Director of Housing and Community Development – Town of Chapel Hill, NC

JOB CLOSES February 4 2026

If this sounds like you the vibrant and progressive Town of Chapel Hill invites you to apply for the Director of Housing and Community Development.The Director provides executive leadership and leads a mission-driven team dedicated to creatinga vibrant and inclusive community where all residents have access to affordable housing and opportunities to thrive.This role offers an opportunity to provide steady strategic leadership guide staff through change and foster a high-performing collaborative culture. TheDirectorwill lead both public and affordable housing challenges support affordable housing redevelopment projects and help expand housing opportunities in line with the Towns vision of a Complete Community.

About the Community:

The Town of Chapel Hill was established in 1793 to support the University of North Carolina (UNC) the Nations first public University. This thriving multicultural university community has a population of about 62000 and frequently appears in national best place to live listings. As home to the Nations first public institution of higher learning and a lively and successful Tar Heel sports program Chapel Hill is a picturesque community of 21 square miles filled with trees historic and mid-century architecture and a thriving downtown.

Located less than three hours from beautiful beaches and mountains and 30 minutes from RDU airport Chapel Hill is part of the rapidly urbanizing Research Triangle region. It is a recognized pioneer in education research and innovationa place where ideas are born. Home to brilliant minds award-winning restaurants innovative businesses highly rated public schools museums galleries festivals athletic events and a vibrant music and performing arts scene community members and visitors have abundant opportunities in this creative Town. The Towns fare-free transit system one of the first in the Nation provides community members with accessible transportation.

Demographically Chapel Hills racial composition () is 67% white 13% Asian and 11% black. About 7% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income is $85825 and the average home price is $576500. Over 75% of adult residents hold a bachelors degree and 45% have a masters degree or higher.

About the Organization:

The Towns mission is Learning Serving and Working Together to Build a Community Where People Thrive.Our organizations RESPECT values (Responsibility Equity Safety Professionalism Ethics Communication and Teamwork) are the basis for our choices. They are reflected in our behavior and decisions every day. They are our compass as we accomplish our mission and objectives. As a result residents have consistently rated Chapel Hill as high-performing in biennial community surveys.

In the past three years the Town has transitioned to a five-year budget outlook aimed at ensuring organization-wide sustainability and economic resiliency. The Town consistently wins awards for its annual budget and financial report.

The Town operates under a Council-Manager form of government with the Town Manager reporting to a nine-member Town Council led by the Mayor and who are all elected at-large. The Town Manager works with the Council to carry out theirstrategic priorities. Chapel Hills strategic focus for the future is guided by the community vision established in the Chapel Hill 2020 Comprehensive Plan refined with our 2023 Complete Community framework. The Town Council will be refining and refocusing their strategic vision in early 2026 which will guide departmental business plans and strategic initiatives.The Town prides itself on equitable community engagement. It offers multiple ways for the community to become involved share input and stay informed through the Community Connections Strategy and Engagement Study ImplementationAdvisory Boards and Commissions and state-of-the-art communication tools such as an open data Web platform and social media for community surveys.

The Town of Chapel HillsFY2025-26 budget is approximately $164 million a 4% increase over the prior year. The General Fund budget is approximately $95M. There are several enterprise funds including funds for transit storm water parking and public housing.

Chapel Hills current tax rate is .50 cents per $100 valuation. A portion of the tax rate is dedicated to affordable housing transit and debt service. There is also a Downtown Service District tax. The tax rate decreased by almost 5 cents from FY2024 to 5.8 cents above the revenue-neutral tax rate. Chapel Hill is primarily located within Orange County with a small portion in Durham Orange County the FY2025-26 tax rate is $.683 and in Durham County $.554. In the Chapel Hill / Carrboro School system there is a special district school rate of$0.1479.

About the Department and Position:

The Affordable Housing and Community Development Department includes 2 divisions focused on providing affordable housing and building community.

The Departments affordable housing division led by an Assistant Director oversees implementation of the Towns affordable housing initiatives including housing created through the Councils affordable housing zoning policies development of housing on Town-owned land federally funded Community Development Block Grant program transitional housing and an employee housing program. The team uses a combination of federal and local funds to carry out the Councils vision. Our team works collaboratively with Town departments community partners the development community and affordable housing advocates to achieve the Councils affordable housing goals.

Chapel Hill is one of the few municipalities in North Carolina that manages a Public Housing program with the Town Council serving as the Board of Directors. The Towns 296 public housing units are located within 11 communities throughout Town and one in Carrboro. Weve recently completed an operational evaluation and have prioritized development of a Public Housing Repositioning Plan this calendar year. Hiring an Assistant Director to manage day-to-day operations for Public Housing is a key priority for the Director.

Reporting to the Town Manager the Director of Housing and Community Developmentserves as the Towns chief housing leader providing strategic direction across affordable and public housing as well as community development initiatives. The Directormust have a strong working knowledge of federal state and local housing laws and funding programs fair housing requirements and best practices in housing development finance neighborhood revitalization and urban planning with a focus on equity and strategies to address housing instability and displacement.

The Director has 3 direct reports and a team of 18 FTEs. The Directorsets departmental priorities evaluates program performance and guides implementation of the Towns Affordable Housing Strategy and Investment Planas well as a public housing operational plan currently in development. The Directorensures departmental operations align with Council priorities and the Towns strategic plan manages resources effectively and builds strong relationships with staff elected officials community partners and community members.

The Town islaunching a new website on January 15^th and we encourage applicants to check periodically for the most recent information about the organization and the department.

Key Position Priorities:

• Build and sustain a strong departmental culture through effective leadership staff development performance management and organizational capacity building
• Develop and maintain strong relationships and actively engage with community members stakeholders and partners to advance housing and community development initiatives
• Use data and analysis to inform decision-making prepare reports for internal and external audiences and identify innovative solutions to meet departmental objectives and resource challenges

Qualifications:

A bachelors degree is required; a masters degree in planning Public Administration or a related field is preferred. Or any equivalent combination of training and/or experience that provides the required knowledge skills and abilities may be substituted. Work history must include well-rounded experience with a minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible leadership in affordable housing and community development. Local government experience and knowledge of public housing operations are desirable. A valid NC drivers license and/or reliable means of transportation to and between job sites are required.

The Successful Candidate is:

Salary and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $129504 - $207207.Compensation is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. View the Towns excellent benefits packagehere.To applyplease visit click on thetitle ofDirector ofHousing and Community Development Town of Chapel Hill NC.Please note the following:

The Town of Chapel Hill does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race color religion sex (including pregnancy and gender identity) national origin political affiliation sexual orientation marital status disability genetic information age membership in an employee organization retaliation parental status military service or other non-merit factor. Developmental Associates LLC manages this positions recruitment and selection process.To learn more about our selection process visit select Client Openings and scroll down to Important Information for Applicants.