developments, in coordination with the Design team.

· Assessing and managing project risk, including environmental risks, existing conditions risks, compliance and permitting risks, timing and financial risks, etc.

· Understanding Local and State housing policies and how to apply them. Executing projects in compliance with state laws to minimize risk, maximize the projects’ rights, and minimize local agency discretion.

· Consistently managing complex projects with numerous dependencies to schedules, budgets, risk mitigation, local and state requirements, partnership, lender, and investor requirements, and project-specific goals.

· Creating and updating the Owner’s Project Requirements documentation for sponsored projects.

· Making use of a general understanding of Design as it relates to land use policies.

· Cultivating relationships with lenders and preparing loan applications (potentially for predevelopment, construction, permanent, and deferred loans) and communication with lenders to secure, close, and manage loans.

· Selecting and supervising consultants, contractors, property managers, etc. in coordination with the Design and Construction teams.

· Holding contractors accountable to contract requirements, costs/budgets, payment terms, and other commitments.

· Preparing and completing project reports to investors, lenders, site partners, etc.

· Representing Workbench before public agencies, elected officials, community groups, project partners, and financial institutions.

· Ensuring a successful transition of Workbench projects from development to design and design to construction.

· Managing Owner’s rep roles in during construction, as needed, including overseeing process of change order approval.

· Finding new ways to reduce project costs and increase feasibility while maintaining quality, social impact, environmental sustainability, and risk mitigation.

· Supervising the Development Team, which includes:

• Managing and expanding development team processes to increase efficiency, consistency, and training.
• Supervising, training and providing technical advice and guidance to development staff, including periodic reviews and training on best practices.
• Inspiring, motivating, and guiding others toward their individual and collective goals for the development team. Maintaining an excellent work environment for the team at all times, with a people first approach.
• Providing technical assistance during initial feasibility determination, particularly input regarding financing and cost assumptions.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES:

· Strong real estate development experience including knowledge of California land use policies, local government procedures to secure entitlements and all necessary permits, and typical financial structures, requirements, and metrics.

· Ability to develop projects on a budget and on schedule.

· Ability to develop financially feasible projects with great returns for investors.

· Ability to balance financial returns with social impact, environmental sustainability, and other goals.

· Well-organized, detail oriented, and excellent analytical skills; proficiency in sophisticated financial analysis using Excel.

· Good public presentation skills; excellent oral and written communication skills.

· Ability to work effectively with various community groups to listen and respond to community concerns.

· Ability to think creatively around complex problems.

· Proven organizational skills.

· Proven ability as a team player.

· Experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, including internally at the company, across partnerships and vendors, and in the impact of development.

· Supervisory experience - strong management skills, with the ability to support, inspire, and help advance the skills of team members.

· Self-starter with demonstrated high degree of independent initiative.

· Committed to meeting housing needs of families and individuals across all income levels and backgrounds, including demonstrated interest in lower income affordable housing and/or special population housing such as for farmworkers, those experiencing homelessness, re-entry populations, etc.

· Ability to work in a fast-paced, flexible environment.

· Ability to organize and schedule tasks in support of multiple deadlines and projects; detail oriented.

· Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

· Sensitivity to the needs and concerns of lower-income households, communities of color, special needs populations.

· Appreciation of and commitment to the mission & vision of Workbench.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $140,000.00 - $170,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Salary : $140,000 - $170,000