Job Description

The Department of Workforce Services, Office of Homeless Services (OHS), is seeking two highly skilled candidates to fill Program Specialist positions. This position will assist with the administration of the Office of Homeless Services Deeply Affordable Housing Fund, HOME-ARP, and other funding sources that the Office oversees.

Principal Duties:
This position is responsible for:

• Performing Federal and State contract performance and compliance monitoring of homeless services and affordable housing programs;
• Onsite inspections of housing projects to ensure completeness and continued provision of supportive services as required;
• Identifying and communicating audit issues, technical matters, and improvement opportunities;
• Coordinating with colleagues in the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) Office of Homeless Services (OHS), DWS contracts team, homeless service providers, federal partners, local governments, and other state departments and divisions;
• Participating in the management of state funding for homeless services, and federal funding processes through U.S. Housing and Urban Development;
• Contract creation, and management of funding for services related to homelessness in coordination with the DWS contract team and finance division;
• Managing contracts and monitoring to program policies and procedures, federal regulations, funding source requirements and reporting requirements;
• Providing training and technical support to agencies throughout the state to ensure compliance with federal rules and regulations, data collection and quality, and making recommendations for improvement;
• Providing expertise on federal, state, local regulations, standards, and best practices related to housing and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness;
• Working with a variety of stakeholders, including homeless service providers, health providers, social justice advocates, law enforcement agencies, affordable housing and community development organizations, and local governments;
• Supporting the implementation of the statewide strategic plan on homelessness in coordination with local strategic homelessness plans;
• Collaborating on the development of Requests for Grant Applications (RFGA) and other solicitations;
• Collaborating on the creation and submission of state and federally required reports and ad hoc queries.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate for this position is someone who has:

• Demonstrated experience with contract administration, monitoring, and reporting;
• Experience with the creation of affordable housing project applications for funding;
• Familiarity with affordable housing compliance, including Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), HOME, HOME-American Rescue Plan, or other affordable housing funding sources;
• High level experience monitoring programs and coordinating fiscal compliance of government contracts;
• Experience with Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) operations and case management requirements;
• Professional experience and working knowledge of homelessness services, state homelessness strategies, and U.S. Housing and Urban Development funding and processes;
• Experience creating policies and processes for new and existing programs;
• Experience providing effective technical assistance and consultation;
• A high tolerance for managing complex situations and demonstrated experience in creating workable solutions;
• Demonstrated talent and ability to learn complex programs and implement them successfully;
• Excellent communication skills including the ability to convey complex and technical information clearly to non-technical audiences;
• Self-motivated with the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and manage changing priorities;
• Experience writing correspondence, reports, documents and/or other written materials;
• Experience working with people in a manner which shows sensitivity, tact, professionalism and responsiveness;
• Advanced skills with Microsoft Office products, specifically in Word and Excel;
• Bachelor's Degree in a social services related field or three years of experience working with homeless service or government admin programs.

Why You Should Join Our Team
Besides working for a fantastic agency that is dedicated to helping the citizens of Utah, you will receive great health and retirement benefits. Click here to view a summary of benefits we offer. We also provide generous paid time off so you can spend more time with your family and have a positive work-life balance.

The Agency
The mission of Workforce Services is to strengthen Utah’s communities by connecting the workforce to new opportunities and providing services to individuals and families in need. Today, more than 2,200 Workforce Services employees assist individuals in preparing for and finding jobs, meeting workforce needs of Utah businesses, administering temporary assistance, and providing economic data and analysis. Through a collaborative approach, the department has served millions of Utahns and has become a leader on several statewide initiatives. These include intergenerational poverty, homelessness, affordable housing, supporting refugees, helping rural communities, serving veterans and individuals with disabilities, and getting Utahns trained and back to work. To learn more about Workforce Services, click here

Supplemental Information

• Risks found in the typical office setting, which is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated, e.g., safe use of office equipment, avoiding trips and falls, observing fire regulations, etc.
• Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform the work; however, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying light items; driving an automobile, etc. Special physical demands are not required to perform the work.
• DHRM rules regarding promotions and transfers apply to current state of Utah employees.
• Typical work schedule is Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.