Diversity Recruiters Seeks Executive Director for HomeSight
October 9, 2019 – Executive recruitment firm Diversity Recruiters has been selected to find the next executive director for HomeSight, a non-profit housing developer in Seattle. Nicole Ferrer, co-founder and managing director, is leading the assignment for the search firm.
“The next executive director for HomeSight is expected to have an unwavering commitment to promoting social and economic equity, resulting in enhanced economically and culturally diverse communities,” said Diversity Recruiters. “This vision is achieved through the promotion and support of affordable homeownership, business development and community advocacy.”
The leader will also be responsible for implementing operational policies and procedures, said the search firm. The executive director must have strong public communication skills, strong financial management skills, as well as dynamic people/ leadership abilities.
In partnership with the non-profit’s board of directors, the executive director will be expected to set strategic direction for the organization. The individual must also have an unwavering commitment to being a visible and accessible community and economic development leader. The leader will be charged with effectively working with the community to create mixed-use community development projects.
Key Responsibilities
HomeSight’s executive director will be responsible for overall operations, budget and personnel management, insuring financial integrity for the organization, said Diversity Recruiters. The individual will manage operational processes against strategic plans; oversee performance on all initiatives; create and maintain positive team culture, resulting in high employee satisfaction and retention; and work to deepen the organization’s connection with community organizations.
The new leader will further be expected to support and encourage a culture of continuous improvement. In conjunction with the board, the individual will also create fundraising strategies to ensure sustainability for HomeSight and community development partners.
Minimum requirements for the role include 10-plus years of demonstrated progressively responsible experience in professional positions relating to non-profit management. This includes fiscal management, people management, fundraising and program design and implementation. Prospects should have more than five years of experience working as a champion for community/ economic development; homeownership and mortgage lending is preferred.
Candidates for the executive director role must understand and have experience working with a board of directors to set vision and strategy. He or she should also have proven ability to ensure strong operational infrastructure, including but not limited to establishing and maintaining sound policies, procedures and internal controls. Also required is proven experience working as a champion and leader in community development, real estate development and first mortgage lending experience (origination, sales or servicing), experience in equitable transit-oriented development (mixed income and mixed use), and working knowledge/ familiarity with homeownership in the Seattle and Pacific Northwest region.
Job Requirements
Candidates must have experience developing and nurturing relationships with funding entities, public and private, said Diversity Recruiters. They should also have working relationships with local and national funders as well as experience with capital campaigns.
People management requirements for the role include experience managing work teams, proven experience supporting staff and staff-led initiatives, empowerment of staff at all levels, demonstrated ability to be fair and transparent, experience in performance management and a commitment to professional development.
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A commitment to social and racial equity is also critical to the role, said Diversity Recruiters. Prospects must have a strong racial and social equity lens as well as a working understanding of power dynamics. They must also show a commitment to working to dismantle systemic racism. Individuals should value and demonstrate a commitment to addressing racial and social justice equity issues internally and externally.
Diversity Focused
HomeSight is a non-profit community development corporation that works to make homeownership a reality for all. For more than 20 years, HomeSight’s staff has worked with multiple families, resulting in the creation of more than 1,700 new home owners. HomeSight’s programs help fulfill the organization’s mission of building strong communities through homeownership, economic development and neighborhood revitalization. HomeSight offers first-time homebuyer education, financial counseling, purchase assistance, new home development and first mortgage originations. HomeSight currently serves King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Washington State.
Founded in 2017, Searle-based Diversity Recruiters is a staffing and recruitment company that specializes in finding and placing qualified diverse applicants with employers. Central to the firm’s mission is the belief that a talented and diverse workforce supports innovation and economic freedom. Diversity Recruiters is a pay-for-performance placement firm that shares the risk with its clients. The firm describes itself as highly specialized: “Our sole passion is to innovate through diversity.”
Ms. Ferrer’s career has been dedicated to equity, diversity and workforce development, including working as executive director of Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Employment for Women, the oldest female-focused pre-apprenticeship organization in the U.S. She has also served as a regional administrator for the Washington State Employment Security Department, Workforce Development Division.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Medi
