Senior Housing Specialist/Housing Specialist

Description

The City of Palo Alto is seeking an experienced Senior Housing Specialist/Housing Specialist who enjoys working in a dynamic, vibrant community. In this unique opportunity, the vacancy within Palo Alto's Planning and Development Services Department can be filled at either the Senior Housing Specialist (Senior Planner) or Housing Specialist (Planner) level, based on qualifications and experience. The position is located in the Long Range Planning team which engages with the community to guide and develop the City’s land use, community development, and housing policies and programs. Some of the areas of focus for Long Range Planning include: Comprehensive Plan and Housing Element implementation, Community Development Block Grant program administration, below market rate housing program administration, and renter/housing policy development and implementation. This fast-paced team offers an opportunity to work on a variety of housing-related projects that enhance and preserve the Palo Alto community for the future.

Providing housing for all income levels is a focus for all Bay Area cities, including Palo Alto. Palo Alto has long been a leader in the production of affordable housing and currently has the second highest inventory of affordable housing for incorporated jurisdictions within Santa Clara County (as a percentage of total housing stock). This Housing Specialist position may oversee the City’s affordable housing program, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, and support or lead the City’s Housing Element implementation, and other policy initiatives.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Palo Alto Planning and Development Services Department provides the City Council and community with creative guidance and effective implementation of land use development, planning, housing, and environmental policies and programs in order to maintain and enhance the City’s safety, vitality, and attractiveness.

For more information on Planning in the City of Palo Alto, click HERE
For more information about the City's Housing program, click HERE.

THE POSITION

This position supports the Department's efforts to stimulate housing development in Palo Alto, especially affordable housing, and manages the City's below market rate housing and CDBG programs; this position will also play a key role in implementing the City's Housing Element. The ideal candidate will closely collaborate with housing developers working on local projects which include affordable units, and ensure all housing projects comply with applicable affordability requirements. The candidate is expected to be familiar with State housing laws and develop a comprehensive understanding of the laws and the local implementing ordinances to guide home builders and ensure compliance. This position will also play a key role in advancing other housing related initiatives, many of which are part of the Housing Element programs.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will demonstrate experience working in local government and/or in the housing field. The ideal candidate will be a motivated self-starter able to work independently, while also being a team player who can communicate effectively with supervisors, colleagues, consultants, decision-makers, and the public. Creativity, critical thinking, ability to perform research and analyses are essential traits.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for public service and a strong desire to contribute to a dynamic team in a fast- paced work environment. The candidate will be eager to use the tools of planning to sustain the high quality of life in Palo Alto. The successful candidate will enjoy creating and sustaining strong partnerships with the local community. The ideal candidate will possess superior writing and public speaking skills; be able to independently prioritize and complete a broad range of assignments with competing deadlines; and quickly formulate responses to challenging questions in a thoughtful and diplomatic manner, while being comfortable with not providing an immediate answer when the information is not known or readily available.

The candidate must be willing to work outside of normal working hours when necessary, evenings and weekends, to attend and participate in community meetings or to staff decision-maker meetings (City Council, Planning & Transportation Commission, etc.). The candidate must have a customer service focus and strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with co-workers, management, elected officials, community members, and representatives of public and regulatory agencies.

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Knowledge and experience with housing planning and policy development;
• Experience with affordable housing financing and administering affordable housing programs in compliance with local, State, and Federal requirements;
• Experience administering the Community Development Block Grant program;
• Experience preparing and negotiating loans, contracts and regulatory agreements necessary to provide for the construction and preservation of affordable housing;
• Ability to write clearly and communicate effectively; ability to prepare and write high quality staff reports, professional documents, and communications;
• Ability to handle a variety of assignments and adapt quickly to changing priorities and assignments;
• A strong customer service focus and superior interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with co-workers, management, elected officials, community members, and representatives of public and regulatory agencies;
• Strong technical skills; familiarity and experience with data analysis highly desirable; and
• For Senior Housing Specialist (Senior Planner), strong project management skills.

Essential Duties

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following (these duties may vary based on position):

• Reviews residential development proposals for compliance with local and State housing requirements and proactively works with developers to meet these standards.
  
• Prepares reports, including coordinating the work of other staff members, on special planning studies and makes public presentations before the Human Relations Commission, Planning and Transportation Commission, City Council, appointed committees and other City staff.
  
• Assists in housing policy development and implementation, coordination, monitoring, and other activities related to Federal, State, and local housing programs.
  
• Oversees the Below Market Rate (BMR) Program.
  
• Oversees the CDBG Program.
  
• Supports amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Housing Element.
  
• Coordinates and monitors the work of consultants.
  

Minimum Qualifications

For Senior Housing Specialist (Senior Planner):
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Historic Preservation or a directly related field from an accredited college or university. An advanced degree is highly desirable, and
  
• Five years of suitable professional experience in urban planning (or substitute for up to two years of experience a master's degree in planning or a related field).
  

To see the complete job description of Senior Planner, click HERE.

For Housing Specialist (Planner):
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning or related field from an accredited college or university, and
  
• Three years of suitable professional experience in urban or transportation planning.
  

To see the complete job description of Planner, click HERE.

Special Requirements: All positions require possession of a valid California Driver's License

Supplemental Information

These positions are represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).

Salary range displayed covers the starting rate of Planner level through the highest rate available as Senior Planner level. Depending on applicant qualifications, position(s) may be filled at the appropriate level/salary of Housing Specialist (Planner) or Senior Housing Specialist (Senior Planner).
The City of Palo Alto offers generous employee benefits. Information on benefits can be found HERE

Hiring Process: Due to summer schedules, the first round of interviews is tentatively scheduled for early September.

Applicants will receive email recruitment status notifications. Governmentjob.com accounts also have notification status updates.

The examination process may consist of a supplemental question, online assessment, written examination, practical performance, oral examination, or any combination to determine which candidate will move forward in the hiring process.

Multiple positions may be filled under this posting.

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

For more details visit our Careers Page, by clicking HERE.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.

Closing Date/Time: 8/10/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of Palo Alto

• 650-329-2376

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