Medford Housing Authority Executive Director Profile September 19, 2012 The Medford Housing Authority (MHA) has retained the services of the Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston to assist it in its search for an Executive Director. The Center is a part of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. Background on the MHA The MHA serves the City of Medford, MA (population 57,000), which is located six miles north of Boston. It operates 1380 federal family/elderly/disabled public housing and Section 8 units and 392 State family/elderly/disabled units. In the first half of 2011, after adverse media reports and findings of regulatory agencies, the Chair of the MHA Board of Commissioners resigned at the request of Governor Patrick and was replaced by a new Commissioner, appointed by the Governor. Weeks later, the MHA Executive Director resigned at the unanimous request of the Commissioners, Governor Patrick and local elected officials. The Director of Operations at the time is no longer employed by the MHA. The Mayor subsequently appointed two additional new Commissioners to the five person Board. The current Board has a majority of new members and is focused on an agenda of reform and renewal. The Board is looking for an Executive Director who can help the Board refine and implement a reform agenda. Organizational Design and Governance The MHA functions under Massachusetts state law and is also regulated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The state oversight agency is the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Four of the Board members are appointed by the Mayor of Medford and confirmed by the City Council. One member is appointed by the Governor. The commissioners are appointed for five-year terms. In addition to the Executive Director there is a Chief Financial Officer, an Assistant Executive Director, Director of Maintenance and Director of Leased Housing. While the formal governance structure is clear and based on statute, internal structure is unclear. In general, the MHA does not have job descriptions for employees (except the unionized maintenance staff) and does not have a clear table of organization. The current situation is a consequence of a long period of somewhat informal management and a pattern of awarding titles in recognition for good performance. Approximately twelve million dollars of the MHA s thirteen million dollar operating subsidies originate with HUD with the balance coming from the Commonwealth. The Executive Director The Board has recently updated the official job description for the Executive Director position. A copy may be found on the Collins Center web site. The new Executive Director will be responsible for ensuring that day-to-day operations run smoothly and efficiently and that residents legitimate needs are addressed promptly and courteously. He/she is responsible for overseeing the work of nearly 40 staff and several consultants including finance and accounting specialists, architects and engineers, and attorneys
serving the MHA. In addition, the Executive Director is responsible for overseeing the work of trade, social service and specialized contractors. In addition the Executive Director needs to be the principal interface with HUD and DHCD, the two principal oversight and funding agencies as well as with other relevant governmental agencies. In addition, the Executive Director needs to be the public face of the MHA and become familiar with the Medford community and the regional housing and public administration community with a view toward developing and sustaining relationships that place the MHA as an LHA moving toward top tier status. The Executive Director can have no agenda other than being a professional. The Executive Director must be an organizational leader capable of dealing effectively with staff at all levels and able to foster a sense of collective purpose and commitment. The ability to establish and sustain credibility with both resident and regulatory agencies is essential. The Board has decided that any litigation or similar matters relating to the previous Executive Director and his subordinates will be the sole responsibility of the Board and not the new Executive Director. Challenges for the Executive Director Restoring/Enhancing Public Confidence in the MHA. The Board is carrying out this recruitment in an open and transparent manner. The new Executive Director will need to conduct himself/herself in a way, which builds on this Board initiative and continuously convey that that the MHA is a professionally managed, transparent, and service oriented public organization. Evaluating the staffing structure, organizational systems and procedures. The current structure, staffing and work patterns have developed in an ad hoc way. The new Executive Director must assess these patterns and the authority s resources, to determine if they are adequate to support the modernization of the MHA s business and operational practices. The new Executive Director will determine how to optimize the organization to provide efficient and effective service to residents and the community. Earning the respect and support of subordinates, peers and key opinion leaders. The new Executive Director through his/her substantive knowledge, personal style and communication skills will need to recognize that building the confidence of others in his/her own leadership will be one of the key elements of engendering renewed confidence in the organization. Gaining credibility with MHA s regulators and funders, and key state officials. Recently HUD, DHCD, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Inspector General and others have been closely monitoring the activities of the MHA. The new Executive Director needs to develop professional relationships with oversight agency 2
