Executive Director Save

ABOUT HOUSING NAVIGATOR

Housing Navigator MA is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) that addresses a glaring digital divide around one of the most important choices we make – where to live. We center the experience of people seeking their way home every day through our site and leverage our unique vantage point connecting renters, owners, and public agencies to make change.

Housing Navigator Massachusetts, Inc. (HNMI) connects people with places to call home. The creative, entrepreneurial and impact-focused team at HNMI has developed a technology-driven platform that gives potential renters easy access to accurate data on affordable housing inventory in the Commonwealth. We bring transparency and accessibility to a complex system with the goal of empowering people and narrowing the glaring digital divide that many face around one of the most important choices we all make – where to live. HNMI is a 501(c)(3) founded in 2019.

Our innovative initial product– a simplified, user-focused housing search tool –launched in August 2021 and had immediate impact. Over 100,000 people accessed the site in the first year and the Boston Globe has called Housing Navigator a “game-changer” for renters seeking affordable housing in Massachusetts. We are a nationally recognized model, constantly enhancing our service, hosting more users (now 400,000/year), adding listings, and working to improve access to affordable housing at a systemic level. In 2024, we debuted our second product, Affordable Housing Supply dashboards, which provide easy-to-access to quick insights on the where, what and how many of our income restricted housing stock statewide and town-by-town. In our next chapter, our focus centers on the challenges people face in navigating the search and application journey. As part of that effort, we are partnering with the state of Massachusetts in their work to create a common app.

We partner with the public sector, housing owners, housing advocates, human service organizations, and technology leaders to serve the needs of those who are seeking to rent affordable housing. In addition to this role, our team includes 5 full-time team members
based in Cambridge, MA.  

THE OPPORTUNITY: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

HNMI is seeking a dynamic, mission-driven, and hands-on Executive Director (ED) to lead the organization through its next phase of growth and development. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED will provide strategic leadership, oversee daily operations, and build partnerships and relationships to ensure the sustainability and success of the organization. This individual will be responsible for implementing HNMI’s next growth phase, cultivating partnerships, managing staff, and serving as the public face of the organization.

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics: 

Collaborative Leader Committed to the Mission

Our mission is to connect people with a place to call home by serving as the “front door” to affordable housing in Massachusetts. We are committed to fairness and access in both housing and technology, bringing data into policy-making conversations and always focusing on what works best for those using our tools to find housing. We seek an Executive Director who is strategic, empathetic, and mission driven. They must excel in fostering a positive and inclusive work environment, promoting staff well-being, and driving a positive and productive culture. Strong management and team-building skills are essential to motivate and align staff with our organizational goals, ensuring a high-performing and passionate team that shares our commitment to making affordable housing accessible to all. 

Leadership & Vision 

A proactive and dynamic Executive Director who is comfortable managing day-to-day operations while providing strategic direction for the future of the organization. This hands-on role requires someone who can keep the organization’s goals aligned with its mission of improving access and equity in the affordable housing system, within the context of an ever-changing technology sector. They should be visionary but focused, balancing the organization’s long-term vision with practical execution to lead it through its next growth phase. An entrepreneurial approach is essential, with the ability to adapt quickly to changing conditions, innovate, and optimize services while leading a small, growing team. We value a leader who prioritizes direct management of operations, while also utilizing delegation as appropriate. Additionally,strong, inspiring communication skills are critical, enabling the leader to engage and motivate staff, board members, donors, and external partners around the organization’s vision and mission.

Stewardship of Financially Sustainable Growth and Business Operations 

The Executive Director will have experience in making a dynamic, entrepreneurial and high impact organization run smoothly and garner the kind of support that allows it to grow in a sustainable manner. They will have experience tapping into and managing relationships with funding sources, ideally some or all of the types of sources that the organization currently draws on: public sector support, fee-for-service and philanthropy. They will have a strong understanding of how to navigate government funding processes, how to secure grants, and how to maintain essential relationships with government agencies and key partners. The leader must also focus on maintaining fiscal responsibility, and a demonstrated ability to manage the budget prudently while balancing impact and innovation with sustainable growth. 

Partnerships & Government Navigation 

They must excel at building and maintaining strong relationships with key constituents, including government agencies, developers of affordable housing, and service providers who support people with housing instability (e.g. hospitals, shelters, legal services). While technical expertise is not required, familiarity with affordable housing, government operations and an array of service providers is helpful. The candidate should be adept at navigating bureaucratic systems to advocate for the organization’s interests and proactively seek improvements in government collaboration. Deepening and sustaining existing partnerships with a diverse range of well as actors—policymakers, nonprofits, and housing developers— as developing new partnerships is critical for the organization’s success. Strong diplomacy and collaboration skills are necessary to align constituents and resolve potential conflicts, ensuring effective partnerships and continued progress. 

Public Interest Technology & User Experience Knowledge 

The Executive Director should draw on experience with the power of technology tools to drive positive social change, expand public access to critical resources, and improve quality of life for residents of the Commonwealth. Specifically, the leader should have strong instincts for how to use technology to improve the search for affordable housing, always centering the perspective of users of our tool as they navigate access to affordable housing. The Executive Director should be prepared to maintain the organization’s focus on the tool’s usability, ensuring information is trustworthy, easy to navigate, and inclusive for users from diverse backgrounds. They must also understand how technology serves the organization’s mission, recognizing opportunities for innovation in housing search tools while ensuring the platform evolves to meet both user and policy needs including integration with a common application.

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• Proven leadership experience in a nonprofit, government, or related field, ideally in housing, technology, or an aligned social impact venture that focuses on making access to critical resources easier for the public.
• Familiarity with users of our tool and the ability to navigate government partnerships and bureaucratic processes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and engage a wide range of constituents, including staff, board members, government officials, and the public.
• Experience with technology-driven solutions and a user-centered approach to product development and service delivery.
• Strong team building and management skills, with a focus on staff retention and development.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS 

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $175,000 - $200,000 with a generous benefits package. 

We offer a hybrid work environment (two days a week in the office/three remote). You must be able to commute for those two days (currently Monday and Wednesday) to our offices in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. This role will additionally require occasional travel within Massachusetts and some in-person workdays other than Monday and Wednesday. Building and maintaining relationships with Massachusetts policymakers and funders will require frequent in-person attendance at events and meetings.

EXPRESSING INTEREST 

Koya Partners, A Diversified Search Group executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Kim Dukes and Andy Tarsy have been retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials by filling out our https://apptrkr.com/5654087 or email [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. To view the full position profile, please click https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/21428-housing-navigator-massachusetts-executive-director/

Diversified Search Group/Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process. 

Housing Navigator is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants. 

To apply, visit: https://apptrkr.com/5654087