About the CO Eviction Defense Project (CEDP) & CO Stability Fund

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented eviction risk for U.S. renters. We formed the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project (CEDP) in April 2020 as a direct response. Over the past few years, our community organizing project has evolved into a large housing stability organization that operates a continuum of care model focused on stopping eviction and displacement.

We do this by helping to prevent mass evictions and homelessness. We quickly built a team of housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy-experts, and organizers to respond to this crisis.

With guidance from our clients—a majority of whom identify as people of color—and community partners, we launched a “continuum care” approach to eviction prevention that centers the legal and financial needs of housing-insecure families and uses a variety of tools to keep them housed.

At the center is the Colorado Stability Fund, a rental assistance and tenant advocacy vehicle. Our focus in 2021 was on providing rental assistance and legal services to help at-risk individuals and families gain access to state and private rental assistance dollars and protecting individuals’ rights as tenants. We proved the efficacy of this effort with a remarkably successful 9-month period, during which we issued over $23M in rental assistance and provided legal services to over 400 clients. We are scaling and expanding the effort in 2022 by targeting the continued distribution of rental assistance and expansion into new areas of need from a legal and policy perspective.

As the COVID-19 crisis moves from pandemic to endemic, the CO Eviction Defense Project will remain. Our continuum of care offers stability in the face of growing housing instability driven by inflation and ongoing economic challenges. Our continuum of care includes:

• Rental Assistance: For the vast majority of our clients, our partners at the Colorado Stability Fund provide rental assistance and we offer negotiation services. We use public funds to pay back and future rent, reinstate leases, and avert evictions through rental debt settlements alone.

• Legal Services: For complicated cases with additional legal issues or difficult landlords, we offer eviction defense services, paired with rental assistance dollars, to encourage settlement or stabilize tenancies and represent tenants in court when negotiation does not work.

• Rehousing and Case Management: Where legal services do not work, we provide rehousing support services through ERA funding and agency referrals.

• Advocacy: More broadly, we go case to cause. We work with our clients to tell their stories and amplify their voices into policy change. In the 2020-2021 legislative session, for example, we drafted and, in coalition with other stakeholders and community organizations, passed the renters’ rights legislation that caps late fees, penalizes abusive landlords, and gives Coloradans access to the warranty of habitability without paying a bond.

More about the role

The Covid-19 Eviction Defense Project (CEDP) seeks qualified candidates with exceptional ability to direct operations for a complex products that require ever-evolving attention to detail and process modification and improvement.

A successful candidate will have experience leading teams through processes like customer service, compliance, payments processing, knowledge management, dispatch, and more. They will also have comfort with managing, updating, and monitoring technology systems like CRMs.

To further ensure success, candidates are expected to work comfortably under pressure with tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment. You must exercise sound judgment and have strong written and verbal skills as well as the ability to collaborate with peers and managers to adapt and improve new processes. Top candidates will be familiar with basic housing and rental principles, understand payment processing and CRM management in social services, have exceptional time management and organizing skills and be self-motivated and managed. Spanish language skills are desired but not required. We offer competitive salary and benefits which are detailed below.

As the leader of our operations team you will:

• Direct implementation and improvement of our technology tools including Hubspot, Bill.com, Guru, and others.

• Participate in and potentially lead improvement processes across all areas of operations and rental assistance

• Review and approve rental assistance applications for compliance with state and federal guidelines

• Occasionally work directly with clients (Tenants and Landlords) to resolve urgent rental assistance issues

• Gather/collect, review and log required documents and information to support the accurate and timely processing of cases

• Create and organize information, and generate reference tools for easy use by teammates and members of adjacent teams

• Facilitate the creation of a Decision Support process and potentially team members (Business Insights, Data Analytics)

• Understand key success measures for your role and submit daily and weekly progress reports

• Create and implement data integrity processes to improve accuracy and accessibility of data

• Create and implement rich dashboards by which the leadership team can manage their teams

• Maintain and update databases and tracking systems accurately and as designated

• Participate in CEDP’s ongoing efforts to improve upon existing processes by maintaining openness and curiosity about processes, systems and technologies

• Develop and propose staffing strategies to best meet the needs of the business

• Supervise day-to-day activities on the operations team

• Develop deep knowledge of the rental assistance process and become an expert so teammates can come to you with questions when needed

Director of Operations Position Requirements:

• Minimum two years of experience overseeing technology implementation and improvement for small to medium-sized teams including customer service (CRM), phone, knowledge management and other team supporting tools.

• Minimum five years of experience in an advocacy, sales, customer service, social services or law related environment.

• Analytical thinker with detail orientation and strong data capabilities.

• Demonstrated proficiency leading Customer Relationship Management databases or similar tracking and organizing technologies

• Fantastic organizational skills and ability to manage and prioritize a complex workload with rapidly changing demands.

• Five or more years of experience and proven ability to supervise multi-layered teams including demonstrated ability to develop emerging talent and handle difficult supervisory tasks with grace and empathy.

• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Brilliant written and verbal communication skills.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office, and the Google Suite.

We’re looking for you if your background and skillsets include:

• Experience with CRM management and process improvement with complex and interacting technologies

• A background working with diverse communities

• Comfort with ambiguity in a fast-paced, all-hands-on-deck environment

• Demonstrated passion for social impact and social justice

• Willingness and desire to fight for tenants’ rights in a variety of settings

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively and proactively with a diverse team and clientele

• Comfort with and ability to effectively navigate a remote work environment

To Apply:

Interested candidates should apply by clicking the button to apply linked on this page.

Equal Opportunity

The Community Firm is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Benefits & Compensation

• Salary starting at $83,000 per year.

• Benefits include health, vision, dental, unlimited paid vacation, short-term and long-term disability, and 401K.

• As in-person work is sometimes required, all employees at CEDProject are expected to maintain current vaccination status in keeping with CDC recommendations.