Sr. Support Specialist

Overview

At NCHFA, we provide safe, affordable housing opportunities to enhance the quality of life of North Carolinians. We are a self-supporting public agency that, since its creation by the General Assembly, has financed more than 310,700 affordable homes and apartments.

Residency

Must be a resident of North Carolina

Do you enjoy helping people, solving problems, and keeping complex processes running smoothly? Are you looking for an opportunity to use your administrative and customer service skills to support affordable housing initiatives that strengthen communities across North Carolina? If so, consider joining the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency's Rental Programs team. At NCHFA, you'll be part of a mission-driven organization dedicated to increasing access to quality affordable housing while working with a collaborative team that values service, accuracy, and continuous improvement.

In this role, you will serve as a key point of support for Rental Programs operations, providing assistance to internal staff, property owners, management companies, and other partners. From managing program documentation and maintaining data accuracy to coordinating training workshops and responding to customer inquiries, you will play an important role in ensuring the efficient administration of affordable housing programs. The ideal candidate is highly organized, customer-focused, comfortable managing multiple priorities, and committed to delivering exceptional service in support of NCHFA's mission.

Location

Hybrid- Minimum 3 days per week in office

Salary Range

$52,883 - $64,451

Main Objectives

1. Customer Service

• Responds to incoming calls and e-mails, and answers basic to more complex program questions and routes calls to the appropriate contact.
• Responds to requests from external partners and customers providing program information and answering routine questions.
• Handles routine to complex questions, escalating unusually complex questions to appropriate a senior team member.

General Administrative Support

• Ensures current and accurate program information, such as property names/addresses and contact information provided by partners is reflected in Asset Management System (AMS).
• Coordinates and executes special projects, such as contacting partners for updates or cleaning up incorrect data in AMS.
• Scans correspondence or other files and distribute to staff as needed, or upload to AMS as needed.
• Maintains an appropriate amount of office supplies, ordering as needed and processes general office supply requests for the Rental Programs team. Proactively anticipating supplies needed for special activities and events.
• Distributes incoming mail and prepare and process outgoing mail.

Support for Rental Programs Processes

• Processes 8823 forms (Low Income Housing credit Agency reports of noncompliance of building dispositions) such as generating them for signature, scanning signed forms, distributing copies to the IRS and property owners, and updating the process in AMS.
• Processes IRS 8609 forms (Low Income Housing Credit Allocation and Certification), such as generating them for signature, assembling documentation, scanning signed forms for internal Rental Development team, and mailing the forms to the developers.
• Reviews simple and complex Annual Owners Certifications (AOCs), ensuring they are signed by the authorized owner representative, all questions are answered and correct forms are used.
• Assists with the annual report card process (Approved Management Company List). Runs required reports throughout the year, follows up with management companies to answer simple and complex questions from partners.
• Reviews simple and complex Affirmative Housing Marketing Plans (AFHMPs) and other management documents, verifying that all questions are answered, and correct forms are used. Compares each document against the applicable checklist requirements.
• Maintains Asset Management compliance forms, templates and policy manuals.
• Prepares Request for Proposal (RFP) for market study analyst, tracking and collecting information market study contracts.
• Updates spreadsheets such as the awarded project spreadsheet for market analysts.
• Sends quarterly updates for construction status, updates, track and monitors deadlines.

Asset Management: System (AMS) / Rental Production Management (RPM) Data Integrity

• Reviews and maintains data integrity within AMS/RPM for desk audits, on-site inspections, and special projects.
• Identifies and helps resolve data discrepancies and makes recommendations for corrective action.
• Communicates with property owners/management agents regarding data integrity issues and any needed corrective action.

Processing Checks, Invoices and Department Credit Card statements

• Reconciles and submits monthly credit card and operational invoice reports in internal accounting systems such as Navigator, gathering and uploading appropriate documents and receipts using department defined budget codes.
• Receives, records, and prepares checks and deposit slips for fees such as owner/ management changes, loan assumptions, monitoring fees. Submits to internal Finance Department and notify appropriate team members of their receipt, also making a note in AMS when required.
• Handles the process for the receipt, tracking and proper handling of insurance and casualty-loss checks, ensures proper secure storage of checks requiring endorsement, coordinate with Servicing Department when checks must be placed in escrow.
• Coordinates with property owners for distribution of the check once endorsed.

Training and Workshop Administrative Support

• Plans for training workshops including finding venues, researching prices. Learns to coordinate with the training locations, caterers, and assist with planning logistics. Tracks resources and expenses on the spreadsheet and makes travel and conference training arrangements with the training team.
• Responds to simple and complex partners’ questions about training locations or general training information.
• Use event registration software, such as Cvent to provide simple and complex registration assistance to partners and internal staff. Ensures registration software has the current training(s) listed and tracking registrations and generating reports. Sends surveys, certificates of completion and printed materials to participants. Prepares deposit reports for registration fees from Cvent and provides to internal Finance Department as directed.
• Assists with the Annual Housing Conference, performing various assigned responsibilities.

Education & Experience

High School diploma and 5+ years of experience as a customer service representative and/or administrative support position . Will consider an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Strong affordable housing industry knowledge a plus
• Knowledge of LIHTC and/or NCHFA a plus
• Strong ability to build rapport with people, demonstrate empathy and maintain a positive attitude
• Strong attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in information and tasks
• Strong ability to be flexible and handle changing situations and competing priorities
• Strong ability to clearly and professionally interact with visitors, internal and external customers via phone and in-person
• Strong organizational and time management skills, and the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines
• Strong ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously such as answering calls and handling administrative duties
• Strong problem-solving skills, ability to address caller inquiries and resolve minor issues with assistance from department program team members
• Strong proficiency using Microsoft Office such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Good knowledge of meeting and event planning, including scheduling, logistics coordination, budget considerations, vendor management, facility arrangements, and attendee communications

Physical Requirements

• Walk and stand for extended periods (occasionally)
• Work outdoors in varying weather conditions (rarely)
• Climb steps (occasionally)
• Kneel and crouch (occasionally)
• Lift or carry training materials up to 50 pounds (rarely)

Benefits

Major Medical > Dental> Vision> Health Care FSA> Dependent Day Care FSA> Cancer> Critical Illness> Disability (long and short-term) > Voya Travel Assistance> Term Life> Accidental Death & Dismemberment> Accident> Voluntary 401k & 457> Teachers’ and State Employees Retirement System (PENSION!) > Continuing Education> Professional Development> Annual Longevity Check (at service milestones)

Paid Time Off: 12 holidays + Accrued Vacation> Sick> Personal> Community Service/Parental> Personal Observance> Bereavement> FMLA> Family Illness Leave> Paid Parental Leave