Great Homes and Neighborhoods for All Program Manager

ABOUT US: At New Jersey Future (NJF), we believe that great places help build great lives. To help create and preserve our great places, we promote sensible and equitable planning, redevelopment, and infrastructure investments that foster vibrant cities and towns; protect natural lands and waterways; enhance transportation choices; support a strong economy; and provide access to safe, affordable, and aging-friendly neighborhoods for everyone. We do this through original research, innovative policy development, coalition-building, advocacy, and hands-on strategic assistance. Embracing differences and advancing fairness is central to our mission and operations, and we are firmly committed to pursuing greater justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work and culture. NJF offers a fast-paced and supportive work environment. NJF is located in downtown Trenton, NJ. For more information, visit www.njfuture.org.

About Great Homes and Neighborhoods for All: Great Homes and Neighborhoods for All (GHNA) believes everyone in New Jersey deserves an affordable place to live in a safe, vibrant, climate-safe community. GHNA is a statewide, pro-housing initiative that publicly launched in November 2024 to tackle New Jersey’s housing and neighborhood challenges, inadequate systems for land use and zoning, and the resulting racial, socioeconomic, and health inequities through a 3-pronged strategy: 1) advocating for state policy changes, 2) supporting local planning, and 3) cultivating a network of local pro-housing campaigns. The initiative is led by a Steering Committee that includes advocates for smart growth, fair housing, and housing justice; for-profit and nonprofit developers, and community development leaders; academics, local pro-housing campaign representatives, and land use planners. More information is available at bit.ly/ghna_nj.

POSITION SUMMARY: New Jersey Future is seeking a highly-organized and motivated individual to serve as the Program Manager within our Housing and Land Use team, overseeing all aspects of the Great Homes and Neighborhoods for All initiative—a statewide, pro-housing movement to address NJ’s housing supply and affordability crisis. 

The GHNA Steering Committee has identified six guiding principles that frame the initiative’s action agenda. The Program Manager will be responsible for managing multiple workstreams as part of this comprehensive action agenda. This involves developing and articulating policy goals, working collaboratively with partners, conducting policy and program research and analysis, and creating strategic plans to achieve concrete wins.

The GHNA Program Manager will report to the Policy Manager, Housing and Land Use. New Jersey Future offers a fun, fast-paced, supportive work environment and the ability to make a difference. NJF employees work a hybrid work-from-home/in-office schedule.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

1. Advancing the Great Homes and Neighborhoods for All action agenda 

• Manage multiple workstreams within each of the initiative’s guiding principles, and develop strategies to achieve concrete policy, program, and regulatory wins 
• Track progress on deliverables and ensure GHNA team meets workplan milestones
• Coalition-building and relationship-building: establish strong working relationships with partners and other stakeholders, and work in coalition to collaboratively advance GHNA’s comprehensive action agenda
• Organize regular Steering Committee meetings and coordinate additional meetings and events as part of a broader education and engagement strategy
• Support colleagues in developing resources and/or trainings on organizing, advocacy, planning and housing policy
• Support the Director of Research in conducting original research, analyzing data, and drafting blog posts and reports
• Staff GHNA work groups, as needed
• Represent GHNA at external events, partner meetings, and other coalitions, as needed
• Manage the overall GHNA operations, administrative responsibilities, and collaborative structure
   

1. Legislative and Policy Research, Development, and Analysis
   • Research housing policies and remain current on best practices and housing/zoning reforms passing in other states to inform policy and regulatory reform recommendations aligned with the GHNA guiding principles
   • Monitor state-level legislative, regulatory, and programmatic issues that impact the GHNA action agenda
   • Assist with drafting bill language, bill amendments, regulations, and policy memos
   • Prepare and deliver written and oral testimony at hearings
   • Participate in weekly NJF Governmental Affairs meetings
      
2. Administrative, Communications, and Project Support

• Collaborate effectively with Land Use team members and partners
• Assist with grant proposals, budget tracking, and funders’ reporting requirements
• Contribute ideas for newsletter and listserv content at monthly Land Use / Communications meetings and assist in implementing the overall GHNA communications strategy
• Oversee social media content development
• Help supervise intern projects, as needed
• Support broader organizational efforts, such as NJF’s annual Planning and Redevelopment Conference

Qualifications/Requirements:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice
• Familiarity with at least one of NJF’s key policy areas—state policy, planning and redevelopment, the environment, housing, strong communities—or a strong desire to learn
• Highly detail-oriented with strong time management and the ability to navigate shifting priorities
• Strong verbal communication, public speaking, and listening skills, with experience developing effective meeting agendas, presenting information to diverse audiences, organizing and facilitating meetings, delivering public testimony, and guiding groups to reach consensus
• Excellent research and writing skills, with the ability to write policy memos, craft effective messages, create action alerts, and produce materials for non-technical audiences 
• Demonstrated ability to navigate large coalition dynamics and work through conflict honestly and openly
• Background in housing policy, community development, or planning is a plus

COMPENSATION: The salary for this full-time position is in the range of $65,000 and $80,000 and depends on the candidate’s experience and skills. Salary is negotiable.

BENEFITS: New Jersey Future values hard work and a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible, family-friendly employment policies. Our competitive benefits package for full-time employees includes 100% employer-sponsored medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance coverage for staff and partial sponsorship of dependents. In addition, we offer a generous health reimbursement account and options for pre-tax flexible spending accounts for medical and dependent care costs. New Jersey Future employees enjoy a defined contribution 401(k) retirement plan with a variable employer match, flexible work schedules including the opportunity to work partially remotely, generous paid time off policies, and paid holidays. To encourage use of public and active transportation, we offer commuter transit subsidies and access to a company car for work meetings. New Jersey Future is committed to the growth and development of staff and fostering a creative, inclusive workplace culture.
 

New Jersey Future employees are working on a hybrid work-from-home and in-office schedule.

APPLICATION: Interested and qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and a resume using our career page. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  If selected to advance, a brief writing sample that is original content (not edited or contributed to by someone other than the applicant) will be required and a brief assignment may be given. Relevant references will also be required. NJF currently is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time. If hired, employment eligibility verification will be carried out upon selection.