Manager or Assistant Director, Housing Venture Lab

About Terner Labs

Terner Labs is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing housing affordability, innovation, and equity. We work directly with entrepreneurs, policymakers, and practitioners to accelerate solutions that reduce the cost and complexity of building and preserving homes. Our Housing Venture Lab (HVL) is the nation’s leading accelerator focused exclusively on early-stage housing and construction technology companies tackling the affordability crisis.

In 2026, Terner Labs is expanding and restructuring HVL to provide even more tailored support to our entrepreneurs. The updated program will feature two dedicated tracks: (1) Building Innovation, focused on construction innovation, and (2) Opportunity & Access, designed for ventures advancing pathways to homeownership, rental stability, financing access, and wealth-building for low- and moderate-income households.

About the Role

Terner Labs is hiring for this position at either the Manager or Assistant Director level, depending on the experience and leadership background of the selected candidate. The successful candidate will play a core role in launching and running the Opportunity & Access track of the Housing Venture Lab. A Manager would focus primarily on program execution, founder support, research, and partnership coordination. An Assistant Director would have similar responsibilities, as well as taking on additional responsibility for program strategy, external partnerships, research leadership, and contributing to the broader strategic direction and growth of the Housing Venture Lab.

This is a great opportunity for a mission-driven professional who is excited about supporting entrepreneurs working on solutions to expand economic mobility and access to housing. Hands-on experience with one of the following areas is required: homeownership, mortgage lending, alternate housing focused wealth-building strategies such as shared equity or rent-to-own programs, community development policies or programs that place housing at their core, multifamily development or renter stability or initiatives. You will help evaluate companies for the accelerator, provide direct support to founders, manage writing and content development for the track, and ensure the program runs smoothly.

The Opportunity and Access Manager or Assistant Director will report directly to the HVL Director and will lead the Opportunity and Access track of the HVL. They will work closely with the HVL program team and regularly with members of the Terner Labs executive team. They will collaborate frequently with Terner Labs’ Communications, Finance, and Operations Managers.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys wearing many hats, moves fluidly between details and big-picture thinking, and writes with clarity and purpose.

Key Responsibilities

Program Support & Execution (30%)

• Lead the curriculum design of the Opportunity & Access track within the Housing Venture Lab and support day-to-day operations alongside the Program Manager.
• Ideate and support workshops, founder sessions, expert advisory meetings, and cohort activities.
• Track cohort milestones and support organized program documentation.
• Aid in cohort selection including conducting diligence and landscape research on prospective HVL companies and working with Graduate Student Fellows and industry advisors
• At the Assistant Director level, this role will provide strategic leadership for the Opportunity & Access track, including shaping program direction and supervising major program initiatives.

Founder & Venture Support (25%)

• Serve as a thought partner to founders: helping them understand housing policy contexts, market dynamics, and regulatory constraints relevant to their product or model, as well as help them access the broader Terner network.
• Help with coach selection and oversight
• At the Assistant Director level, this role will serve as a senior advisor to founders and help guide venture strategy, partnerships, and ecosystem connections.

Writing & Communications (20%)

• Draft high-quality writing, including case studies, market briefs, and program summaries.
• Translate economic mobility and access to housing concepts into accessible language for external audiences.
• Plan data collection and analysis to evaluate program outcomes.
• Support relevant research projects at the Terner Center or other research centers and coordinate joint events and projects.
• At the Assistant Director level, this role will lead authorship of publications and thought-leadership emerging from the Opportunity & Access track.

Partnerships & Ecosystem Engagement (15%)

• Help coordinate and manage relationships with contacts at public agencies, CDFIs, lenders, housing providers, and community organizations supporting HVL and cohort companies.
• Identify and engage practitioners who can serve as speakers at virtual and in person cohort meetings.
• At the Assistant Director level, this role will play a larger role in cultivating senior partnerships and representing Terner Labs in external convenings and industry conversations.

Program Development & Fundraising

• At the Assistant Director level, this role may contribute to the development and growth of the Housing Venture Lab by identifying new program opportunities, helping shape new initiatives, and supporting fundraising efforts including grant proposals and funder engagement.

Who You Are

Required

Manager

• 3–6 years of experience working in housing or economic mobility and access

Assistant Director

• 6–10+ years of experience in housing or economic mobility, including either experience leading research or major initiatives
• Strong connections with the organizations, policymakers, capital providers, and practitioners working to expand housing access and economic mobility.

All candidates

• Excellent writer and communicator able to synthesize complex ideas clearly and concisely for diverse audiences.
• Comfort managing multiple workstreams at once.
• Curiosity, humility, and a desire to learn from entrepreneurs and partners.
• Commitment to supporting housing innovation at the intersection of equity, affordability, and sustainability

Preferred

The qualifications below are additive and not required. Strong candidates may bring one or more of these experiences.

• Prior experience working with startups, innovation programs, or research organizations.
• Experience with housing development, underwriting, operations, or asset management.
• Knowledge of mortgage products, down-payment assistance, manufactured housing finance, appraisal/valuation systems, or wealth-building programs.
• Familiarity with housing policy funding or regulatory ecosystems at the local, state, or federal level.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to shape a leading, one-of-a-kind accelerator program focused on expanding access to homeownership and economic mobility with a mission-driven, collaborative team that values creativity, experimentation, and impact.

The target salary range for this position is $95,000 to $115,000 for the Manager level, or $120,000 to $135,000 for the Assistant Director level, commensurate with experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes: medical, dental, vision, disability, and mental health coverage, 18 vacation days, one sick day a month (accrues), 14 paid holidays, and the opportunity to participate in a generous retirement savings plan matching program.

This position will be located in Oakland, CA, with opportunities for a limited hybrid work schedule (up to 40% remote).

Terner Labs is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage individuals to apply who bring lived experience with the challenges of housing affordability and inequity.

How to Apply

Submit your resume, a short cover letter explaining your interest in the role and Terner Labs.