Job Description

Our Client has retained Gillian Executive Search to find a "CEO of Affordable Housing" to lead the firm's next phase of growth across its three lines of business - development, consulting, and investing. The CEO will set strategy, build and execute a high-quality pipeline, strengthen capital and institutional partnerships, and ensure disciplined operational and financial management across the platform. The work spans affordable and mixed-income development, urban infill and repositioning, and high-impact investing, supported by cost efficiency, design excellence, and sustainable building practices.


We are looking for an "up-and-coming" CEO type with the energy to jump in and roll up their sleeves. You need to be able to source, control, finance and close Acquisition Rehab deals anywhere in the US. This is key.

Position: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Affordable Housing 
Location: New York City / Tri-State (NY-NJ-CT) with regular travel across the Northeast and the country as needed.

Key Responsibilities

1) Strategy, Growth & Platform Leadership

• Own and drive enterprise strategy across development, investing, and consulting - pipeline planning, market focus, product mix, and growth priorities.
• Identify and execute new opportunities including joint ventures, acquisitions, recapitalizations, and complex special-situation projects.
• Represent Our Client externally with credibility - investors, capital partners, lenders, public sector stakeholders, and mission-aligned partners.

• Lead the development platform from origination through entitlements, design, financing, construction, lease-up, stabilization, and long-term operations/asset performance.
• Ensure projects reflect high standards for cost efficiency, unique design solutions, green building, and execution on complex urban sites.
• Build repeatable development systems: underwriting standards, approvals, risk controls, schedule/budget accountability, and performance reporting.

• Oversee overall financial health: budgeting, forecasting, audit readiness, treasury/working capital, and portfolio-level performance.
• Structure and secure capital stacks and incentive-driven financing appropriate to affordable/mixed-income and community development opportunities.
• Strengthen governance and transparency through clear reporting, stakeholder communication, and a consistent decision cadence.

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing leadership team; recruit and retain best-in-class talent across development, finance, asset management, and operations.
• Build an execution culture - clear priorities, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Advance systems and technology to improve speed, clarity, and quality of decisions and outcomes.

5) Community & Partner Impact

• Deepen presence across the Tri-State and Northeast affordable and mixed-income ecosystem - community partners, government agencies, nonprofit/for-profit partners, and operators.
• Champion an affordable luxury / resident-centered approach - design choices that elevate daily life while maintaining feasibility and operational durability.

Candidate Profile

Required Experience

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in real estate development, investment, or asset management; 5+ years in senior executive leadership with full P&L; accountability.
• Demonstrated success executing affordable and/or mixed-income housing and/or community development real estate in dense urban environments.
• Strong finance and transaction capability: underwriting, structuring, negotiation, and capitalization across multi-party deals.
• Proven ability to build partnerships and close complex transactions with public and private stakeholders.

• Direct experience in Tri-State / Northeast markets with a working knowledge of approvals, agency dynamics, and community partnership models.
• Experience leading multi-vertical platforms (development + investing + advisory/consulting) and scaling teams/systems without losing execution discipline.
• Familiarity with impact-investing and structured capital solutions aligned to community revitalization and affordable housing.
  
  Education Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPA, finance, urban planning, real estate, or similar) is a plus.

• Strategic, accountable, and decisive - able to move from vision to execution with rigor.
• High-integrity communicator comfortable with investors, public agencies, community stakeholders, and internal teams.
• Builder of talent and culture - coaching orientation, high standards, and commitment to inclusion and opportunity.
• Entrepreneurial and resourceful, with a bias toward solving hard problems and delivering durable results in complex environments.
• Compensation will be competitive with a strong base salary, bonus incentives and benefits. 

• Demonstrated experience doing the job at a senior level; delivers baseline productivity and stability from day one. 
• Ability to fill critical gaps in a lean, early-stage environment - especially financial performance management and reporting. 
• Strong, clear communication with internal teams and external stakeholders; sets expectations and keeps alignment.
• Relationship-driven networker in the real estate ecosystem; sources partners, opportunities, and capital.
• Culture builder and team collaborator; recruits and develops aligned talent and works with the team to identify/close gaps. Excellent negotiator across transactions, contracts, and stakeholder dynamics where value is created.
• Hands-on executor who can operate at the strategic and operational levels; drives monetization/results with disciplined risk management.
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  For candidate referrals or to learn more about this search, please contact Kipp Gillian, Gillian Executive Search 866-600-0437 x 1. Gillian Executive Search is the leader in affordable housing development executive search.