Regional Housing Legal Services
RHLS is a nonprofit law firm that works to imagine and support the creation of decent, safe, affordable and sustainable housing for lower-income people living in Pennsylvania. RHLS drives successful housing creation because of its unique expertise in affordable, sustainable housing, community and economic development, utility matters and policy supports for home ownership. RHLS has committed to making safe, affordable, and healthy housing a reality for all Pennsylvanians for nearly fifty years. Pennsylvania had a severe shortage of affordable and healthy housing before COVID-19. Now, the National Council of State Housing Agencies estimates that in Pennsylvania, the pandemic and the resulting economic impact have put 240,000 families at risk of losing their homes. The problem may be in new scale, but it is familiar to RHLS, which has succeeded in the long-term work of creating safe, affordable housing for all.
Position Description:
The next Executive Director will have the opportunity to further advance the organization’s core mission of creating housing and economic opportunity in under-served communities in Pennsylvania and effecting systemic change for the benefit of lower-income households statewide. They will further the organization’s work to center racial equity in our substantive work, and increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization. The next Executive Director will join a stable organization with many experienced and skilled staff members.
RHLS’ ideal next Executive Director will be ready to lead with integrity and compassion. They will work collaboratively with the management team to ensure organizational stability and the diversification and expansion of funding streams. They will maintain, nurture and grow long- term and productive organizational relationships with clients, funders, and private and public stakeholders. They will foster and prioritize an organizational culture of learning and accountability coupled with strong support for professional development of staff.
The successful candidate for this position will bring knowledge of affordable housing and community development; lived experience or committed professional experience with the challenges facing low-income populations and communities of color; the capacity to build, direct, and motivate a team of experts in a highly collaborative environment; strong strategic skills that identify priorities and integrate resources toward achieving these objectives; and exceptional organizational change and culture development skills that will support RHLS’s growth through this period of change.