NLIHC Careers
Senior Advisor for Public Policy
The Senior Advisor for Public Policy monitors and analyzes all HUD regulatory and sub-regulatory actions, including legislative proposals that would impact regulations, that may impact renters in federally assisted housing, people experiencing homelessness, and the development and preservation of affordable housing. They also contribute to reports summarizing how states awarded their annual NHTF allocations. This position is a key member of NLIHC Public Policy team working in close coordination with the Senior Vice President and Directors as well as with colleagues on all other NLIHC teams. The salary range for this position is contingent upon experience and is from $126,871 – $140,000.
Responsibilities/Duties
Regulatory Affairs
Monitor key HUD, Federal Register, and OIRA (OMB) sources, with a focus on the HUD programs and policies most important to NLIHC and extremely low-income residents, such as, public housing (including the Rental Assistance Demonstration, Moving to Work Demonstration Expansion, and Section 18 Demolition/Disposition), Housing Choice Vouchers, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), and fair housing.
Study, summarize, and assess proposed and final HUD rules as well as formal HUD policy notices, memoranda, and other administrative materials.
Notify NLIHC members and stakeholders about such HUD actions via Memo to Members, NLIHC listserv, and monthly virtual meetings conducted by NLIHC’s Field Team.
For proposed rules, draft brief sample comment letters and urge State and Tribal Partners and NLIHC members to submit comments. In addition, draft comprehensive, detailed NLIHC comment letters signed by NLIHC’s President and CEO. Assess and sign on to comment letters drafted by allied advocacy organizations with greater expertise in a particular policy area.
Engage relevant HUD staff regarding issues of concern.
Prepare and conduct webinars on critical regulatory changes, as appropriate.
Policy Team Support
Coordinate with Policy Team staff members to assess the regulatory and implementation impact of draft bills, proposed legislation, etc.
Work with NLIHC’s Policy and Communications teams on annual updates to NLIHC’s Advocates’ Guide, and on needed updates to website materials related to public housing and fair housing.
Coordinate with allied advocacy organizations on relevant issues.
Represent NLIHC in working groups coordinated by other organizations such as the Housing Justice Network, Preservation Working Group, and Fair Housing Task Force.
Organizational Support
Coordinate with NLIHC’s Field and Campaign teams to mobilize action on regulatory and subregulatory issues
Participate in regularly scheduled Policy Team and All Staff meetings
Provide planning support for the annual Housing Policy Forum, including speaker recruitment, as assigned
Speak at meetings and conferences in DC and around the country, with a priority for NLIHC member organizations and state partners
Participate in staff meetings, trainings, and all NLIHC events
Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
Basic familiarity with key HUD and other affordable housing development programs: Housing Choice Vouchers, Public Housing (including the Rental Assistance Demonstration, Moving to Work Demonstration Extension, Project-Based Rental Assistance, and fair housing. Some familiarity helpful regarding HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), Section 3 obligations, and Rural Development Section 515
At least 8 years of experience relevant to HUD regulatory actions
Experience with gathering, tracking, and reporting information on draft policies i.e. legislation and/or regulations. and report writing
Ability to translate dense, complex regulatory and programmatic details into plain language analysis for non-expert audiences, including HUD-assisted residents and other advocates
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
Goal-oriented and self-motivated with strong organizational skills to breakdown complex projects into actionable steps
Ability to think creatively and strategically, aligning projects with other teams and broader organizational goals to maximize impact
Strong collaborator and problem solver
Experience with Microsoft Office suite, including Excel proficiency
Passion for housing justice, racial equity, a focus on extremely low-income renter households, and NLIHC’s mission
Preferred skills
Experience working with coalitions, nonprofits, or policy-focused organizations
Personal experience facing housing insecurity or injustice or living in federally subsidized housing
Compensation & Benefits
An equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, NLIHC offers a competitive salary and a generous benefits package. Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter with salary requirement, and a writing sample to Jamaal Gilani, Director of People and Culture, via email at [email protected].
NLIHC Internship Opportunities
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated to achieving racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable in communities of their choice.
NLIHC accepts applications for our internship positions on a continuous, rolling basis. Interns are highly valued and fully integrated into our staff work. We seek students who are passionate about social justice issues and have excellent writing and interpersonal skills.
Winter/Spring, Summer, and Fall interns are expected to work 25 hours a week. Two-semester placements are possible. NLIHC provides modest stipends.
- Winter/Spring: mid-January to mid-May
- Summer: June to August
- Fall: September to mid-December
A cover letter, resume, and writing sample are required for consideration. In your cover letter, please specify the position(s)/semester for which you are applying. Communications, media, and graphic design interns should also submit three examples of graphic design work as attachments or an online portfolio.
Current positions available:
- Policy Intern. Tracks new legislation, attends and summarizes congressional hearings for the Memo to Members newsletter, participates in visits to congressional offices, develops materials for use in lobbying the House and Senate to achieve NLIHC’s policy agenda, and updates the NLIHC Congressional database. Interested students should submit their materials to Alayna Calabro via email at [email protected].
- Research Intern. Assists in ongoing quantitative and qualitative research projects related to housing assistance or tenant protections, writes weekly articles on current research for Memo to Members, attends briefings, and responds to research inquiries. Quantitative skills are a plus. Interested students should submit their materials to Andrew Aurand via email at [email protected]. The cover letter should include whether the student has a preference with regard to federal policy or state/local policy.
- Graphic Design Intern. Assists the External Affairs team in the production of various physical, digital, and multimedia graphic design projects, including, but not limited to: Instagram Reels, fact sheets, YouTube thumbnails, social media images, reports, infographics, explainer videos, and toolkits. Applicants should be experienced with Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop), Canva, and/or Adobe Express. Please provide a resume, cover letter, three design samples (or link to online portfolio), and a writing sample in order to be considered for this position. Interested students should submit their materials to the NLIHC Communications Team via email at [email protected].
- Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) Intern. Supporting campaign partners, developing campaign materials, and advancing the Campaign’s core housing solutions. The intern will work closely with the OSAH and broader Strategic Partnerships team on upcoming projects, including Fall events, partner recruitment, campaign materials, and campaign podcasting. Alongside campaign projects, the intern will have an opportunity to increase expertise in a specific sector (e.g., education, health, mental health, early childhood development, economic mobility) by engaging new partners and developing materials. OSAH seeks an intern with strong written and oral communication skills, strong organizational skills, and a demonstrated commitment to racial equity, social justice, innovation, and creativity. This is a remote or hybrid position, depending on the location. Interested students should submit their resume and cover letter to Chantelle Wilkinson, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns, and Julie Walker, National Campaign Coordinator, at [email protected].
- Disaster Housing Recovery Intern. Assists the Disaster Housing Recovery team. The intern will catalogue disaster- and resilience-related news and information, track relevant legislation, attend and summarize congressional hearings, relevant webinars, and briefings offered by organizational partners; participate in visits to congressional offices, develop materials for use in advocacy, and inform community-based organizations about disaster-related topics; and help to facilitate multiple working groups related to disaster recovery and resilience. Interested applicants should submit their materials to Noah Patton, Director, Disaster Recovery, via email at [email protected].
- Tenant Leader Intern. Writing articles for the Memo to Members and other outlets, assisting in planning and executing "Tenant Talk Live" and Tenant Talk, helping to coordinate NLIHC’s Collective and tenant retreat, and creating programming for and strengthening support to the Collective’s alumni base. Interested applicants should submit their materials to Sid Betancourt via email at [email protected].