The Department of Housing is a catalyst for increasing access to high-quality affordable housing for households earning a variety of incomes, and supporting related community development activities, so that housing and robust services exist for people of all income levels and ages in San Mateo County. The Department consists of two divisions: Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo.

HCD is recruiting for a Housing and Community Development Specialist II/III position. Reporting to the HCD Deputy Director of Real Estate Development and Asset Management, the Housing and Community Development Specialist II/III positions will engage in a variety of functions aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing throughout San Mateo County and forging partnerships to address critical housing needs. The open position is on the County Real Estate Development Team.

The ideal candidate for this position has broad experience with real estate development principles and specific experience with affordable housing development, finance, and policy. The ideal candidate will have worked directly on affordable housing developments from the acquisition and predevelopment phases through construction and permanent phases as a development professional, lending and finance professional, or design professional in either the private or public sector. An ideal candidate will be able to develop and review proformas and financial reports related to the development of typical affordable housing developments. Experience analyzing potential development sites for competitiveness for various local, state and federal affordable housing funding programs is essential.

Examples Of Duties

The County Real Estate Development Team’s HCD Specialist's programmatic support duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Assist with all phases of development, including initial financial feasibility analysis, proformas, overseeing design development, securing all necessary financing, procuring and contracting with all third-party consultants, and overseeing construction efforts and timeline for the development of affordable and workforce housing on County-owned land.
• Efficiently manage tasks necessary to obtain entitlements, including neighborhood design meetings, submission of entitlement applications, attendance at public hearings, and ongoing coordination of the project design team.
• Assist with accessing financing for affordable housing, such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and other local, state, and federal financial sources.
• Perform site inspections and due diligence, evaluating and highlighting opportunities and risks.
• Organize, negotiate, coordinate, document, and facilitate project partnerships and land escrow closings.
• Assist with developing and managing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) or Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for co-developers and members of the development team.
• Initiate and maintain ongoing relationships with County of San Mateo stakeholders and the larger community.
• Research guidelines and regulations related to the development of housing on public land.
• Identify and research innovative financing models for the development of mixed-income housing and housing for public-sector employees.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

HCD Specialist II: Two years of experience in construction administration, building inspection, real estate appraisal, community development project coordination, economic development, or loan application preparation and processing.

HCD Specialist III: Three years of experience in a housing and community development program which has included responsibility for coordination of construction, financing, community development, or economic development projects.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Final Filing Date: Friday, June 20, 2025, 11:59 PM PST

Application Screening: June 23 - 27, 2025

Civil Service Panel Interview: July 8 and/or 9, 2025