GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Grow America, one of the oldest national non‐profit community and economic development organizations in the country. Grow America, formerly National Development Council, was founded in 1969 with a mission of increasing the flow of capital for investment, jobs and community development to underserved urban and rural areas across the country. For additional information about Grow America, please visit http://www.growamerica.org.

 

East Regional Field Directors (Directors) at Grow America deliver Grow America’s core services, including technical advisory services and capacity building, to local governments and non-profit corporations. Grow America Field Directors provide expert technical advisory and development services for commercial and residential development and small business expansion. Grow America services and products are used to leverage private investment and make determinations for appropriately sizing public financial incentives in order to attract maximum private investment.

 

LOCATION: 

Hybrid of working in the office and home office. Travel regularly for internal and external meetings, up to 25% of the time. 

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, evaluate and implement economic and housing development programs.

• Evaluate markets and develop customized policy and program solutions.

• Evaluate real estate development proposals.

• Structure incentives and financing packages for real estate and operating businesses.

• Represent Grow America’s programs and services for practical application in client communities. These programs include

  • Grow America Fund - a small business lending company

  • Corporate Equity Fund - a syndicated fund that purchases housing and historic tax credits

  • HEDC New Markets - a community development entity (CDE) that has received several allocations of New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs)

  • Housing and Economic Development Corporation – Grow America’s development affiliate involved with public private partnerships for public facility and social infrastructure development.

  • Development Services – an affiliated entity that undertakes real estate development as a general partner developer or as a development services provider for projects involving social infrastructure or affordable and mixed-income housing.

• Instruct public sector and non-profit staff in economic development and housing development finance as part of  Grow America’s renown professional development classes and professional certification program(s) in in the areas of

  • Small business credit analysis and financing

  • Commercial/industrial real estate development

  • Affordable and market rate rental and for-sale housing development

 

GENERAL QUALIFICATION GUIDELINES:

Experience and Education:

• A bachelor’s degree in public or business administration, finance, planning, real estate development or other related fields. Master’s degree in a related field preferred.

• Ten years of increasingly responsible experience with economic development and housing development.

• Highly energetic, creative self-starter capable of managing various assignments for multiple parties.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• An extensive working knowledge with the principles and practices of business credit, real estate credit and affordable housing. Proven experience with underwriting operating businesses, affordable housing developments, and commercial real estate developments.

• A solid working knowledge of existing economic development resources commonly used as a means of encouraging private investment. These programs include but are not limited to:

  • US. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Section 108 Loan Guarantee program, and HOME.

  • U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) - 7(a) Loan Guarantee and 504 loan programs.

  • Federal Tax Credits including New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and Rehabilitation/Historic Tax Credits (RTC).

  • Tax Abatement and Tax Increment Financing.

  • Taxable and Tax-Exempt Bond Financing.

• Ability to formulate and implement public policy to ensure client compliance with regulations, fiscal and programmatic accountability, and client goals and objectives.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with professional colleagues, municipal clients, public officials, developers, and representatives from private and public financial organizations.

• A demonstrated ability to solve problems in a collaborative work environment.

• Entrepreneurial and strategic financial knowledge and understanding, combined with an ability to clearly summarize and communicate complex financial information.

 

This position will report to: Kevin Gremse, Managing Director, East Team 

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to: HR@growamerica.org 

 

Competitive salary commensurate with experience.  The salary range is $135,000 to $150,000. Comprehensive benefits package. Grow America is an Equal Opportunity employer.

 

The information provided above has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of the work of the position. It is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required.