Housing Specialist

Salary : $67,828.80 - $96,158.40 Annually
Location : Kettering Government Center, OH
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 202600067
Department: PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Opening Date: 07/29/2026
Closing Date: 8/17/2026 5:00 PM Eastern


Job Posting
The City of Kettering is recruiting for the position of:


Full-Time Community Development Block Grant Housing Specialist

Pay range from $32.61 to $46.23/Hour

Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance

OPERS retirement

Vacation, Personal, and Sick Leave

Submission Deadline: 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 17, 2026
The City of Kettering's Planning and Development Department is recruiting for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Housing Specialist to assist residents participating in the City's housing rehabilitation and loan programs. The role includes project coordination, client support, and documentation to ensure successful and compliant program delivery and requires strong technical knowledge of residential construction, property maintenance standards, and federal housing regulations. The position requires independent judgment, effective communication, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring compliance with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program requirements and other regulatory standards. The position works closely with the CDBG Manager and City inspectors. This is a grant-funded position that will terminate once grant funds expire. It is anticipated that the grant will last 4 years.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Must have knowledge of residential building construction, remodeling practices, property maintenance standards, local building codes, HUD Section 8 Housing Quality Standards, lead hazard regulations, and HUD program requirements. Must have the ability to prepare clear and accurate construction specifications with strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to work professionally and courteously with the public, contractors, and partnering agencies. Proficiency in project coordination, documentation, and regulatory compliance is required, with the ability to obtain and maintain a Lead Risk Assessor Certificate and Lead Supervisor Certificate within 60 days. Candidate must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and good driving record, and have the ability to organize work sequences and complete assigned tasks with minimal supervision.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

A high school diploma or equivalent is required, along with experience in residential construction, rehabilitation programs, or a related field, including at least two years of project management experience. Experience in residential remodeling is preferred. A four-year degree in construction management, planning, environmental health, or a related field is desirable. Must be able to demonstrate considerable experience in general government procedures, guidelines, and regulations on the federal, state, and local levels.
Please use our online application portal at by 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 17, 2026, to complete an application and submit a resume and cover letter. For more information about this position and the City of Kettering, please visit


EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Job Description

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:
The Community Development Housing Specialist is responsible for assisting residents participating in the City's housing rehabilitation and loan programs and coordinating City-initiated demolition projects. The position conducts housing inspections, prepares construction specifications, oversees contractor compliance, and ensures that all work meets applicable local, state, and federal regulations, including lead hazard and environmental requirements. The role includes project coordination, client support, and documentation to ensure successful and compliant program delivery.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE POSITION:
This is a grant-funded position that will terminate once grant funds expire. It is anticipated that the grant will last 4 years.This position requires strong technical knowledge of residential construction, property maintenance standards, and federal housing regulations. The specialist serves as a key liaison between residents, contractors, inspectors, and City staff. The position requires independent judgment, effective communication, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring compliance with Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements and other regulatory standards. The position works closely with the Community Development Block Grant Manager, Community Development Block Grant Program Coordinator, and City inspectors.

Examples of Duties

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (Illustrative Only):
• Conducts comprehensive housing inspections to determine hazards, code violations, and rehabilitation needs.
• Develops detailed, room-by-room construction specifications for rehabilitation and hazard mitigation.
• Prepares accurate cost estimates for required improvements.
• Assists homeowners in contractor selection and provides guidance throughout the rehabilitation process.
• Conducts on-site inspections to ensure contractor compliance, quality of work, and project progress.
• Maintains thorough records for all rehabilitation and demolition projects.
• Prepares reports related to contractor performance, compliance, and project outcomes.
• Assists residents with program applications, forms, and documentation for financial assistance.
• Coordinates assigned department and citywide community development programs.
• Oversees preparation of specifications, bidding, and management of City-initiated demolition projects.
• Regular and predictable on-site attendance required.

