Senior Project Analyst

Job Description

Position Summary

The Senior Project Analyst will support Philadelphia’s long-term disaster recovery efforts associated with Hurricane Ida and help advance the City’s resiliency and mitigation strategies. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated over $163 million in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to help the City recover from Hurricane Ida. HUD’s CDBG-DR grant program is designed to help communities address unmet needs resulting from Presidentially declared disasters while promoting long-term resiliency.

This position, which will report to the CDBG-DR Project Director, will work with public agencies and local stakeholders to design and implement policies and programs to help residents recover from the impacts of Hurricane Ida while promoting increased resilience to future disasters. The Senior Project Analyst will collaborate with other members of the City’s Budget Office, the Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the Office of Sustainability (OOS), the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and additional partner departments and agencies to develop and implement the City’s CDBG-DR grant program.

This is an opportunity to help solve complex problems, gain direct experience in long-term recovery planning and mitigation, obtain valuable exposure to government operations, and meaningfully contribute to Philadelphia’s resiliency and mitigation goals.  This is a full-time, grant-funded position that is funded for up to five years. Working hours are generally 40 hours per week.

Essential Functions

• Work as part of a growing team to provide expert services to support housing, economic revitalization, and infrastructure programs that are part of Philadelphia’s long-term disaster recovery effort and CDBG-DR program.
• Offer guidance on best practices for delivering sustainable, compliant, and resilient housing, buyout, economic revitalization, public services, infrastructure, and planning programs that prioritize low- and moderate- income households.
• Provide guidance and expertise on applicable CDBG-DR program requirements, Federal regulations, and other pertinent policies and understand how they interplay with program design, implementation, and oversight of recovery programs. These regulations and requirements include CDBG-DR, cross-cutting Federal requirements (e.g., environmental review, labor standards, acquisition/relocation, fair housing), duplication of benefits, and others.
• Pay a key role in shaping program strategies by developing, improving, and strengthening program procedures and processes for effective implementation.
• Work with staff to set up and effectively utilize systems and be able to interpret and apply regulations within the context of these systems.
• Support in the oversight and monitoring of CDBG-DR program activities.
• Track CDBG-DR activities and report the data in the Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting (DRGR) system.
• Provide technical assistance to, and oversight of, CDBG-DR subrecipients and other relevant partners.
• Maintain adequate records of assisted activities sufficient for HUD to determine compliance in accordance with CDBG-DR recordkeeping requirements.
• Lead collaboration with program partners and stakeholders to ensure program goals, timelines and performance measures are met.
• Promote the CDBG-DR program by making presentations, writing reports and updates and conducting and coordinating meetings and other forums.
• Perform other tasks and responsibilities as assigned; the focus of activities may change depending on the needs of the program.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Planning and Evaluating.  Possesses exceptional organizational skills including time management, prioritization, attention to detail, and analytical abilities. Experienced in financial management, including budgeting and financial reporting.
• Government Systems & Procurement. Proficient in navigating complex systems, including government bureaucracy, procurement, contracts, and policy processes.
• Written Communication.  Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
• Oral Communication.  Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Interpersonal Skills.  Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
• Ability to prioritize and balance workload across multiple projects with short-term deadlines.
• Ability to work independently upon clear direction.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) and Adobe Suite applications.
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior
• Commitment to furthering equity goals via public investments in the City’s long-term recovery efforts.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Planning, Public Policy, Engineering, Architecture, Law, Economics, Business Administration, Policy, Public Administration, or a related field.
• 3+ years of professional work experience.
• 2+ years of project management experience.

Desirable:

• A master's degree or additional certification in the fields mentioned above.
• Experience and/or deep understanding of working with the City of Philadelphia, its neighborhoods, and governmental structure along with a background in government, the non-profit sector, or comparable settings. This includes conducting research, writing, managing stakeholder processes, and collaborating on teams to achieve common agendas, work products, or strategies.
• Experience with HUD CDBG, CDBG-DR, and/or CDBG-MIT or FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (e.g. HMGP, FMA, BRIC).

We welcome and encourage applicants with non-traditional career paths. If you don’t exactly meet the qualifications outlined here, please apply and describe in your cover letter how your own experiences equip you to excel in this position.