Employment at HCS

Consider Joining Our Team
(Below are our current open positions.)
JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS
2023
HCS is a non-profit agency founded in 1972 to provide training, counseling and technical assistance to homebuyers, homeowners, tenants and the homeless. HCS works to build the capacity of individuals and groups to preserve their homes, seek their highest level of housing independence and support the economic and social development of their neighborhoods.
POSITION: FORECLOSURE PREVENTION COUNSELOR / TRAINER (Salary Range: $52,000 – $70,000)
If you are looking for a challenging but yet gratifying opportunity to make a real difference on the front lines of home preservation, consider a career in Foreclosure Prevention. We are seeking a highly qualified Housing Counselor to engage homeowners at risk of foreclosure throughout the DC Metro area. Our counselors regularly work with homeowners, lenders, municipalities as well as the courts to prevent foreclosure on a daily basis. If you are highly motivated and want to be challenged, please apply.
PRIMARY DUTIES:
- Provide counseling to homeowners on all housing issues in order to resolve problems and improve housing opportunities.
- Evaluate homeowners’ eligibility for loss mitigation options and other alternatives to avert foreclosure.
- Prepare mortgage relief applications with clients and follow-up with lenders to confirm completion.
- Negotiate workout agreements with lenders on behalf of clients.
- Work with the courts, attorneys, lenders and associations to assist homeowners in preventing foreclosure.
- Attend foreclosure hearings and mediations to support client needs.
- Follow-up with all clients to be assured that their needs are being met.
- Maintain accurate written and computer-based files.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Must demonstrate the ability to communicate with a variety of people including lenders, realtors, and low- and moderate-income families from a variety of cultures.
- Ability to work independently with minimum supervision and as a team player exercising mature judgement.
- Highly motivated self-starter with an ability to multi-task and meet deadlines.
- Must have excellent problem-solving skills and be able to develop innovative solutions.
- Ability to translate technical information into layman’s terms.
- Compassionate listener and firm educator.
- Must be versatile in order to handle a wide variety of duties.
- Sensitivity to the needs within the community and to individual clients.
- Must maintain and execute confidential information.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Bi-lingual individuals are encouraged to apply.
- The selected candidate must become HUD certified within 30 days of employment.
HCS is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. HCS recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, sex, age, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.
Resumes and cover letters should be sent to employment@housingetc.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.
POSITION: HOUSING PRESERVATION COORDINATOR (Salary Range: $48,000 – $66,000)
The Housing Preservation Coordinator will support tenants in preserving their housing, building skills, and benefit from enhanced opportunities. The Housing Preservation Coordinator will establish and firm up partnerships with private and public entities in order to create and enhance a series of strategies to prevent the displacement of residents East of the River. This position will work closely with our Tenant Services Specialists as well as community stakeholders to support the redevelopment of affordable housing, prevent displacement and engage individuals and the community in efforts to benefit from new investments.
PRIMARY DUTIES:
- Conduct research of existing affordable housing strategies in other cities
- Provide direct service and outreach to tenants East of the River
- Identify housing conditions and necessities of residents East of the River through surveys and other means of collecting data
- Maintain a database of all buildings served, including activities, outcomes and expectations for preservation
- Establish policy initiatives to support small multifamily housing preservation strategies
- Participate in community events to engage the public on various housing issues at community meetings, community fairs and other opportunities to disseminate information.
- Engage community partners including: community leaders, government officials, developers, lenders, management companies.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Education: Minimum BA, Masters in Urban Planning, Housing Finance or related field Preferred
- Logistics: Daily access to transportation, extensive local travel is required.
- Relevant experience: Background in urban planning and research, community development, affordable housing.
- Personal attributes: must be dynamic, flexible, self-directed, a strong multi-tasker, collaborative/team-focused, and have excellent analytical and public speaking skills.
- Communication skills: Ability to translate technical information into layman’s terms, ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people including: community groups, real estate professionals, landlords, attorneys, public officials, and low-income families from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
- Commitment to affordable housing, social justice and community education.
- Nights and weekend work required.
