Administrative Hearing Officer

Administrative Hearing Officer

Conducts administrative appeal hearings for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and provides administrative support for program and compliance oversight by performing the following duties.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Responsible for the Section 8 administrative appeal hearing process which includes timely scheduling of the various hearings in accordance with the Section 8 Administrative Plan, reviewing records, conducting informal hearings, obtaining statements from the tenant(s) and/or witnesses, analyzing facts, researching laws, regulations, case precedents and rendering final decisions on program eligibility issues in compliance with federal and state laws, program rules and regulations and the Administrative Plan.
• Notify tenants and OHFA staff of the hearing decisions and document the files of the actions taken and the hearing results.
• Responsible for completing all open records requests received for the Rental Assistance Team.
• Responsible for leading the Richard S. Lillard Emergency Housing Assistance Fund, which assists Oklahoma families whose homes have been declared uninhabitable as a result of a federally declared disaster or state of emergency as declared by the Governor of Oklahoma.
• Responsible for maintaining Richard S. Lillard Emergency Housing Assistance Fund program-related documentation, ensuring adherence to processes and procedures.
• Attend and trains staff to represent agency at Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARC), as well as attend all Oklahoma Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster (OK VOAD) meetings to stay current on Oklahoma Emergency Planning Processes.
• Responsible for assisting with conducting an annual utility allowance analysis and adjusting the rates.
• Responsible for assisting with revising the Administrative Plan, Briefing Book, and the HCV Procedure Manual.
• Responsible to process rent reasonableness certifications for all contracts with PHAs requiring 3rd party certifications.
• Responsible for assisting with the reviewing and analyzing of OHFA's payment standards when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) releases revised Fair Market Rents (FMRs). Prepare and submit a spreadsheet analysis of current and proposed payment standards based upon the latest FMR changes. Enter the final approved payment standards into the database.
• Responsible for doing whatever needs to be done to enhance the overall operations of the Agency on a day-to-day basis.
• Responsible for delivering exceptional customer service to all external and internal customers by being polite and helpful at all times.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor's degree from four-year college or university; and two to three years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience

Language Skills

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Valid driver's license
• Must be bondable
• Certification as a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Specialist required Within 6 months.
• Certification as a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Hearing Officer required within 1 year.
• Certification in Fair Housing regulations within 1 year.

Other Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

Familiarity with federal housing programs and knowledge of federal regulations. Knowledge of report preparation techniques and procedures and a demonstrated ability to prepare and evaluate professional and technical reports and other documents. Knowledge of the Section 8 HCV Administrative Plan and related rules for various housing programs administered by the Agency. Ability to present ideas in a clear and concise manner, both orally and in writing. Ability to analyze reports, spreadsheets, summarize findings, and present results in a clear concise format. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, consultants, external auditors, HUD, and local, state, and federal officials.

Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to ten pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA)