CharityVillage

Director, Community Real Estate  

United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT) is at the forefront of the fight against poverty, striving to enhance social conditions and foster more equitable communities. As the largest non-government funder of community services in the GTA, and the largest United Way in the world, UWGT reinforces a crucial community safety net to support people living in poverty. United Way’s network of 300+ agencies and initiatives in neighbourhoods across Peel, Toronto and York Region work to ensure that everyone has access to the programs and services they need. 
 
In the past two decades UWGT has assumed a more significant role in spearheading cross-sector solutions, to protect, strengthen and revitalize neighbourhoods that encourage greater inclusion. We are not just a funder, but an active leader in making this region better for all. 
 
As the fabric of our neighbourhoods change, so too do the needs.  And the solutions needed.  We are launching a bold new strategy that deepens our place-based work with the goal of scaling our community innovation and investing in community owned real estate, ensuring that people have access to the supports they need close to home.
 
We are looking for a Director, Community Real Estate, who will form the backbone of a new team to implement the vision for a UWGT powered community real-estate initiative. This team will leverage UWGT’s network of agencies and resources and develop new and innovative partnerships to preserve and create community owned spaces with neighbourhoods and communities living in poverty.

Real-Estate goals for UWGT:

• To create long term community-owned space solutions in the neighbourhoods where services are needed.
• To design and develop funding/capital at each stage of the community real estate journey.
• To promote UWGT recognition and visibility with donors and stakeholders.
• To partner in mixed use opportunities, e.g., affordable/deeply affordable housing.

What you’ll do:

Leadership: Shape this new initiative by:

• Seeking partnerships and opportunities for UWGT to play a key role in the development of community real-estate that will further the shared mission of UWGT and community service organizations
• Providing technical expertise and support to the UWGT as well as to community service sector partners in order to build capacity in project development in real-estate
• Working with the neighbourhood solutions and community investment teams to identify opportunities that align with other UWGT strategies, in particular building a strong community service sector, creating neighbourhood solutions and addressing housing and employment challenges for low-income communities
• Advise on the continued evolution of the strategy, identifying new opportunities and course corrections for UWGT leadership and governance
• Incorporating an Indigenous collaboration and equity lens in all project development and capacity building
• Supervising any direct reports (Community Real Estate Analyst) and working across Community Impact teams to connect real-estate funding, investing and projects to other UWGT initiatives and strategies 
• Represent United Way at key tables, initiatives, events and forums related to community real estate 

Community Investment and Project Support

• Work with community impact teams to foster and coordinate a real estate pipeline identifying both funding opportunities as well as supporting recommendations projects of strategic importance to United Way, including the development and re-development of UWGT hubs and opportunities for mixed use (housing and community services)
• Develop and implement granting programs to prioritize and support community sector projects and capacity including funding development of criteria, project eligibility, approvals processes in line with UWGT granting frameworks
• Provide guidance to UWGT CFOO in the administration of a community real-estate loan fund to align the fund to UWGT real-estate priorities and coordinate with granting and other strategic opportunities
• Assess projects with an understanding of project and budget analysis: understand the mix of financing (public and private) programs, timelines, planning approvals and milestones and risks typically associated with non-profit capital projects 

Fundraising

• Support efforts to raise funds and create partnerships to enable community real-estate work with a goal of growing revenue as part of a 10-year UWGT plan for Neighbourhood Solutions 

Capacity Building

• Participate and assist in community problem solving and collaboration initiatives as required
• Provide guidance internally and to sector partners around opportunities to partner with non-profit and for-profit developers

  Other:

• Work with Vice-President of Community Infrastructure to engage UWGT Board, Board Committees and other volunteers in the development and oversight of initiatives and granting
• Work with the Senior Management Team in the Community Impact department on objective setting, teamwork planning, budget planning and change management 
• Ensure risk management and due diligence policies and processes are implemented
• Provide regular reports to the Community Impact Committee of the Board and Vice President of Community Investment and Development and Senior Executive Team as required
• Participate in cross-organizational activities that build both the organization and the department

What you’ll need to be successful:

• More than 5 years and up to and including 10 years’ experience in community real estate, affordable housing, partnership development, capital projects, strategic program planning, implementation, and evaluation
• Strong understanding of the financing of community real-estate including the stacking of government and non-government funds to enable projects
• Proven experience of community real-estate project development from initiation to completion including the identification of opportunities, development of financing, permitting and approvals and project management in the non-profit sector, urban planning, and real estate development sectors in the Greater Toronto Area
• Proven senior-level experience in program and partnership development 
• Understanding of the charitable sector and philanthropy
• Demonstrated experience leading, motivating, and managing staff 
• Superior analytical skills and judgment and skilled negotiator
• Ability to coordinate complex projects with multiple stakeholders
• Ability to influence and manage contentious issues to resolution with multiple stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking
• Proven organizational abilities and capacity to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines under pressure 
• Willingness to actively contribute to the organizational equity framework through participation in learning opportunities and implementing anti-oppressive and anti-racist learnings into action internally and externally

Does this sound like you? Show us your Local Love. Come and do great work at United Way Greater Toronto!

Please apply no later than May 17, 2024.

We are committed to being transparent about our practices around pay. The salary range for this role will be shared with candidates who are being considered for it.

As part of our recruitment process, United Way Greater Toronto offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities. If we contact you about an opportunity, please let us know if you require accommodation.

About United Way Greater Toronto:

As the largest non-government funder of community services in the GTA, United Way Greater Toronto reinforces a crucial community safety net. United Way’s network of agencies and initiatives in neighbourhoods across Peel, Toronto and York Region works to ensure that everyone has access to the programs and services they need to thrive today. Mobilizing the network and other community support, United Way tackles #unignorable issues linked to poverty. United Way’s work is rooted in ground-breaking research, strategic leadership, local advocacy and cross-sectoral partnerships committed to building lasting solutions to the GTA’s greatest challenges.
Learn more about our work at unitedwaygt.org.

Diversity & Inclusion:

United Way is committed to creating an inclusive workplace that reflects our diverse community to ensure we’re best equipped to serve it. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and those who may need accommodation to apply to join our team. Our commitment to excellence in diversity goes beyond promoting equity. By incorporating a variety of experiences and perspectives, we create opportunities for innovative solutions and maximize the impact of our work.