Typical Qualifications

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
• Knowledge of residential building construction, remodeling practices, and property maintenance standards.
• Knowledge of local building codes, Section 8 Housing Quality Standards, lead hazard and asbestos mitigation regulations, demolition standards, and HUD program requirements.
• Ability to prepare clear and accurate construction specifications and cost estimates.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work professionally and courteously with the public, contractors, and partnering agencies.
• Proficiency in project coordination, documentation, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the following certifications within required timeframes:
- Lead Risk Assessor Certificate (within one year)
- Lead Supervisor Certificate (within one year)
- Rehabilitation Specialist Certificate (within two years)
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and good driving record.
ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:
A high school diploma or equivalent is required, along with a minimum of five years of experience in residential construction, rehabilitation programs, or a related field, including at least two years of project management experience. Experience in residential remodeling is preferred. A four-year degree in construction management, planning, environmental health, or a related field is desirable.
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT HIGHLIGHTS As of January 2026

This document is for information purposes only and provides a general overview of current benefits for eligible employees. All benefits are subject to modification or elimination. Detailed summaries will be provided during orientation and are available upon request. If you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, information included here may be superseded by the agreement.
Medical Insurance
The City partners with UnitedHealthcare (UHC) to provide you and your family quality medical coverage. Eligible family members include your legal spouse and dependent children under the age of 26. The two medical plans offered to eligible Full-Time employees, organized and non-organized, are the Platinum and Silver Plans. The chart below provides a side-by-side comparison of each of these plans.
PLATINUM
SILVER
Single

Family

Single

Family

High Deductible Health Plan

Yes

Yes

N/A

N/A

HSA Eligible

Yes

Yes

N/A

N/A

Deductible

$2,000

$4,000

$2,000

$4,000

Employer HSA Contribution

$1,300

$2,600

N/A

N/A

Preventative Services

100%

100%

100%

100%

Co-insurance after deductible

0%

0%

20%

20%

Max Out-of-pocket

$6,250

$6,850

$4,000

$8,000

Wellness Program Incentive

$350 HSA Deposit

$700 HSA Deposit

$350 Taxable Income

$700 Taxable Income

Convenience Care

$5 copay

$5 copay

$5 copay

$5 copay

Office Visit

$15 copay

$15 copay

$25 copay

$25 copay

Specialist

$25 copay

$25 copay

$50 copay

$50 copay

Urgent Care

$30 copay

$30 copay

$35+20%

$35+20%

Emergency Room

$200 copay

$200 copay

20% after deductible

20% after deductible

Employee Monthly Premium

(17% of total)

$147.02

$379.32

$123.50

$318.64
IMPORTANT: As a mid-year enrollee, you are eligible for the HRA for the first calendar year of employment. The money in this account is used to reimburse you for expenses applied towards your 2026 medical deductible. During Annual Enrollment for 2027 benefits, you will be asked to review your eligibility for an HSA, and if eligible, you will be enrolled in the HSA for 2027.
Medical Waiver
Waiving coverage is an option for eligible employees who have medical insurance through another source and choose to decline coverage from the City of Kettering. Employees who waive coverage will receive $3,000 per year (prorated for mid-year enrollees) in taxable income. This income will be prorated over each bi-weekly pay.


Annually, participants must submit a Waiver of Health Insurance Form and proof of other coverage for each member of the employee's "tax family". Examples of acceptable forms of proof for each person are Group Health Plan ID cards, verifications on employer letterhead, Medicare Card, etc. Waiver payments will not be made until proof of other coverage for each member is provided.
Dental Insurance
The City partners with Superior Dental Care to provide you and your family members with quality dental care services. Eligible family members include your legal spouse and dependent children under the age of 26, regardless of financial dependency, residency, student status or marital status.
Superior Dental Care offers the same level of coverage out-of-network as in-network. However, please keep in mind that an out-of-network provider can balance bill, whereas an in-network provider will not. Individuals who wish to minimize out-of-pocket costs should select an in-network provider. A listing of in-network dentists can be found on Superior's website at
The 2026 Monthly Pre-Tax Premiums for Dental Coverage are:
Single

Family

Employee (10%)

$3.12

$9.51
Vision Coverage
The City partners with UHC-Vision to offer employees and eligible family members (legal spouse and dependent children under the age of 26) quality vision care services. UHC-Vision offers a broad network of both retail and local optometrist options with their network. Retail providers include LensCrafters, Costco Optical, Sam's Club, and Meijer Optical to name a few. Search providers by visiting
While there is no City contribution towards the cost of coverage, a group arrangement with UHC-Vision has been established to offer comprehensive vision care at a competitive rate.
The 2026 Monthly Pre-Tax Premiums for Vision Coverage are:
Single

