Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement

Job Title

The position is in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Enforcement leads the Departmental responsibility to enforce, administer, develop, and enhance public understanding of Federal fair housing and civil rights laws and policies. These laws protect people from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, and familial status, and provide remedies for victims of such discrimination as well as public interest relief.

Major Duties

Directs the work of the office of the DAS for Enforcement and its three Offices. This includes responsibility to:

• Assess enforcement related policy, program, and project feasibility as it relates to matters arising under the Federal Fair Housing Act, and when part of a multi-jurisdictional matter, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Executive Order 11063; Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968.
• Facilitate hearings or administrative meetings pursuant to the Fair Housing Act and assist the Assistant Secretary in making final decisions in all matters arising under the Act including equivalency of state and local Fair Housing Laws, and, when part of a multijurisdictional matter, Title VI, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, and all relevant Executive Orders, and Section 109.

Assumes responsibility for the success of enforcement programs such as the Fair Housing Assistance Program, for coordinating national efforts to address housing discrimination. This encompasses the full range of factors affecting program/project accomplishment. This includes:

• Obtaining financial, human, and technology resources necessary to accomplish the law enforcement and program civil rights compliance and assume responsibility for their effective use.
• Ensuring that all Regional and Field Offices' intake and review of complaints, investigations, Fair Housing Act monitoring and HUD-initiated Fair Housing Act investigations and reviews are conducted in accordance with applicable statutes, regulations, policies, procedures, and technical guidance.
• Ensuring continuing education and dialogue on fair housing and fair lending law and issues throughout the country through participation and provision of education and outreach and participation in inter-agency fair lending workgroups.

Formally recommends actions to final approving authority on matters related to the development and implementation of policy related to the civil rights statutes enforced. This includes responsibility for:

• Reviewing staff recommendations or policies developed to affect the organization's mission.
• Considering political, social, economic, technical, and administrative factors with potential impact on the recommended policies; and
• Approving the policies before formally recommending action to the approving official.
• Evaluating the content of proposed and new/modified legislation, and translating into program goals, actions, and services.