Hester StreetHester Street seeks a Project Manager to join our community economic development team to support community-driven and community controlled real estate projects. We’re searching for a professional with 3-5 years of real estate finance, real estate development or community development experience who is committed to racial and social justice, excited to join a collaborative, high-energy team, and seeking opportunities for professional growth. Applications are due by 11:59 pm, ET on September 29, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
About Hester Street
Hester Street (HST) is an urban planning, design and development nonprofit that works to ensure that neighborhoods are shaped by the people who live in them. HST designs avenues for inclusive civic engagement, amplifying the voices of those struggling against inequities and supporting neighborhood leaders to design solutions that work for their communities. Through deep collaboration with community-based organizations, HST facilitates processes that remediate environmental harms and build climate resilience; create and maintain equitable places and spaces for communities to gather; and foster thriving communities by building civic infrastructure and capacity for advocacy. HST offers technical and capacity-building assistance to community-based organizations, private firms and government agencies on land use processes, neighborhood planning and design, and public and private community development projects. Leveraging tools of participatory planning, design, and community development, HST centers the expertise of neighborhood leaders to achieve racial and social justice.
About the Position
The Project Manager will work closely with HST’s community partners to advance the development of community controlled real estate projects, including community facilities, commercial spaces and community land trust initiatives. Key responsibilities of the Project Manager include:
Community-Based Real Estate Development
- Conduct project feasibility analysis and due diligence
- Coordinate broad teams of project stakeholders, including community partners/clients, design consultants, general contractors, legal teams and financial partners
- Oversee the design and implementation of stakeholder/community engagement strategies to define project priorities and inform development decisions; guide the analysis and synthesis of engagement data to inform programming and spatial analysis/planning
- Coordinate closings and property acquisitions
- Advocate for community partners in negotiations with sellers/landlords
- Coordinate the assembly of design team consultants through the issuance of RFPs and bid leveling
- Assist with contract negotiation between community partners and consultants
- Provide partners with project insights and recommendations based on information gathered and analyzed
Funding and Finance
- Assess project financial feasibility by creating and managing pro forma models to provide partners with recommendations for the best solutions
- Guide the creation of fundraising materials for community partners
- Lead drafting, editing and coordination of grant applications and funding proposals for development projects
- Contribute to the identification, pursuance, and award of financing during the predevelopment and development phases of real estate projects from a variety of sources, including federal, state and city entities, as well as banks, philanthropic and other financial institutions
Project Management and Relationship Management
- Communicate clearly and effectively with community partners and ensure they are provided with clear and digestible information to inform decision-making
- Manage and maintain stakeholder relationships, including those with community partners, elected officials, funders, lenders, real estate brokers, and design & construction consultants
- Develop and monitor realistic project budgets and schedules throughout project duration, assuring that budgets and timelines are met within reason
- Support, manage, and lead HST team members to ensure project management responsibilities are met
- Lead/own projects, assuring successful implementation of project tasks by forecasting and troubleshooting challenges and contributing to team and organizational thought partnership
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in architecture, planning, real estate, or a related field, or the equivalent in training and experience
- 3-5 years of real estate and/or community development experience
- Experience structuring deals, securing construction / permanent loans and navigating NYC Capital Grants / Reso A Funds and/or NYS CFA funding a plus
- Proactive, deadline-oriented and able to juggle multiple project deliverables
- Superior client management skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Curiosity to learn and support HST’s interdisciplinary portfolio of work
- Experience working in low-income, immigrant and communities of color and/or with community-based organizations preferred; experience working with New York City communities a plus
- Fluency in a language other than English a plus
Location & Schedule
Our team currently works on a hybrid schedule in a co-working space in lower Manhattan. Some of our project management work takes place in person in community settings, and sometimes our team members support events in the evening or on weekends. We offer flexible scheduling when team members are expected to work at those times.
Compensation & Benefits
$77,000 – $92,000/year. We offer a competitive benefits package including paid time off, health, dental, vision, insurance, commuter, professional development and retirement benefits.
To Apply
Please apply through Hester Street’s website here and be sure to submit a cover letter, résumé, and portfolio or two work samples. If the work you are submitting was done collaboratively, please explicitly state which aspects of the project you contributed to in your cover letter. Applications are due by 11:59 pm, ET on September 29, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Hester Street works with low-income communities and communities of color across New York City and we believe that our staff should reflect this diversity. People of color, immigrants, LGBTQIA+, women, gender non-conforming individuals and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Hester Street is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We seek to build an inclusive organization grounded in respect for differences and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, disability, past experience of incarceration, or veteran status.
Hester Street is a nonprofit organization incorporated as Hester Street Collaborative, Inc.
Please apply through Hester Street’s website here.