Family

Employee

$4.77

$12.17
Retirement Plan
In lieu of making contributions to Social Security, employees (excluding Patrol Officers and Firefighters) will make contributions to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) . Members of OPERS currently pay 10.0% of gross salary to the retirement system through payroll deduction. The City makes a contribution equal to 14.0% of the member's gross salary.
New members are given 180-days to elect participation in one of two plan selections within OPERS. Information from OPERS regarding plan selection will be mailed to your home address. Additional information can be obtained by calling OPERS at View phone number on click.appcast.io or by visiting
Additionally, employees may voluntarily contribute extra towards retirement through a deferred compensation plan. The City works with Mission Square and Ohio Deferred Compensation. These plans allow you to set aside an additional portion of your income for retirement through pre-tax payroll reduction.
Life Insurance
The City provides Basic Term Life Insurance, as administered by The Hartford , to all Full-Time employees at no cost. The value of this life insurance is equal to your base annual salary plus an equal amount for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage.
Eligible employees can purchase life insurance for themselves, their legal spouse, and their qualifying children through a Voluntary Term Life Insurance Policy.
Employee Coverage

• Voluntary employee coverage is available in increments of $10,000 , with a guarantee of up to $400,000 .
• During the first 30 days of employment , all voluntary employee coverage applications are guaranteed approval.

Spouse and Child Coverage

• Spouse Coverage: Legal spouses are eligible for coverage in increments of $10,000 , guaranteed up to $50,000 .
• Child Coverage: Eligible children can be covered for $2,000 or $10,000 , from live birth up to age 26. Children over 26 who are primarily supported by the employee and incapable of self-sustaining employment due to mental or physical handicap are also eligible.
• To purchase coverage for a spouse or child, the employee must have voluntary coverage equal to or greater than the amount purchased for their spouse or child.
• All spouse and child coverage applications submitted within the first 30 days of employment are guaranteed approval.

This program provides a valuable opportunity for employees to secure financial protection for themselves and their families.
Monthly Life Insurance Premium Rates

Age

Employee Cost per $10,000
Spouse Cost per $10,000
$2,000 Child Policy

$10,000 Child Policy

Under 30

$0.60
$0.60
$0.20

$1.02

30 - 34

$0.90
$0.65
One premium, regardless of number of children. Children eligible to age 26

35 - 39

$1.10
$0.80
40 - 44

$1.60
$1.10
45 - 49

$2.60
$1.70
50 - 54

$4.20
$2.50
55 - 59

$6.80
$4.00
60 - 64

$10.70
$6.20
65+

$17.20
$12.20
$400,000/Max
$50,000/Max
Leave Time

Holidays

The following eleven (11) days shall be holidays for which Full-Time employees shall receive regular compensation:
New Year's Day

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. DayThird Monday in January

Presidents' DayThird Monday in February

Memorial DayLast Monday in May

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor DayFirst Monday in September

Thanksgiving DayFourth Thursday in November

Day After Thanksgiving

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day
The City Manager may designate alternative days to observe holidays which fall on a Saturday or Sunday.
Vacation Leave Full-Time employees accrue Vacation Leave at the following accrual rates in accordance with the length of service criteria as indicated below. If you have a record of prior public service employment in the state of Ohio, you may be eligible to transfer your prior service time to the City of Kettering which may entitle you to adjustments to higher levels of Vacation Leave accrual.
Rate of Accrual

Length of Service

Days Per Year

Hours Per Year

Less than 5 years

10

80

Over 5 and up to 10 years

12

96

Over 10 and up to 15 years

16

128

Over 15 and up to 20 years

20

160

Over 20 and up to 25 years

23

184

Over 25 years

25

200
An employee may begin using Vacation Leave after being employed with the City for ninety (90) calendar days following initial appointment or last break in service.
Accumulated Vacation Leave may be carried forward to the next Vacation Year, but the total amount of accrued leave may not exceed thirty (30) days. The Vacation Year extends from the first day of the pay period closest to October 1 of one calendar year through the last day of the pay period closest to September 30 of the following calendar year.
Whenever an employee leaves the City's employ, they shall be entitled to compensation for the amount of unused Vacation Leave they have accumulated, except for employees who leave the City's employment before completing six (6) months of service.
Personal Leave
Employees are entitled to three (3) days of paid Personal Leave annually. Like Vacation Leave, Personal Leave must be scheduled in advance and be approved by an employee's supervisor. Personal Leave is accounted for on a calendar year basis and cannot be carried over from one year to the next. An employee may begin using Personal Leave after being employed with the City at least thirty (30) days.
In the employee's first calendar year of employment, the employee may receive all, some, or no Personal Leave, depending on the employee's hiring date.
If hired...

