Chief Executive Officer

Overview

The Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA), a Moving to Work (MTW) public housing authority, non-profit housing developer, and property manager of high-quality homes for families, elders, and people with disability, is seeking a dynamic Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization with intelligence, passion, and strategic insight.

This is a unique opportunity to lead an organization with a long-standing, nationally recognized record of innovation in affordable housing. As CHA evolves from a traditional public housing authority into a modern public owner, manager, and developer, it is expanding its impact in Cambridge and across the region, leveraging past success to create new opportunities for affordable housing development and management.

Internal Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Oversees all internal operations to ensure fiscal integrity, regulatory compliance, and high-quality service delivery.
• Directs financial reporting and audits, maintains effective feedback systems, and ensures departmental performance aligns with board policy, funding requirements, and legal standards.
• Leads agency initiatives that promote stability and opportunity for CHA residents.
• Builds and supports a skilled, mission-driven workforce.
• Sets performance benchmarks, manages the annual budget process, and provides clear financial and operational reports to the Board of Commissioners.
• Resolves program issues, manages sensitive internal matters, and advises the Board on key actions and emerging needs.

• External Leadership & Community Impact
• Serves as the primary external representative of the agency, championing its mission to expand and preserve affordable housing through innovative financing, sustainable development, and equitable community investment.
• Builds strong relationships with government officials, community leaders, partner organizations, funders, and the public, ensuring broad support for CHA’s initiatives.
• Stays ahead of national housing trends and HUD policies, bringing forward best practices and new opportunities to strengthen programs and development efforts.
• Leads initiatives to expand transitional and permanent supportive housing, address homelessness, and increase housing options for low- and moderate-income residents.
• Guides long-term financing strategies; such as tax credit structures, bond financing, and other tools, to support housing development and renovation.
• Identifies new funding sources, partnerships, and creative subsidy uses to grow CHA’s impact.
• Advocates at the federal, state, and local levels to shape policies that advance housing choice, operational flexibility, and economic mobility for CHA residents and program participants.

We are seeking a seasoned and strategic leader with deep experience in affordable housing, organizational management, development, and community engagement.

• Post-secondary education in an appropriate field, such as Public Administration, is preferred.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in an executive leadership position at an affordable housing entity or public housing authority.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate effective communication skills, financial and operational expertise, outstanding interpersonal skills, and an unyielding commitment to uplifting and supporting residents and applicants.

• Benefits: CHA offers a generous slate of employee benefits that includes medical, dental, and life insurances, short and long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, participation in the City of Cambridge Retirement System, 457b plan, paid time-off, and paid holidays.
• Compensation:
  The salary range for this position is between $280,000 to $325,000, commensurate with experience.
• Location:
  
  Cambridge, MA
• Position Type:
  This is an on-site position; candidates should be a commutable distance to Cambridge, MA, or be willing to relocate for the role.

If you’re excited to lead transformative change in public housing and have the experience to make a real difference, we want to hear from you.…