Compliance Lead - Affordable Housing

Fairstead is a purpose-driven real estate firm dedicated to building affordable communities across the country. Headquartered in New York, with offices in Colorado, Florida, and Washington DC, Fairstead owns and manages a portfolio of more than 27,000 apartments across 28 states. As an integrated owner, operator, and innovator, Fairstead brings development, construction, and property management under one unified platform to deliver high-quality affordable housing that serves our residents at scale.

At Fairstead, we believe affordable housing should be thoughtfully designed, professionally managed, and responsibly operated. We seek to create and preserve housing that serves residents while delivering long-term value to communities, partners, and stakeholders. Fairstead challenges industry norms through our tech-forward, entrepreneurial approach to affordable housing. In addition to core real estate capabilities, we operate innovative service lines designed to improve resident outcomes, strengthen communities, and drive operational efficiency.

We embrace digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, and emerging technologies, including AI, to build scalable systems that support sustainable growth, grounded in a culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, partnership, dedication, and integrity.

The Compliance Lead is responsible for maintaining compliance with HUD (Housing and Urban Development) and Low-Income housing Tax credits. The Compliance Lead will execute effective annual administrative operating cycles, ensuring all regulatory requirements are completed, and liaise with the various governmental agencies, housing authorities, and other stakeholders to maximize economic outcomes, and minimize operational risks.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversees completion of files to ensure they are compliant with applicable Affordable Programs including Move-Ins, Annual Recertification, Interim Recertification, Gross Rent Changes, Terminations, and Initial Certifications.

• Monitoring Re-certification process to ensure community staff completes the required certifications timely.

• Ensure the state monitoring databases are updated monthly as required.

• Assist community staff with preparation for MOR (Management and Occupancy Reviews), LIHTC (Low Income Housing Tax Credit) (Low Income Housing Tax Credit) and other relevant agency audits.

• Ensure documentation/forms used by site staff are up to date and compliant with the governing agencies.

• Ensure community staff is following procedural guidelines to administer and maintain compliance with all affordable housing programs including but not limited to the Department of Housing and Urban Development Programs and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Programs.

• Monitor EIV Compliance.

• Manage the license renewal process and coordinate regional disclosures.

• Assist Compliance Director with HUD related paperwork for rent increases including completing utility allowance baselines.

• Provides superior customer service to residents and prospective tenants by promptly responding to all incoming calls, messages, and emails in a professional, respectful manner.

• Travel to different properties.

• Performs other duties assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• High School Diploma or GED, Associates or Bachelors Degree preferred

• Two (2) years of affordable housing compliance experience with knowledge of Section 8/LIHTC/Bond/multilayered programs.

• TACC, COS (Certified Occupancy Specialist), BOS, AHM or other widely known affordable housing compliance certifications preferred.

• Excellent communication skills- written and oral.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including experience managing people (in multiple locations preferred)

• Extremely detail oriented.

• Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite including advanced excel functions.

• Yardi experience (preferred) or ability to learn new software quickly.

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.

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.

• General office environment.

• Boiler room with high noise level and high temperatures.

• Exposure to outdoor weather conditions.

• Proximity to pets/ animals.

• You must wear safety footwear.

Diversity in backgrounds and experiences is key to Fairstead's success. Being an equal opportunity employer is a central tenet of our philosophy that shapes who we are and the communities we serve. Our goal is to ensure competitive total compensation that is commensurate with experience, location, and other market benchmarks.

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