- Ability to capture data produce detailed maps, keep organized records and create detailed spreadsheets.
HCS is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. HCS recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, sex, age, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.
Resumes and cover letters should be sent to employment@housingetc.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.
POSITION: ACCOUNTING CLERK (Salary Range: $60,000 – $65,000)
Housing Counseling Services, Inc. (HCS) is seeking an Accounting Clerk to join the accounting and finance team. Housing Counseling has a variety of financial assistance programs. The HCS accounting team administers program payments for Veterans, people living with HIV, and rental assistance for low to moderate income DC residents.
PRIMARY DUTIES:
- Assist with processing rental and utility payments for a variety of assistance programs
- Assist with processing HCS agency bills and invoices as needed
- Accurate data entry into accounting software program
- Prepare and maintain paper and electronic files for all payments
- Run queries across a variety of databases to verify accurate payments
- Run queries in web-based database to ensure compliance with IRS requirements
- Pull reports from accounting software
- Maintain excel files of payment requests and payments
- Ability to research and respond to payment questions / issues
- Assemble and prepare client and landlord letters
- Assist with Audit preparation and audit requests
- Assist with account reconciliation
- Assist with 1099 preparation and distribution
- Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Must be detail-oriented, with high attention to accuracy
- Ability to handle a large volume of payment requests
- Ability to learn new software programs quickly
- Ability to work well with others under tight deadlines
- Ability to be flexible and respond to changes in priority
- Must be responsible and dependable
- Must maintain confidential information
- Must have strong communication skills
- Degree in accounting preferred but not required
HCS is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. HCS recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, sex, age, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.
Resumes and cover letters should be sent to employment@housingetc.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.
POSITION: CASE MANAGER (Salary Range: $65,000 – $75,000)
HCS is a non-profit agency founded in 1972 to provide training, counseling and technical assistance to homebuyers, homeowners, tenants and the homeless. HCS works to build the capacity of individuals and groups to preserve their homes, seek their highest level of housing independence and support the economic and social development of their neighborhoods. Housing Counseling Services, Inc. seeks an energetic self-starter to conduct case management activities and provide support services to households receiving housing and/or financial services from Housing Counseling Services.
PRIMARY DUTIES:
- Provides comprehensive housing case management to low-income households identified as homeless or at risk for homelessness towards stabilizing their housing circumstances.
- Complete comprehensive assessments and develop housing plans to identify barriers to housing and specific housing tasks.
- Assist households rapidly respond to housing instability through identifying viable permanent and temporary housing options.
- Connect households to services to support long term self-sufficiency as well as advocate on their behalf with landlords, social service agencies, and other service providers.
- Conduct follow-up with households to ensure their housing situation remains stable.
- Maintain accurate written and computer-based client files.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree with specialized professional experience in case management/social work;
- Strong ability to work independently and as a team player exercising mature judgment;
- Highly motivated self-starter with an ability to complete multiple tasks in timely manner;
- Must have excellent problem solving skills and able to develop innovate solutions;
- Experience providing supportive services to at-risk populations;
- Ability to respond to multiple emergency needs with patience and diligence;
- Must demonstrate the ability to communicate with a variety of professionals including bankers, realtors, contractors, landlords;
- Must maintain and execute confidential information;
- Strong oral and written communication skills as well as excellent computer skills;
- Ability to translate technical information into layman’s terms;
- Sensitivity to the needs within the community and to individual clients;
- Bilingual candidates encouraged to apply (not required).
HCS is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. HCS recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, sex, age, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.
Resumes and cover letters should be sent to employment@housingetc.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.
POSITION: ELIGIBILITY SPECIALIST (Salary Range: $60,000 – $70,000)
HCS is a non-profit agency founded in 1972 to provide training, counseling and technical assistance to homebuyers, homeowners, tenants and the homeless. HCS works to build the capacity of individuals and groups to preserve their homes, seek their highest level of housing independence and support the economic and social development of their neighborhoods. Housing Counseling Services, Inc. seeks an energetic self-starter to conduct eligibility determination activities and provide support and referral services to households seeking housing services in the D.C. Metropolitan region.
