Director of Infrastructure, Housing

Position description

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change and bipartisan policy reforms, AV works to improve the lives of American families, strengthen communities, and promote economic opportunity.

Duties

Position Overview

As communities face severe housing shortages and increasing housing costs, rapidly changing energy needs, and aging roads and transit, AV’s Infrastructure portfolio aims to bolster the country’s ability to build the necessary infrastructure faster, better, and at lower cost. This includes supporting policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels to craft and implement solutions; identifying and removing barriers that unnecessarily slow down building timelines and add costs; and working to enhance the capacity of government to effectively support delivering on the promise of major infrastructure investments. The team works with experts from inside and outside government to reform the infrastructure system through evidence generation, policy development, communications, technical assistance, and advocacy to support policy change.

Every American deserves a place to live that they can afford. But for decades, the United States has not built enough housing to meet demand. Housing costs continue to rise faster than family incomes in many areas of the country, while regulatory barriers and limited innovation slow the pace and raise the cost of home construction and renovation. AV’s Housing portfolio focuses on identifying and enacting policies that can successfully expand housing supply and make it easier to build more and different types of housing.

The Director will be responsible for helping to identify, analyze, and pursue new, high-leverage philanthropic opportunities, as well as managing current investments and partnerships. This position will report to the Vice President of Infrastructure, Housing and will be based in the Washington, DC office.

Core Responsibilities

• Partner with the Vice President to shape and advance the portfolio’s strategic direction by tracking state and local housing policies, assessing on-the-ground implementation, and conducting research and analysis to identify grantees and inform strategy.
• Identify and develop charitable investment and grant recommendations for the AV’s Board of Directors; oversee intake and review of research, investments and grants; and reflect on prior and existing investments and grants to inform strategy and future recommendations
• Identify and build mechanisms for connecting practitioners and policymakers across state and local agencies in the housing and land use space
• Develop and manage relationships with new and existing grantees, key stakeholders, consultants, and experts; deepen the grantee pipeline; build networks to inform strategy
• Travel to and speak at conferences to represent the importance of this work and AV’s commitment to it, network with experts, create and maintain partnerships, and learn about new research and policy in priority areas
• Collaborate with Advocacy and Communications teams to drive advocacy and issue campaigns
• Other duties to support the team’s work, as needed

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in urban planning, real estate development, public policy, or another relevant field
• 7 years of relevant work experience including experience with land use regulation or housing development within state or local public agencies. Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered
• Demonstrated understanding of zoning and land use regulations, real estate development processes, and implementation of housing policy within state and local government
• Strong policy analysis skills; ability to understand technical and theoretical concepts
• Strong leadership and relationship-building skills
• Exceptional strategy development, project management, and organizational skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate key takeaways to diverse, nontechnical audiences

The salary range for this position will be $150,000-$200,000.

Application instructions

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