Before July 1

On or After July 1

On or After October 1

Days Per Year:

3 days

2 days

0 days
Sick Leave

Full-Time employees accrue Sick Leave at a rate of 15 days or 120 hours per year. The total amount of accrued Sick Leave may not exceed 260 days. Upon eligible retirement from the City or death of a current employee, eligible portions of Sick Leave may be payable to the retiree or beneficiary.
If you have a record of prior public service employment in the state of Ohio, you may be eligible to transfer unconverted Sick Leave hours to the City of Kettering.
Birthing Parent and Bonding/Non-Birthing Parent and Bonding/Adoption Leave Birthing Parent and Bonding Leave with full pay and benefits may be granted for that period of time an employee is temporarily disabled due to pregnancy. Such leave shall be treated as, and charged to, Sick Leave when appropriate. Should an employee require additional time off beyond the accrued Sick Leave or desire time off beyond the actual period of disability, the provisions for other appropriate leave may apply. In certain circumstances, the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act may apply, and where applicable, certain similar benefits may apply to non-birthing parent employee(s) or employees who have a child(ren) placed with them for adoption or foster care.
Funeral Leave

Up to five (5) days of Funeral Leave may be granted in the event of the death of an employee's spouse, child, step-child, parent or parent-in-law. Up to three (3) days Funeral Leave may be granted when a death occurs in the immediate family of an employee. An immediate family is interpreted to include brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandparent, grandparent-in-law, grandchild, half-brother, half-sister, or other relative living in the same household. One (1) day's Funeral Leave may be granted when the death is of a more distant relative.

Jury Duty When an employee is called to serve as a juror in any court, the City Manager may authorize that the employee continues to receive their regular City pay during that period they serve as a juror.
Injury Leave/ Workers' Compensation Leave with pay may be granted by the City Manager for service-connected occupational illness or injury. Compensation for lost time received by the employee from the Industrial Commission of the State of Ohio shall be paid to the Finance Director for such time the employee received full wages from the City.
The City participates in the Ohio Workers' Compensation System, which covers employees who receive work-related injuries, occupational diseases or who die on the job. Under Workers' Compensation, employees who are injured on the job receive medical care and a portion of their lost wages. If you are injured on the job, you will need to complete a Workers' Compensation form. The Human Resource Department can assist you in filing the claim.
Miscellaneous

Educational Assistance

The City will pay 80% of the tuition costs for courses related to a Full-Time employee's current position for their preparation for career advancement. The maximum reimbursement is $1,000 per calendar year; however, employees may request advances against a future calendar year's educational assistance.
Requests for educational assistance must be submitted by an employee to the City Manager through Department Directors and the Human Resource Director. If an employee's services with the City are terminated for any reason within two (2) years of completion of the course, the City Manager may require that they return the City's outlay on a pro rata basis.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Employees, family members, and individuals living within the employee's household have access to an assistance program that offers free, professional, and confidential counseling services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
EmployeeCare provides counseling, referral, and follow-up by trained staff. Counseling sessions may be arranged by calling View phone number on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io between 8AM and 5PM. You may call the same numbers after office hours to leave a message or to speak to an on-call EmployeeCare counselor.
Dependent Care FSA Provides pre-tax reimbursement for childcare and other dependent care expenses incurred so that you, and your spouse (if married), can work or attend school full-time. Expenses must be incurred for a child who is under age 13; or for a physically or mentally disabled dependent that lives with you at least eight hours per day. The individual under care must be your dependent for federal income tax purposes. For 2026, the maximum annual contribution to a Dependent Care FSA is $7,500.
Health Care FSA Provides tax-free reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical, dental, and vision costs for you and eligible dependents. You may be reimbursed up to the amount you elect for the plan year, at any time, regardless of the amount you have deposited to date.
If you are enrolled in the Platinum Medical Plan with an HSA, a Limited Purpose FSA will reimburse you for dental, vision, and post-deductible medical expenses only. If you waive the City's medical plan or are covered by another plan, a General Purpose FSA will reimburse you for medical, dental, vision, dental and hearing expenses. For 2026, the maximum annual contribution to any Health Care FSA is $3,300.

Employee Council

The City of Kettering has an active Employee Council Committee which plans and organizes activities throughout the year such as the monthly employee recognition, Annual Kettering Employee Picnic and other social events. Employee Council also helps raise money through the humanitarian fund to assist fellow employees in times of need.
Pet Insurance

Pet Insurance is available for purchase through MetLife at a discounted group rate. Employees can purchase Pet Insurance at any time. More information about MetLife Pet Insurance is available on The Barn (city employee intranet) or by request through the Human Resource Department.