Vice President of Programs

About The Housing Collective

The Housing Collective is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness and ensuring equitable access to safe, affordable housing for all.

As a backbone organization, HC operates at the intersection of policy, practice, community voice, and investment, aligning systems, not just delivering programs. HC partners with more than 200 organizations statewide and is recognized as a leading voice in housing systems change in Connecticut.

Our integrated housing systems-change approach is advanced through our core collective impact initiatives: Opening Doors, Centers for Housing Opportunity, and Housing for All. Together, these initiatives connect homelessness prevention & response, housing stability, affordable housing production & preservation, housing policy & practice, and community voice to advance HC’s mission.

Our initiatives and programs are supported by a strong organizational infrastructure including finance, fund development, communications, and operations teams.

Position Overview

The Vice President, Programs (VPP) is a senior executive responsible for leading, aligning, and strengthening HC’s programmatic work across the housing system.

Reporting to the CEO and serving on the Senior Leadership Team, the VPP provides strategic direction and operational oversight for HC’s program portfolio, including the Opening Doors Initiative, the Centers for Housing Opportunity, Housing for All, affordable housing preservation-related work, and other housing systems-change initiatives.

This role is designed to help HC move beyond siloed “homelessness” and “housing” strategies toward an integrated approach that recognizes homelessness response, housing stability, affordable housing production, preservation, and protection, and systems reform as interconnected parts of the same housing ecosystem.

The ideal candidate will bring deep affordable housing expertise, strong housing-sector relationships, and the ability to translate housing policy, planning, development, preservation, and municipal engagement into practical systems-change strategies. This affordable housing-focused experience is essential to the role.

The VPP also serves as a senior external representative for HC on programmatic and housing policy matters, working in close coordination with the CEO and communications team.

Key Responsibilities

Program Strategy & Housing Systems Change

• Lead an integrated program strategy that connects HC’s work across homelessness response, housing stability, affordable housing production, preservation, housing policy, municipal engagement, community voice, and systems reform.
• Ensure HC’s initiatives and programs operate as aligned, mutually reinforcing components of a broader housing systems-change agenda.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear program priorities, work plans, budgets, staffing plans, results frameworks, and accountability structures.
• Strengthen HC’s role as a cohesive backbone organization by aligning partner facilitation, technical assistance, community voice, data, policy, and implementation support across regions.
• Identify and advance strategic housing opportunities that leverage policy, funding, partnerships, and best practices to support the production, preservation, and protection of affordable housing.

Program Oversight & Implementation

• Provide executive oversight and leadership for HC’s program portfolio, including Opening Doors Initiative, the Centers for Housing Opportunity, Housing for All, preservation work, and related housing systems-change initiatives.
• Ensure HC’s homelessness response work is connected to broader housing strategies, including supply, preservation, subsidy, services, housing navigation, and long-term housing stability.
• Ensure HC’s affordable housing work advances practical strategies for production, preservation, protection, policy, planning, resident engagement, and public will-building.
• Support program leaders and partners in identifying system bottlenecks, strengthening housing pathways, defining and advancing regional housing agendas, and moving communities from planning to implementation.
• Surface funding opportunities, develop and steward donor relationships, collaborate closely with development to seek, deliver, and report impact for government and privately funded initiatives.
• Ensure program teams meet all grant and contract compliance requirements and obligations, reporting deadlines, partner commitments, and collaborative governance expectations.

Housing Policy, External Representation & Partnerships

• Serve as a key external voice for HC on programmatic and policy issues related to housing systems change, including homelessness response, affordable housing supply and demand, housing stability, municipal housing planning and implementation, and collective impact.
• Represent HC in public meetings, funder conversations, municipal and regional convenings, state-level policy discussions, legislative and administrative forums, partner tables, conferences, media opportunities, and other external settings.
• Help define and advance HC’s program-informed housing policy agenda by elevating what HC is learning through its regional work.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with public agencies, municipalities, philanthropy, nonprofit partners, housing developers, advocacy organizations, regional planning entities, service providers, community leaders, and people with lived experience.

Team Leadership, Organizational Resilience & Impact

• Supervise and support senior program leaders responsible for regional implementation and housing systems change.
• Lead a collaborative and accountable program team and structure across HC’s core program areas.
• Ensure program teams have clear roles, decision-making authority, work plans, supervision, communication strategies, and professional development support.
• Work closely with the CEO, finance, development, communications, and operations leaders to ensure program plans are financially realistic, fundable, operationally sound, and aligned with HC’s long-term sustainability.
• Partner with the CEO and development leadership to identify fundable program opportunities, align program strategy with funding prospects, and communicate HC’s impact to public and philanthropic partners.
• Oversee the development and management of program budgets, performance, grant and contract deliverables, shared measurement, data-informed learning, and impact reporting.
• Establish clear operating rhythms for program leadership, including cross-team coordination, workplan review, issue escalation, resource planning, and accountability for deliverables.
• Support organizational resiliency through stronger documentation, cross-training, knowledge transfer, project management, and transparent programmatic resource planning.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum of 10–12 years of senior-level experience in affordable housing, housing policy, community development, housing systems change, public policy, nonprofit management, or a related field.
• Deep experience in affordable housing strategy, policy, planning, production, preservation, municipal engagement, housing development ecosystems, or housing systems implementation.
• Strong housing-sector relationships with public agencies, municipalities, philanthropy, developers, advocates, planning entities, nonprofit partners, and/or community-based organizations.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between homelessness response, housing supply, affordability, preservation, subsidy, services, and housing stability.
• Fluency in homelessness response systems, Continuum of Care structures, Coordinated Access, HMIS, HUD-funded environments, or related systems strongly preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience supervising senior staff and leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex programs across multiple geographies, funding streams, stakeholder groups, and implementation environments.
• Demonstrated success using collective impact, systems-change, or backbone organization frameworks to align partners around shared goals and measurable results.
• Experience managing complex budgets, grants, contracts, work plans, reporting requirements, and partner commitments.
• Strong data acumen and communication skills, including facilitation, writing, public speaking, and presenting to diverse audiences.
• Commitment to housing justice, resident voice, and the belief that stable, affordable housing is foundational to thriving communities.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic, systems-oriented thinker
• Deep housing policy and systems-change fluency
• Strong collaborator able to lead through influence
• Confident executive presence with staff, partners, funders, policymakers, and Board members
• Able to build clarity and trust during transition, ambiguity, and organizational change.
• Skilled people leader who can coach senior staff and build accountable teams
• Clear and credible communicator on programmatic and housing policy issues
• Strong operational judgment and ability to translate strategy into execution
• High degree of integrity, diplomacy, emotional intelligence, and accountability

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 18–24 months, the VPP will have strengthened HC’s housing systems-change strategy; brought greater alignment across initiatives, programs and regions; reinforced HC’s affordable housing expertise and external relationships; supported a smooth leadership transition; clarified program priorities, roles, and accountability structures; and elevated HC’s program-informed housing policy voice.

They will have helped position HC’s work as a coordinated housing systems-change portfolio connecting homelessness response, housing stability, affordable housing production, preservation, policy, and community voice to advance HC’s mission.

The Housing Collective offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, including a mix of fully employer-paid, shared, and elective benefits. Salary is commensurate with experience and aligned with our commitment to fair and transparent compensation practices.