SVP, Housing Initiatives bei Urban Resource Institute

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Founded in 1980, Urban Resource Institute (URI) is the nation’s largest provider of domestic violence shelter services and a leader in supporting homeless families. Operating 24 shelters across New York City, URI provides 3,700 beds nightly in purpose-built shelters that offer trauma-informed services including counseling, childcare, case management, and more. URI’s Justice Initiatives extend support beyond shelter, offering programs in economic empowerment, legal advocacy, youth prevention, and abusive partner intervention. URI also develops permanent affordable housing as part of its long-term commitment to safety, stability, and healing.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Vice President of Housing Services provides visionary leadership to a team overseeing both URI’s Homeless Families department and its new Supportive Housing portfolio, representing a combined $60M+ operating budget and a rapidly expanding housing continuum that is central to URI’s mission and future. The department has experienced remarkable growth, expanding from 4 shelters in 2018 to 6 in 2021 and 11 shelters in 2026. This next chapter is one of transformation—shaping an enterprise-wide vision for housing services, driving operational innovation, and unifying transitional and permanent supportive housing under a cohesive model aligned with URI’s Theory of Change and Strategic Plan.

Salary: $190,000 - $220,000

This season for the team will involve intentional focus on:

• Growing and equipping staff as leaders in the field,
• Elevating and standardizing quality service provision rooted in trauma-informed, DEI, and client-centered frameworks,
• Forging bold partnerships for collective impact alongside survivor leadership and diverse stakeholders, and
• Strengthening accountability and impact through KPI-driven strategies across fiscal performance, program outcomes, and team sustainability.

The Housing Services team provides programmatic services in partnership with colleagues across URI’s legal, clinical, economic empowerment, PALS, and prevention programs that empower individuals, families, and communities—particularly communities of color and other disenfranchised populations—to actively address barriers to safety and resiliency. The Senior Vice President serves as a champion of URI’s work and an ambassador for innovation and impact in housing, leading people leadership and partnerships, program and financial management, and strategic planning and implementation across its portfolio of services. The SVP provides mission-focused leadership that is steeped in the values of trauma-informed care; diversity, equity and inclusion; and client-centered service dedicated to supporting, achieving, and maintaining the agency’s commitment to excellence.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

People Leadership and Partnerships

• Provide inclusive leadership and management to a team of Senior Directors and program leaders across Homeless Families and Supportive Housing services.
• Cultivate leadership and professional development for staff including facilitating growth opportunities. This includes but is not limited to promoting career pathways and promotions within URI, mentorship and internship opportunities, and training targets incorporated into individual staffing goals and objectives.
• Provide leadership as part of URI’s senior leadership team alongside development, government affairs, marketing and communications, legal, operations, and finance divisions to ensure the long-term impact, sustainability, future growth, and effectiveness of the organization within an evolving client-centered, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive framework.
• Represent URI’s Housing Services team and department in community gatherings, Board of Directors meetings, funder meetings, speaking events, press and media opportunities, and other external events.
• Shape and influence policy at the city and state level in partnership with URI leadership and allied agencies; strengthen URI’s presence in coalitions and elevate thought leadership in housing and human services.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant federal, state and local regulations as well as agency and program policies, and compliance in meeting performance measures based on organizational targets.

Program and Fiscal Management

• Develop and achieve annual department and program level goals in alignment with theory of change and logic models as well as funder deliverables and in support of the mission and agency-wide strategic plan.
• Lead the development and implementation of operational plans, policies and procedures, clarity in roles and responsibilities as well as standardization of quality services across the housing continuum (transitional, supportive).
• Ensure URI’s Housing Services are consistently informed by community participation by soliciting, capturing, analyzing, and incorporating feedback by individuals with lived experience and diverse stakeholders into URI’s strategies and activities.
• Lead the implementation of a shared accountability framework for leaders within the Housing department and in partnership with other divisions including empowerment for project and task ownership and providing dynamic reports against performance measures with an eye toward learning and growth.
• Advance data fluency and use of strategic KPIs to drive fiscal stewardship (revenue, expense, utilization, rent payments), program impact (placements, satisfaction, outcomes), and team sustainability (vacancy, retention).
• Facilitate the development of the annual operating budget for the Housing department and programs in partnership with Finance and program senior directors and directors.
• Collaborate with the Finance team to facilitate compliance with contract guidelines, submit requests for modifications for approval in advance as needed and to increase overall contract performance.
• Partner with Finance leadership and program leaders to manage budget and oversight of key procurement decisions including contract management.