staff and manage the activities of the MHA in a manner that allows them to return to its normal level of oversight. The new Executive Director needs to become perceived as a professional peer to senior HUD and DHCD staff. Forging a relationship with elected and appointed officials in Medford. The Executive Director needs to know the key local stakeholders in the community, foster positive professional relationships and engender the sense that the MHA is an organization that capably serves a significant portion of the City s residents. Engendering, at all levels in the Authority, a sense of stewardship of public resources. The Executive Director needs to convey through his/her actions, demeanor and formal directives that the MHA staff are stewards of public assets that are paid for by taxpayers and the contributions of hard-working residents. Developing and Sustaining a Customer Service orientation at all levels in the organization. The Executive Director needs to convey a sense to all staff that the MHA has a public mission and that serving its residents, being a good neighbor and serving as a trustee of public funds is its core mission. Establishing a high quality procurement function within the MHA and a system to monitor the performance of this function. The Executive Director must have the capability of addressing this issue, as it has been an audit finding. Working with a policy board that meets and makes decisions in public. The Executive Director must be comfortable discussing complex and sensitive matters in public with a view toward bringing a more transparent and open management style to the MHA. Determining whether the current balance of staff and outside/consulting expertise is optimum. In a financially constrained environment the correct balance between tasks performed internally and externally must be determined. Establishing a modern human resource system that includes job descriptions, a pay and classification system and a regular, equitable performance evaluation system. The Executive Director must move quickly, but thoughtfully, to put Human Resources systems in places that enable the MHA to operate efficiently, enable staff to clearly understand their responsibilities, be held accountable and evaluated regularly. The Ideal Candidate The Ideal Candidate will be a professionally seasoned public manager who has a demonstrated record of effectiveness in public organizations. He/She needs to be Able to demonstrate unquestioned integrity in interactions with all stakeholders in the MHA. 3
Able to establish an organizational culture of continuous improvement that will result in the MHA becoming a model public housing authority. Able to firmly exercise control of the MHA s finances including both the revenue and expenditure components of the operating and capital budgets and ensure that external and internal reporting requirements are met in a timely and professional manner. Able to help Board members understand the short and long term financial implications of MHA policy decisions and the policy decisions of lawmakers and regulators. Able to manage a medium sized staff with sufficient operating knowledge to solve practical problems and address technical issues. Able to develop a system of staff development and support that enables permanent staff to develop enhanced skills and competencies in a field that is transforming itself to become more efficient and innovative as it responds to limited funding and aging assets. Able to demonstrate an understanding of the daily and systemic issues that public housing residents and rental assistance recipients face. Able to develop and implement capital and modernization programs on a consistent basis with excellent results. Able to establish a high quality modern procurement system Able to make personnel decisions that align staffing with the organization s current needs, in a way that is mindful of the MHA s limited resources The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor s degree and the knowledge typically gained through a Master s or professional degree program in a relevant field and fifteen to twenty years of public management experience and be able to meet any statutory requirements applicable to Housing Authority Directors. The successful candidate must be a well-rounded manager with a track record of managing complex customer service organizations preferably in a regulated environment. Service planning, financial and human resource management and the ability to build and foster a cohesive service delivery team are strengths vital to this position, as is the ability to develop and maintain positive professional relationships with board members and with senior officials the state and federal level. The successful candidate need not be a career public housing manager but does need to have familiarity with facilities management and the administration of complex public benefit programs. Familiarity with Housing 4
Authority management as an Executive Director at a Housing Authority or similar agency or as a senior staff member at a large housing authority is a real plus. The Selection Process A Screening Committee has been established by the Board. Its charge is to screen candidates presented by the Collins Center based on this profile and forward no fewer than three candidates for consideration by the full board. The Screening Committee will not rank the recommended candidates. The full board will interview the candidates recommended by the Screening Committee and make an offer of employment. The Screening Committee anticipates that identification of candidates to be invited for interview will occur in late October or early November and that the Board will conduct interviews of finalists in November or early December. The names of candidates will be held in confidence, but the names of finalists recommended by the Screening Committee will be public. Salary and Compensation The MHA will negotiate salary and conditions of employment DOQ. Direct salary is expected to be in the low to mid hundreds. The board will consider negotiating an employment contract that is consistent with current best practice. How to Apply Applications are preferred electronically. Please send your resume with a cover letter addressing the job requirements to this email address: recruitment.umb@gmail.com. MHA_ED must be in the subject line. Applications should be submitted by October 22, 2012. Please combine all of your documents in a single file. PDF format is preferred. Should you have any questions regarding this opportunity, or a recommendation of a colleague, please contact: Richard Kobayashi, Senior Consultant, (617 489-8812) or Mary Aicardi, Associate (508 215-8992) 5