Director, Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity

Position Title: Director, Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (FCCHO)

Reports to: Chief Initiative Officer, Centers for Housing Opportunity

Location: Hybrid – Connecticut-based, Fairfield County focus with travel across CHO regions

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

About the Centers for Housing Opportunity (CHO)

The Centers for Housing Opportunity is a regional initiative across CT facilitated by The Housing

Collective in collaboration with LISC Connecticut and Partnership for Strong Communities. CHO

works to address housing affordability and equity through regional collaboration, community

engagement, technical assistance, strategic planning and policy advocacy. CHO operates in

Fairfield County, Litchfield County, and Eastern CT and aims to ensure equitable access to safe

and affordable housing for all.

Position Overview

The FCCHO Director will serve as a key leader on the CHO team, responsible for managing the

development and implementation of the Fairfield County workplan, playing a leadership role in

CHO’s multi-regional work plan and ensuring high-quality execution of programs and

partnerships. This role will provide critical program and project management for Fairfield County

as well as cross-regional coordination and operational support to the Chief Initiative Officer,

allowing the CIO to focus on strategic priorities, systems-level leadership, and external

partnerships.

The ideal candidate brings a mix of policy fluency, urban planning experience, collaborative

leadership, and a deep commitment to housing justice. They will oversee and manage regional

programs and projects, manage stakeholder workgroups, and support initiatives such as

municipal technical assistance, peer learning networks, community engagement, and regional

planning.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management and Execution (30%)

Oversee development and implementation of FCCHO’s annual work plan and support

progress tracking in Fairfield County and across regions

Lead Fairfield County initiatives, ensuring alignment and information flow between

partners, staff, and stakeholders

Develop timelines, workflows, and performance dashboards to support accountability

and clarity

Lead internal planning meetings and manage follow-up to ensure execution of next steps

Community Engagement and Stakeholder Collaboration (30%)

Lead community engagement efforts with program staff, and support both grassroots

organizing and grasstops collaboration

Facilitate peer learning networks, housing working groups, and community events

Represent FCCHO in regional meetings, planning sessions, and public presentations

Planning and Technical Assistance (20%)

Provide technical assistance to municipalities, support the implementation of affordable

housing creations and preservation strategies

Play a key role in the development of research reports, policy briefs, and planning tools

Contribute to the successful deployment of narrative change tools and strategies at local

and regional levels

Staff Supervision and Operational Support (10%)

Provide support to team members and supervise consultants, interns and junior staff.

Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and accountability across a regional office

staffing model

Qualifications

5+ years of experience in nonprofit, public policy, housing, or community development

sectors

Demonstrated experience in project management and cross-team coordination

Knowledge of housing policy, land use planning and zoning, and community

engagement strategies

Experience supervising staff and/or consultants

Exceptional organizational, interpersonal, and written communication skills

Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative, and mission-driven environment

Proficient in project management tools and data tracking systems

Access to reliable transportation for travel in and around Fairfield County and CHO

regions