PRIMARY DUTIES:
- Complete applications and eligibility determinations for consumers and/or households applying to HCS for financial and/or housing assistance;
- Apply federal, state, and local regulation towards determining eligibility for housing and support services programs;
- Determine household’s eligibility for programs based on established program regulations and policies;
- Communicate with applicants/program participants regarding the status of their application via written and oral communication;
- Assist applicants develop housing plans towards preventing future housing emergencies/financial crises;
- Advocate on the behalf of households with landlords, social service agencies, etc.;
- Respond to emergency needs of clients along in collaboration with program social worker and case manager;
- Refer households to appropriate services to address their various needs such as food, utility assistance, clothing, medical care, etc.;
- Conduct outreach to educate residents, community, organizations, and stakeholders about HCS programs and services;
- Maintain accurate written and computer based files;
- Provide accurate and complete monthly reports;
- Perform other HCS tasks as requested.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred. At least four years of specialized professional experience and/or education related to eligibility determination, case management, housing education/counseling, or other related fields;
- Spanish speaker is a plus;
- Ability to understand, interpret, and explain federal, local, and state laws and regulations.
- Experience working with special needs populations;
- Ability to work in a faced paced environment;
- Strong oral and written communication skills;
- Ability to respond to multiple emergency needs with patience and diligence;
- Must demonstrate the ability to communicate with variety of professionals including case managers, real estate, medical, and attorneys as well as with low and moderate income families from a variety of cultures;
- Ability to translate technical information into layman’s terms;
- Must demonstrate an ability to work with minimum supervision;
- Must be versatile in order to handle a wide variety of duties;
- Sensitive to the needs within the community and to individual clients;
- Knowledge of housing law or capacity to learn;
- Strong computer skills.
HCS is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. HCS recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, sex, age, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.
Resumes and cover letters should be sent to employment@housingetc.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.
POSITION: SUPPORT SPECIALIST (Salary Range: $40,000 – $48,000)
HCS is seeking dedicated, hardworking and team-oriented individual to join our staff. The Support Specialist will provide customer service to agency clients and support services to HCS staff. The intake office is a very active and team centered environment that demands multi-tasking, energy, calm professionalism and quick action. The Support Specialist must become knowledgeable about all housing issues so as to best serve low and moderate income families seeking to improve housing opportunities and/or resolve a housing crisis. The duties of this position include: triage clients to identify housing needs, provide information about available HCS and community housing services/programs, process program applications, communicate with various community agencies, maintain and update agency database, and collect program data to complete monthly reports.
PRIMARY DUTIES:
- Conduct client interviews to determine needs;
- Schedule appointments;
- Make appropriate referrals within HCS and to outside sources;
- Receive and welcome clients;
- Answer calls, manage multi-line telephone system;
- Input client data and navigate through client database;
- Ensure that individuals are warmly served through our one-stop-shop for all housing services;
- Work effectively as part of a team with minimal supervision;
- Operate a multi-line telephone system, computer and database software;
- Communicate effectively with multi-lingual, multicultural clients about our services in a challenging environment;
- Manage difficult calls and in-person contacts in a calm, courteous, efficient and professional manner;
- Assess confidential information provided by clients and provide appropriate and accurate information, materials and/or referrals;
- Join a staff of forty in a team environment to identify challenges and suggest new and creative ways to meet our client needs and agency goals; and
- Other duties as assigned by immediate supervisor and Program Directors.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- High School Diploma;
- Multi-tasking skills are required to meet the high energy office needs;
- Ability to communicate effectively over the telephone and in person;
- Ability to analyze information and provide logical solutions;
- Creativity, energy and personal stamina;
- Ability to perform under pressure and handle a high volume of work;
- Ability to enter complete and accurate data under the pressure of deadlines;
- Ability to learn different programs and present information regarding each program efficiently and in layman’s terms;
- Ability to work independently and as a member of a team; and
- HCS targets limited English Proficient clients and always seeks staff with language skills.
HCS is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. HCS recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital or familiar status, sex, age, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.
Resumes and cover letters should be sent to employment@housingetc.org. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered.