Housing Programs Specialist

Housing Programs Specialist

Salary

$86,568.00 - $104,868.00 Annually

Location

City of Bellingham, WA

Job Type

Full Time

Job Number

26-Housing Prog. Specialist

Department

Planning and Community Development

Opening Date

10/09/2026

Closing Date

10/23/2026 4:30 PM Pacific

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit

231

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Nature of Work

Join our Planning and Community Development team as a Housing Program Specialist and help strengthen community housing stability through fair, accessible, and well-managed programs. This role is ideal for detail-oriented problem-solvers who enjoy navigating housing regulations, grant processes, and creative financing to support residents and local partners. If you're looking to make a meaningful public-service impact, we'd love to hear from you!

JOB SUMMARY:

Plans and organizes the work processes and day-to-day operations of the Home and Rental Rehabilitation Programs and the Homebuyer Assistance Program. Implements the City's one-to-four family housing loan programs, including the Home and Rental Rehabilitation Loan Programs and the Homebuyer Assistance Program, to provide housing benefits to low and moderate income and special needs households. Conducts monitoring of sub-recipients of federal and locally funded grant programs for low income and disabled households. Ensures the City meets the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Housing requirements. Works directly with state and federal agencies and local private lending institutions.

For more information, please review the job description.

WHY JOIN OUR TEAM?

Joining the City of Bellingham means becoming a part of a team that believes our greatest impact comes from working together with purpose, humility and a shared commitment to our community. Every employee contributes to delivering meaningful results for the people who live, work and visit here. We value people who approach challenges with curiosity, respect and collaboration. If you are motivated by building a career in public service, we encourage you to apply.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

The current full salary range for this position is $7,214/month - $8,739/month. Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the Teamsters Collective Bargaining Agreement and City policy.

The City places new employees within the published salary range based on qualifications and professional experience as listed on the application material, in accordance with City policy. Candidates who exceed the minimum experience requirements shall be given credit for advanced step placement at the rate of one additional pay step for each two full years of directly related or equivalent professional experience beyond the minimum requirements. Candidates who meet minimum qualifications or have experience that is not directly related or in a lower-level position will be placed at step one in the salary range. For positions that require a bachelor's degree, one additional step may be granted for applicants with a master's degree in a related field when the master's degree is not required to meet minimum qualifications.

For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

At the City of Bellingham, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that helps you thrive in both your career and personal life. Join our team and enjoy peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are well cared for. Here's a closer look at the outstanding benefits that come with being part of our team. You can find more details on our employment benefits page and labor agreements page.

• 10 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time
• 12 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year
• 8 hours of sick leave accrued monthly
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
• Life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Washington State Retirement plan (DRS) for retirement security
• Optional 457 deferred compensation (Retirement Savings Plan) with employer match

Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

Closing Date/Time: Fri. 10/23/26 4:30 PM Pacific Time

Experience and Training

• Bachelor's degree in business administration or social science, AND
• A minimum of one year of experience, preferably in governmental programs, in any of the following areas: housing rehabilitation, real estate loans, bank financing, title and escrow services. Additional experience in the program area is desired.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to provide the applicant with the knowledge, skills and ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the job will be considered.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Employment contingent upon passing a criminal conviction and local background check (see Fair Hiring Practices below).
• Verification of ability to work in the United States by date of hire.
• Valid Washington State drivers license and good driving record. A three-year driving abstract must be submitted at time of hire.
• Must attain a notary public commission within three months of hire and maintain throughout employment.

Selection Process

You are encouraged to print a copy of this job announcement for your reference as the process moves along

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and supplemental questions). Application materials should comprehensively document your experience and skills related to the position responsibilities and experience/training requirements. As part of the City's commitment to reducing bias in the hiring process, Human Resources redacts personally identifiable information for reviewers. Only the documents listed as required will be reviewed.

Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for November 5, 2026. Depending on the volume of qualified applications, we may add an additional day of interviews on November 4, 2026. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around October 26, 2026.

Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

Equal Opportunity

The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individuals race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.

Fair Hiring Practices

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.
• The City will not inquire about an applicants criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.

There are many good reasons for working at the City of Bellingham. The work is rewarding and you have an opportunity to serve your community. Another good reason is the great benefits that the City offers its employees. See our benefits section for additional information.

This position is represented by the Teamsters 231 bargaining unit. Specific benefit information including Holidays, Vacation Accruals, Health, Dental and Vision Plans with cost sharing and Deferred Compensation Match can be found in the Teamsters 231 labor agreement.

This position is covered by the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems PERS plan. PERS requires mandatory employee and City contributions. Please visit the DRS website for more information on PERS.

01

Thank you for your interest in this position at the City of Bellingham! To ensure a consistent review, only the City of Bellingham job application and required supplemental documents will be reviewed. Cover letters and resumes are not reviewed unless they are required as part of the process. When applying for this position, you must thoroughly complete each section of your application, and provide a thorough response to each of the supplemental questions. Please do not indicate "see resume" or copy content that is unrelated to the position being applied for from your resume when answering these questions.

Have you read and understood the information listed above?

• Yes
• No

02

Do you have a bachelor's degree in business administration or social science?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have a minimum of one year of experience, preferably in governmental programs, in any of the following areas: housing rehabilitation, real estate loans, bank financing, title and escrow services. Additional experience in the program area is desired.

How We Count Work Experience: Your experience must be equal to full-time paid work. If you worked part-time, we'll calculate your experience based on the total number of hours you worked in a year. For example, if you worked 10 hours per week for 12 months, that equals 3 months of full-time experience (10 hrs x 52 weeks= 520 hrs/173.33 full time hrs per month = 3 months).

• Yes
• No

04

Explain in detail your education and experience, or combination of education/experience that provides you the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities to perform this role. [Note: this must also be reflected on your application under Education and Work Experience.]

05

Do you have or are you willing to obtain a Washington State drivers license and provide a 3-year driving history prior to hire?

• Yes
• No

06

Are you willing and able to attain a notary public commission within three (3) months of hire and maintain throughout employment?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer City of Bellingham

Address 104 West Magnolia Street

Bellingham, Washington, 98225

Phone 360-778-8220

Website http://www.cob.org/employment