Job Posting
Director, Housing Policy & Urban Affairs
Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA)
“The Voice of Canada’s Residential Construction Industry Since 1943”
Position Type: Full-Time
Salary: Commensurate with Education & Experience
Job Location: National Office - 141 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) national office is seeking a dynamic housing/land development and housing policy professional to lead its key activities related to urban development, municipal affairs and other high-profile housing policy files. A key leader in CHBA’s Policy Team, this director, working with Kevin Lee, CEO, and other CHBA experts, will formulate national policy, engage with key federal agencies and other stakeholders, collaborate extensively with local and provincial associations, and be the staff lead for CHBA’s Urban Council. Come join our dynamic team in this exciting position to support our industry in meeting the housing aspirations of Canadians!
ABOUT THE JOB
Key Responsibilities
Lead CHBA’s Urban Affairs Activities by:
- Performing the role of CHBA Staff Lead for CHBA’s Urban Council
- Engaging and meeting regularly with leaders from CHBA’s largest local constituent associations across the country to advance issues related to urban affairs
- Advancing projects related to the Urban Council agenda, including CHBA’s Municipal Benchmarking work, in consultation with CHBA’s economist
- Leading activities related to meetings of the Urban Council
- Liaising with key organizations related to urban affairs (e.g. CMHC, Infrastructure Canada, HRSDC, FCM, etc.)
- Leading and overseeing policy and research related to:
- Land-use development, regulation and planning
- Market-rate housing supply
- Transit-oriented development policy
- Development fees, charges, and taxes
- Homeownership, rental, and the rest of the housing continuum
Lead Key Housing Policy Files by:
- Working as part of CHBA’s policy team, to develop/evolve/update key housing policy positions for the Association
- Collaborating with staff leads of CHBA’s committees and councils to formulate policies related thereto and to conduct strategic research to support policy positions and recommendations
- Leading a selection of CHBA policy files
- Liaising with key organizations related to policy files
- Working closely with CHBA’s Economist on all of the above, plus CHBA’s economic modelling activities
- Liaising with Provincial and Local Home Builders’ Association Staff on key policy files
- Lead on a selection of those CHBA policy files
ABOUT YOU, THE CANDIDATE
Education:
Post-Secondary Degree or Diploma in a related field
Asset: Post-Graduate degree in a related field
Experience:
- A minimum of ten (10) years’ recent practical work experience in a related field
- Experience in policy assessment and development
- Experience in land and housing development
- Asset: experience in municipal affairs
- Asset: experience in government relations
Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.
Knowledge:
- Knowledge of government agencies and other key national players related to urban affairs
- Knowledge of land development practices and issues in Canada
- Knowledge of policy development, housing economics and real estate
- In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint)
Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to assess and develop policy, organizational priorities and other externalities to formulate strong policy positions
- Ability to develop strong working relationships that encourage cooperation
- Ability to multi-task, advancing multiple projects and activities simultaneously
- Strong writing, research and content development skills
- Strong verbal communication skills
- Strong presentation skills
- Asset: chair experience for committees
- Asset: Ability to communicate in both English and French
Team Fit:
- Outstanding interpersonal skills
- Strong organizational skills
- Detail-oriented
- Time management skills
- Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and competing deadlines
- Enthusiastic desire to contribute to the overall success of the CHBA and its members
- Self-starter who thrives in an environment where he/she can be equally successful working independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment
- Emotional intelligence: effective understanding of oneself and others and ability to relate well to other people
ABOUT CHBA
How we deliver our services
CHBA is the national level of one association working at three levels – nationally, provincially and locally. Our members join a Local Home Builders’ Association (HBA), and in so doing also become members of the provincial and national levels of the Association. There are over 60 constituents (local and provincial) HBAs in the Association.
Our membership is made up of over 9,000 leading companies from coast to coast – including home builders, renovators, land developers, trade contractors, product and material manufacturers, building product suppliers, lending institutions, insurance providers, and service professionals. Our industry currently represents over $150B of economic activity and over 1.2 million on- and off-site jobs.
The members engaged with the National Association are leaders in the industry and within the local and provincial levels of the Association – they are successful business people who volunteer their time for years to give back to the industry and support its overall success.
Each level of the Association works to support the members and works with the government at its level (federal, provincial or municipal) to advance the interests of the industry and Canadians with respect to housing. The three levels of the Association collaborate to ensure a consistent approach towards real solutions that will benefit members and consumers alike.
CHBA is a federal not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership, supported by our professional staff.
At the national level, our system of Committees and Councils brings together industry experts from across the country to share information and ideas, collaborate on common issues, and to formulate recommendations to governments to improve the quality, affordability and choice of homes for Canadians.
Our Team
The national office staff is a high-performance team of cross-disciplinary professionals working in a dynamic and welcoming work environment. There is a great deal of comradery in our day-to-day dealings with each other, our constituent associations, our Board leadership and its Executive Committee, and our members. We juggle a variety of work activities that allow us to take on new challenges and develop new skills and make use of the multi-disciplinary team we have on staff. We value a positive and collaborative work environment above all, striving for continuous improvement, and at all times treat each other with respect.
- We are naturally entrepreneurial and innovative and enjoy collaborating on new ways of approaching a task or challenge.
- We work both autonomously and together in teams, knowing that we each bring our own expert contribution to the organization.
- We are not shy about asking for help and we celebrate each other’s strengths.
We are constantly and solely focused on delivering the best services and support to our membership, in the most efficient and effective manner possible, always bearing in mind that per our strategic plan: “CHBA exists to serve the interests of our industry and to help our members succeed and prosper as they strive to fulfill the housing aspirations of Canadians.”
Our Location
Located on Laurier Avenue just beside the Lord Elgin Hotel on Elgin Street, CHBA’s offices are a stone’s throw from Parliament Hill and key government agencies, where CHBA staff have meetings on a regular basis. The newly completed space offers our staff a wonderful work environment, with new office furniture, high-tech boardrooms, a spacious kitchen, casual meeting and group workspaces, a dedicated video room and more. Connected to the Marriott and Metcalfe hotels next door, there is easy access to various amenities, including CHBA discounted rates for membership at the hotels’ fitness centre, pool, sauna and whirlpool facilities (which all CHBA staff make use of). Parking for vehicles and dedicated secure storage for bikes is available, and the location offers easy access to public transit and outdoor activity areas along the canal. Close to many restaurants and stores, the location provides quick access to Sparks Street, Elgin Street, the Rideau Centre and the Byward Market.
Hours of work
The hours of work are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, though some flexibility is available. There may be a requirement to travel within Canada to attend meetings. The incumbent may be asked to work overtime from time to time.
Please send resume and cover letter to careers@chba.ca. CHBA is looking to fill this position ASAP and will assess applications as they are received. Accordingly, there is no closing date for this posting. The application process for this posting will close when we have received a sufficient number of qualified applicants.
Accommodations will be provided at all stages of the hiring process. We ask applicants to make their needs known in advance.
We thank all applicants for their interest in this opportunity. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.