Vice President, Safe & Stable Housing

ABOUT UNITED WAY

United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB) exists to build more equitable communities together. With over 85 years of local impact in eastern Massachusetts, we partner with our communities to build economic prosperity and enable everyone—across races and ethnicities—to access the knowledge, wealth, and resources available. We believe that the key to unlocking opportunity is uniting people, and we bring together individuals, community leaders, corporate partners, legislators, and organizations to build a powerful engine of change.

United Way plays a distinctive and influential role in the housing ecosystem across Eastern Massachusetts. We serve as the backbone intermediary for the Supportive Housing Pipeline Coalition, manage large-scale statewide initiatives in partnership with state government, and invest in a portfolio of the region’s largest housing and homelessness service providers. Our work spans policy advocacy, systems-level convening, direct grantmaking, and cross-sector innovation—positioning UWMB as a convener, funder, and strategic partner at the center of the state’s housing landscape.

UWMB seeks a bold, strategic, and deeply knowledgeable housing leader to serve as Vice President, Safe and Stable Housing. This is a senior leadership role for someone who brings established expertise in Massachusetts housing policy, a track record of navigating high-stakes external relationships, and the confidence to represent United Way’s housing vision across government, advocacy coalitions, and the philanthropic sector.

The VP will shape and drive UWMB’s housing strategy across a broad portfolio that includes supportive housing, reimagining shelter, scaling affordable housing for low-income families, and strengthening the connection between housing stability and education. This is an opportunity to lead at the intersection of policy, systems change, and community impact; setting the direction for what housing work at United Way looks like in the years ahead.

The ideal candidate has a clear point of view, can hold their own with strong-willed coalition partners and government leaders, and is energized by leading within a large, mission-driven institution. You will report to the Chief Impact Officer, collaborate closely with the CEO and a tight-knit peer group of VPs across impact areas, and have access to operational and analytical support across the organization.

The Vice President also leads and manages a team of two full-time employees.

• Serve as United Way’s primary external voice on housing and homelessness
• Navigate complex, high-stakes relationships across state government, advocacy organizations, service providers, and funders with a clear point of view and the ability to hold firm when needed
• Build and sustain trusted partnerships with grassroots leaders, public agencies, and philanthropic partners that strengthen collective capacity and advance shared goals
• Partner closely with the Public Affairs division on housing policy advocacy, legislative strategy, and government relations

• Provide backbone leadership for the Supportive Housing Pipeline Coalition, including thought leadership, working group facilitation, and alignment across coalition partners with sometimes competing priorities
• Convene and align multi-sector partners to accelerate housing solutions at the regional and state levels
• Center the leadership and lived experience of people most impacted by housing instability in strategy, design, and advocacy
• In partnership with the Sr. VP of Analytics and external evaluation partners, build a culture of continuous learning through Research-Practice Partnerships that incorporate community insights and quantitative data

• Supervise, coach, and develop the Safe & Stable Housing team, setting clear expectations and fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and professional growth
• Manage team workload and foster collaboration within the housing team and across divisions, including with policy, operations, and…