City of Tampa

This is professional work in CRA development and municipal grant management.

Employees in this class administer the City of Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency’s (CRA) housing initiatives, which includes: Housing Rehabilitation & Renovation Program (HRRP), Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program, Infill Program, Unit Creation and Conversion, and Strategic Acquisitions Work is of considerable difficulty and includes administering and monitoring for compliance with grant programs, conducting needs assessments and gathering data to develop a comprehensive plan to address needs. Employees must possess considerable knowledge of community development principles and practices and possess or be capable of readily acquiring knowledge of broad program or subject areas associated with assigned specialty. Considerable initiative and independent judgment are necessary to ensure that supervised activities are completed in accordance with plan production and/or grant application requirements. Work is performed under direction and reviewed through conferences, reports submitted, and results obtained.

As a CRA Development Specialist, the employee will have fundamental knowledge and skills in Community Redevelopment, housing and/or public service.

Administer CRA funds and have knowledge of State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) income and program guidelines. Participate in planning efforts with outside agencies and service providers (e.g., non-profits, Housing Authority, and affordable housing developers). Oversee the Request for Proposal process and pre-application workshops for entities seeking CRA funding through applicable grant programs.

Prepare and process resolutions, agreements, and amendments for approval by City Council; process reimbursement requests; and monitor Project Sponsor’s performance activity and fund-source expenditures to ensure that objectives are accomplished. Collect and analyze data and prepare reports involving resource allocation, services delivered, and contract compliance for the City’s CRA Annual Report and Performance Matrix.

Perform desk and onsite monitoring for all funded projects per the agreement/contract and funding source guidelines. Monitor contracted activities to ensure terms of the contract(s) are met; acts as liaison between contractor(s) and the department’s administrative office and represents the division as required; receives complaints relative to contract area(s) and/or contractor performance and takes appropriate action; make regular field reviews of work in progress and determines if is being completed in accordance with contract(s) guidelines and department policies.

Attend and participate in CRA Board, Community Advisory Committee, and other stakeholder public meetings; maintain a grant project management system; assist in the presentation of recommendations regarding plans and other proposals to various municipal officials; attend and participate in meetings of various planning committees; assist in the negotiation of contract terms for the conduct of grant preparation with representatives of city departments and outside agencies.

Performs other duties as assign.

Knowledge of: CRA Policies and Procedures and SHIP guidelines. Fundamental knowledge of and the ability to interpret federal, state, and municipal legislation impacting affordable housing and CRA plans and regulations; methods and techniques, report and grant application preparation; research techniques and data sources.

Ability to: analyze and interpret federal and state regulations for community redevelopment programs and draw sound conclusions; counsel and communicate effectively with community development agencies, officials, and persons of diverse socio-economic backgrounds; prepare and deliver written and oral reports; keep accurate records; establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, officials, other agencies, and the public; monitor program activities and prepare reports.

Mostly sedentary and a combination of working indoors and outdoors. Requires some use of computer, typing and viewing a monitor. Exposure to different property conditions.

Graduation from an accredited college or university bachelor’s degree in planning, public administration, human service, or a related field and one (1) year of affordable housing and community development grant administration, working with CRA homeless initiatives or related social services areas; OR an equivalent combination of education (not less than possession of a high school diploma/GED), training and experience that would reasonably be expected to provide the job-related competencies noted above.

Possession of a valid driver’s license required.

HUD Housing Counseling Certification preferred or with the ability to obtain within the first 12 months of employment.

Evaluation of education and experience. Drug testing is included in all pre-employment processing.

Employees may be required to work rotating shifts, including nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime as needed. During periods when the Mayor issues an emergency declaration for the City of Tampa, all employees may be required to work in preparation, response or recovery activities related to the stated emergency.