Director, Innovation and Partnerships

ABOUT THE ROLE 

The Director, Innovation & Partnerships will support the Vice President, Innovation, in advancing new business and program concepts that strategically address gaps in the affordable housing and community development sectors. The Director will play a key role in supporting the identification, design, and implementation of member-driven innovations, incorporating market research, business modeling, and project management strategies to ensure the successful launch and scaling of new business ventures. This position will involve collaborating with internal teams, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), HPN members, and external partners to ensure alignment with HPN’s goals while ensuring that innovative business concepts are evaluated, refined, and executed efficiently.

MAJOR DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the VP, Innovation in leading the process of discovering and evaluating new business and program concepts emerging from HPN members, strategic partners, external opportunities, and existing business lines.
• They will also support the EVP, Business, Innovation, and Partnerships in helping to manage and coordinate HPN’s work with its strategic partners throughout the sector.
• Drive the execution of the project lifecycle, guiding innovations through iterative stages, from initial exploration to concept testing, pilot launch, and ongoing development with a focus on project success and on-time delivery. 
• Assist in identifying new opportunities, including scanning the industry for potential acquisition or investment opportunities that serve HPN's members and mission.
• Support the management of innovation-related budgets and resources, ensuring that activities remain within financial and strategic parameters.
• Focus on transforming high-level strategic ideas provided by the VP and EVP into concrete, actionable plans and outcomes.
• Assist VP in triaging resources spent on new concepts and those in process. Consider the synergy and integration of new businesses with existing lines of business; align overall HPN mission, risks and resources to ensure prioritization.
• Implement and manage a robust system for tracking innovation projects, ensuring the pipeline is active, aligned with HPN’s strategic priorities, and advancing in a timely manner.
• Collaborate with VP to prioritize and evaluate pipeline initiatives, while ensuring continuous flow of new ideas through structured processes.
• Facilitate the formation of and support member design groups and engage with members regularly to gather feedback on concepts in development.
• Lead the process of incorporating member feedback into innovation initiatives to refine ideas and improve their relevance. 
• Participate in peer exchange sessions to curate themes, identify potential innovations and memorialize discussions and opportunities.
• Lead the planning and execution of pilot programs for new business concepts and models, closely monitoring progress and results.
• Analyze pilot outcomes and adjust approaches to ensure concepts are refined based on real-world insights and member feedback.
• Collaborate with the VP to implement market research studies, ensuring data collection on key industry trends, member needs, and competitive landscape.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative market research and analyze data from a variety of primary and secondary sources to validate new business ideas and inform decision-making processes including but not limited to market sizing, forecasting growth, financial viability and competitive analysis.
• Lead advanced business explorations with cross-functional teams, including finance, consultants, and business line leads, to create preliminary financial models, conduct stress testing, and prepare for decision-making.
• Provide strategic guidance and input on revenue-generating activities, pricing strategies, and partnership opportunities that drive sustainable growth and impact.
• Monitor the financial performance of innovation projects and ensure resources are allocated efficiently.
• Cultivate relationships with external partners, collaborators, and stakeholders to support the innovation agenda and ensure alignment with HPN’s goals.
• Work closely with external vendors, partners, and funders to execute business development efforts, ensuring smooth collaboration and leveraging external expertise.
• Work closely with the VP of Innovation, Philanthropy, and Capital Markets teams to ensure alignment and synergy between innovation projects and the organization’s broader strategic initiatives.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing across departments to ensure smooth integration of new business ideas and initiatives.
• Ensure that lessons from current projects are systematically integrated into future innovation efforts.
• Prepare quarterly reports on innovation activities for board committees, ensuring that key insights and actionable information are communicated clearly. Create other regular and ad-hoc reports.
• Utilize systems like Salesforce to ensure accurate tracking, reporting, and updating of member engagement and the progress of new business lines.
• Manage and enhance virtual tools and platforms for data collection, ensuring that HPN’s innovation goals are consistently updated and transparent to internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure timely collection of key data to provide leadership, members, funders, and partners with up-to-date insights on progress, challenges, and emerging trends.
• Work closely with HPN staff, including content experts and business line leaders, to integrate findings from research into actionable insights for innovation projects.
• Work on other projects as assigned by the VP for Innovations.
• Other duties as assigned. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of relevant work experience. 
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree a plus.
• Evidence of commitment to social and environmental justice and a passion for public service.
• Strong research and analytical skills to assess market opportunities and business viability using both quantitative and qualitative data with the ability to generate insights, draw meaningful conclusions and implications from data.
• Ability to work independently in a remote work environment and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams across multiple offices.
• Deep understanding of business research, market testing, and concept development.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage and influence a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail oriented self- starter with the ability to take initiative, manage and prioritize multiple tasks in a dynamic and entrepreneurial environment.
• Creativity, intellectual curiosity, and an ability to be flexible and adapt effectively to change.
• Critical thinker, understanding of business research and analysis.
• Excellent project management and creative problem-solving skills to lead collaborative projects with remote team members working under multiple competing deadlines.
• Strong command of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook) with the ability to lead and manage data collection, storage, and analysis.
• Comfortable with the use of technology tools, and the ability to quickly learn new tools and systems.
• Interest in housing and community development and the non-profit sector in advancing affordable housing in the United States. 

LOCATION

HPN is a remote company. Employees may work from anywhere in the contiguous 48 states while staying fully engaged with their team and the broader company through virtual collaboration tools and regular online meetings. Occasional travel is required for in-person meetings, conferences, or team-building events to foster strong relationships and ensure alignment with key initiatives. The ideal candidate should be prepared to work from their home, have a dedicated office, and be comfortable balancing virtual communication with the ability to travel as needed for business purposes.

COMPENSATION 

Salary: $113,600 (min)-$142,000 (mid). Commensurate with education and experience with a bonus potential. 

BENEFITS:

15 vacation days, 12 sick days, 12 paid holidays, paid personal day, medical, dental and vision insurance, health savings account, flexible spending account, dependent care flexible spending account, retirement, and savings plan/401(k) match, group life insurance, short- and long-term disability, parental leave, sabbatical leave, professional development and much more!

TO APPLY:

Please submit a resume and a thoughtful cover letter detailing your interest in this opportunity and your relevant skills and expertise here.  

ABOUT THE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

Housing Partnership Network (HPN) is an award-winning membership network of 100 of the nation’s leading affordable housing and community development nonprofits.  Through practitioner-driven peer exchange, policy and innovation, the Housing Partnership Network’s mission is to leverage the individual strengths and mobilize the collective power of our member organizations. Our vision is that all people live in vibrant and inclusive communities where access to affordable homes creates opportunity and economic mobility. 

Since our founding in 1992, HPN has collectively served over 12.8 million people; developed, rehabilitated, or preserved about 470,000 affordable homes; and launched 14 successful social enterprises. Our work has been recognized with honors including the MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions and Wells Fargo NEXT Award for Opportunity Finance for its ongoing leadership and innovation in affordable housing and community development. HPN represents a new breed of entrepreneurial nonprofit that combines a mission focus with business acumen to achieve ambitious social outcomes. The hallmark of HPN’s member‐driven approach is:

• Peer Exchange among the senior leaders of HPN member organizations who share knowledge and ideas to advance best practices in the field.
• Policy and Advocacy to strengthen the impact, scale, and sustainability of the sector.
• Innovation R&D is borne from ideas surfaced through peer exchange which HPN staff explore and test.
• Social Enterprises that HPN and members develop together are launched to address current affordable housing and community development challenges and advance innovative solutions.

Learn more at www.housingpartnership.net.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

HPN is committed to creating a diverse and equitable environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. HPN recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status and other protected status.