Strategic Planning and Implementation

• Work closely with Chief Program Officer, program leadership, and diverse stakeholders in the inclusive development and articulation of program strategy, vision, and goals for the Housing Initiatives Department.
• Collaborate alongside program leadership to translate strategic planning to action plans and results, ensuring programmatic strategic initiatives are implemented and evaluated for impact.
• Provide leadership in the development of strong intra- and inter-agency collaborations to improve the systemic response to addressing poverty and trauma.
• Maintain collaborative relationships with other divisions and partner agencies in the public and private sector as well as funding sources and service providers.
• Partner with the CPO, CFO, COO, and CDO on enterprise-wide initiatives, including capital planning, risk management, DEIB strategy, and the design of URI’s next housing roadmap.
• Lead strategic visioning processes to unify housing programs and present URI’s housing strategy to the Board of Directors and external stakeholders.
• Evaluate and make appropriate recommendations for new residential and non-residential homeless families’ programming and permanent supportive housing expansion.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES

•  Advanced degree, i.e., Masters, PhD in clinical field preferred such as social work (LCSW or LMSW), psychology, public health with social justice and trauma lens.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience of progressively senior leadership and/or executive experience.
• Passion for URI’s mission, vision and core values with the ability to communicate this passion to others.
• Experience overseeing both homeless families and supportive housing services, with proven ability to unify programs under an enterprise model.
• Experience working alongside OTDA and DHS and overseeing compliance with government contracts and state regulators.
• Experience providing transformational and inclusive leadership with an investment in team via leadership and professional development activities.
• Strong leadership skills with experience building teams, developing and empowering staff, emphasizing timely delivery to meet critical deadlines.
• Commitment to leadership development and succession planning, with demonstrated experience mentoring and preparing next-level leaders.
• Experience integrating trauma-informed care and client-centered framework within programming and team development.
• Strong commitment to equity and social justice including a focus on self-awareness and engagement of continuous learning around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion; high level of Emotional Intelligence (EQ).
• Ability to shape and influence policy at city and state levels and represent an organization in high-stakes external partnerships and sector forums.
• Experience building and leading diverse teams across multiple sites including individuals impacted by homelessness, poverty, and/or trauma.
• Strong project management skills and experience, especially in projects requiring significant resources and cross-functional involvement.
• Experience in budgeting and budget management with analytic skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal and flexible communications skills, and the ability to develop positive and productive relationships with a dispersed and diverse team.
• Impact-oriented and driven with skills in organization, planning, and attention to details.
• Excellent computer and technical skills; knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Will be required to read printed and handwritten materials.
• Will be required to use computer mouse and keyboard.
• Will be required to read information on computer screen.
• Must be able to sit for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to enter information in digital forms and spreadsheets.
• Must be able to occasionally reach and bend.
• May require occasional work outside established working hours, including evenings and weekends.
• Work schedule includes three days working in the office or across URI program sites and two days working from home; flexibility is required to meet on-site demands throughout the week.
• The work location involves travel across all residential sites located in four boroughs in the NYC area; the SVP’s office is located at URI’s Central Office in the Grand Central area, Manhattan, NY

Urban Resource Institute provides a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including 403(b), pension, 15 vacation days, 11 wellness days, 10 sick days, 11 holidays plus birthday, parental leave, and major medical, vision, dental insurance, and life and disability insurance, as well as commuter benefits.
Urban Resource Institute is an approved provider of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for LMSW, LCSW, and LMHC professionals in the state of New York. URI staff can complete their CEU requirements at no cost to the employee via courses provided at URI.