General Purpose
The primary responsibility of this position is to oversee, manage, and advise City-led initiatives to address homelessness and intersecting community health issues. This position will provide strategic direction for the City in its work to support innovative policies and programs related to homelessness, substance use, and mental health. In addition, the position will ensure that City homelessness and community health efforts are coordinated with the City’s community safety approaches. Finally, the position will support local policy and state-level legislative work on homelessness and community health issues. This position sits in the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) and works closely with the Mayor’s Office and in collaboration with other City departments, including the Police Department, Fire Department, Parks Department, and the Burlington Community Justice Center, as well as with community partners and social service providers, such as the Howard Center, Chittenden Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), and Chittenden County Homeless Alliance.
Union Affiliation: Non-Union
Pay Grade 20: $84,593.00 - $94,403.00 Annually
Remote Tier 3: Up to two (2) days remote/week
Essential Job Functions
- Serve as the City’s lead policy advisor on homelessness and community health.
- Serve as the manager of CEDO projects that address homelessness, substance use, and mental health and as CEDO’s lead point of contact for other City Staff, City Councilors, State officials, the media, and the general public for information on City projects related to these challenges.
- Conduct policy development, special planning, and research projects emerging from homelessness and community health initiatives, or as identified by the Mayor or CEDO Director.
- Collaborate with REIB to help ensure a health equity perspective is applied to community health and policy proposals, projects, and programs.
- Lead and/or contribute to internal City meetings regarding homelessness and community health, including those for Safe Outdoor Sites, Situation Tables, the Overdose Prevention Center, the City Circle initiative, and emergency sheltering. Provide strategic support to City staff on issues related to homelessness, including to staff working to increase the supply of affordable housing.
- Provide strategic support to City staff on issues related to community safety as they intersect with homelessness, substance use, and/or mental health.
- Coordinate with the City’s outreach efforts to ensure highest data integrity and ability to understand the scope of need in the immediate downtown and outlying areas (encampments, etc.).
- Develop and maintain the community and statewide partnerships necessary to address homelessness and community health issues.
- Represent the City on various groups and committees, including (but not limited to): Veteran’s Council on Homelessness, Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont (Balance of State CoC), Adult Local Interagency Team, and Chittenden County Homeless Alliance.
- Provide strategic support to the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance (CCHA) by attending meetings and representing Burlington’s perspective and needs
- Represent the City in meetings about homelessness, the homeless response system, and community health issues with key stakeholders, including elected officials, staff from partner organizations, community members, State officials, and people with lived experience of homelessness, substance use, and/or mental health challenges.
- Represent the City at the nexus of public safety and ordinances as they intersect with the populations experiencing homelessness, substance use, and/or mental health challenges.
- Serve as the City’s point of contact for homeless shelter providers and providers of other public health services serving Burlington.
- Promote housing retention and housing first efforts in collaboration with the City’s Housing Program Manager and support creative efforts to house challenging populations
- Create/deliver clear and readily understandable information about the City’s work to address homelessness and community health for a variety of stakeholders, including the public, City Council and other elected officials, City departments, and the legislature, and in a variety of verbal and written formats (public meetings/workshops, written materials, website, social media).
- Provide conduit to business and private sector partners in coordination with CEDO Assistant Director for Business Development to engage with and invest in resolving homelessness in the Greater Burlington Area by attending and convening a wide range of stakeholder groups, including City Council (and its sub-committees), and City departments (i.e., police department), the school district, businesses, the faith-based community, private landlords, and property owners.
- Should the City retain the role of collaborative applicant, oversee the Continuum of Care grant. This includes coordination of all applications, dispersal of funds, reporting, and ongoing coordination with CCHA
- Manage invoices and budgets related to homelessness initiatives and grants associated with homelessness
- Work with the grants team to identify and apply for grants related to homelessness relief
- Manage the granting of funds to community partners that the City receives for homelessness initiatives. Including but not limited to, creating RFPs or NOFO’s, convening grant review committees, drafting and executing sub-recipient grant agreements, monitoring proper use of funds by requiring regular reporting from grant recipients
- Fulfill all reporting requirements to the federal and state governments related to funding received by the City for homelessness initiatives
- Arrange all aspects of services provided by the City to individuals living in encampments, including but not limited to septic, water, and trash removal
- Other duties as required.
Non-Essential JobFunctions:
- Performs otherduties as required.
Qualifications/Basic Job Requirements
- Ability to actively support City diversity, equity, and cultural competency efforts within stated job responsibilities and work effectively across diverse cultures and constituencies.
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as evidenced by ongoing trainings and professional development.
- Bachelor’s Degree required, preferably in Policy, Public Health, Public Administration, Social Welfare/Work, or a related field is required.
- Minimum of four (4) years of experience in policy development, program evaluation and design, stakeholder management, or related professional experience is required, including two (2) years in a project or program management capacity Additional experience preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully implement and operate projects that rely upon multiple stakeholders from the nonprofit, government, and private sectors.
- Must have excellent judgment with respect to project decisions and the ability to confidently advise the Mayor and City Council on those decisions.
- Must have extensive experience successfully coordinating diverse stakeholders and solving complex problems.
- Demonstrated ability to produce effective policies and procedures, training materials, and presentations.
- Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Knowledge of broad service needs and ongoing support needed for sheltered and unsheltered homeless populations.
- Knowledge of public systems of care and resources for homeless populations in Burlington, Chittenden County, and Vermont, including knowledge of HUD regulations and the Continuum of Care program.
- Knowledge of public and private sources for affordable housing financing, and ability to evaluate loans, business plans and financial projections, and to analyze financial feasibility of funding proposals, preferred.
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, and HUD reporting systems, such as HMIS and e-snaps preferred.
- High degree of administrative capabilities and organizational skills, and ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects at the same time.
- Experience in hiring and supervising staff, contractors, and consultants, and ability to understand, comply with, and enforce City workplace standards, safety rules, and personnel policies.
- Commitment to support and champion efforts to build and sustain a workplace culture focused on continuous improvement and improving the quality and effectiveness of governmental services.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Preference will be given to candidates who have lived experience relevant to the work.
- Attendance at evening meetings is required.
Additional Information
Promoting a culture that reveres diversity and equity.
The City of Burlington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we are strongly committed to creating a dynamic and equitable work-force that mirrors the population and world that we serve. We do not discriminate on the basis of political or religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, crime victim status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, or genetic information in employment or the provision of services.
In addition to being an equal opportunity employer we actively encourage applicants who can contribute to our growing diversity to apply.
Applications for our employment opportunities are
only accepted online through our Government Jobs website.
For accessibility information or alternative formats, please contact Human Resources Department at 802-540-2505 or careers@burlingtonvt.gov .
