Director, Community Housing Programs

District Alliance for Safe Housing

Status: Full-time, exempt employee 

Salary: $95,000–$97,850

Reports to: Chief Program Officer

Supervises: Associate Director, Community Housing Programs and Economic Advancement Specialist (Community Housing Programs)

Location: Hybrid (in-person and remote), Washington, DC

About the District Alliance for Safe Housing 

Founded in 2006, the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) is DC’s largest provider of safe housing and trauma-informed services for survivors experiencing homelessness due to domestic and sexual violence. DASH meets survivors where they are, eliminating barriers to safe housing so that they can rebuild their lives on their own terms. 

DASH supports survivors—individuals, families, and transitioning youth aged 18-24—with housing; flexible financial assistance; and holistic services. DASH provides a continuum of emergency-to-transitional and transitional-to-permanent safe housing programs, including the 42-unit Cornerstone building, owned and operated by DASH.

DASH’s key programs include: Cornerstone, Empowerment Project, Right to Dream, Survivor Resilience Fund, and Safe Nights Fund.

DASH holds Candid’s Gold Seal of Transparency and has been recognized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the DC region's best nonprofits. To learn more, visit www.dashdc.org. 

Position Overview

The Director, Community Housing Programs (CHPs) is a senior management position responsible for providing strategic and problem-solving oversight, supporting the design and implementation of DASH’s program services for the Empowerment Project (EP), Project Empowerment (PE), and Right to Dream (RTD), and developing strategies to enhance the overall effectiveness of DASH’s programs and services. The Director, CHPs, ensures that the EP, PE, and RTD teams follow the DASH model and adhere to grant agreements at all service levels. The Director, CHPs, also manages EP, PE, and RTD programmatic escalations and ensures proper data capture, recordkeeping, and reporting to enable monitoring and assessment of programs.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

Program Oversight and Management (60%) 

• Develops and maintains program workplans to ensure program delivery and data reporting for EP, PE, and RTD, and all supporting partnerships. Identify timelines for achieving workplan scope and targets, and develop and implement best practices to support achievement.
• Partners with the Finance team to build and manage EP, PE, and RTD program budgets, completes periodic reforecasts as needed, oversees program expenses within their approved budget and grant awards, and provides monthly reports to the Executive Team on EP, PE, and RTD budget performance.
• Works in partnership with Program leadership to support the launch of PE and expand participant capacity of DASH’s Community Housing Programs as determined by funder requirements, available budgets, and fiscal year program workplans.
• Triages and serves as a leader in solving programmatic escalations, including staff and participant grievances, program non-compliance, and program exits. 
• Works in partnership with the Integrated Wellness Clinician, Economic Advancement Specialist, and Community Coach & Systems Navigators (CCSNs) to ensure all participants receive comprehensive, coordinated services that address housing stability, economic mobility, and overall well-being.
• Participates in the rotation of on-call responsibilities, providing effective response and resolution to matters requiring attention outside of core service hours in compliance with organizational policies and procedures.
• Identifies and addresses gaps in knowledge, skills, resources, and partnerships to strengthen program delivery, including wellbeing supports. 
• Oversees and regularly reviews the implementation of program policies, procedures, and best practices, working with DASH Executive to ensure compliance and continuous improvement.
• Creates transparency around and fosters understanding of program policies, procedures, workplans, and budgets. Provides guidance on program policy interpretation and implementation.
• Ensures staff consistently apply the DASH model and program policies and procedures for effective service delivery throughout DASH’s programs and services.
• Understands all grant requirements and ensures program and service delivery balances grant requirements and DASH’s trauma-based, survivor-informed values. Ensures program and service compliance with federal, state, and local confidentiality and victim services laws and regulations.
• Works in partnership with senior leadership, program management, and program staff to support detailed recordkeeping and ensure the accuracy of files, fostering an organized and transparent system that facilitates efficient retrieval and utilization of essential information.
• Ensures staff rigorously maintain financial safeguards and uphold internal controls. 
• Collaborates with the Deputy Chief and Chief Financial Officer; Manager, Program Operations; and Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting to support the development and implementation of standardized data collection and impact assessment tools, processes, and procedures across DASH programs. 
• Contributes to the development of programmatic reports and data reporting, ensuring accurate and timely dissemination of information to internal and external stakeholders. Collaborates with program staff to analyze and present data.
• Works in partnership with the Executive and Leadership teams to ensure that data-related program requirements for protecting sensitive data are clearly defined, communicated, understood, and considered part of operational prioritization and planning. 
• Regularly collaborates with the Executive and Leadership teams and program staff to identify recommendations to continuously improve programs. Leads and oversees the implementation of recommendations as identified.
• Provides strategic and operational input to the development of new program initiatives and the expansion of existing programs.
• Supports the monitoring and evaluation of DASH’s programs to ensure alignment with DASH’s goals, industry best practices, and legal requirements.
• Ensures audit readiness of program budgets and portfolios.
• Models DASH’s standard of understanding, sensitivity, and responsiveness to cultural differences in the organization’s service and employee population.
• Masters, communicates, and models DASH values. 

Resource and Partnership Management (15%) 

• Liaises with DASH teams to coordinate internal and external program referrals.
• Conducts and coordinates outreach efforts to identify partnerships and foster collaboration with other service providers and community stakeholders. 
• Coordinates and supports organization and delivery of program and volunteer activities and events for program participants.
• Maintains relationships and collaborates with Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) program partners, landlords and property management companies, volunteer groups, and culturally specific outreach centers to organize survivor-centered activities for participants. Develops and maintains relationships with other domestic and sexual violence service providers and key partners in job training programs, property management, education, and similar fields. 
• In agreement with leadership, attends or ensures DASH representation at funder and community partner meetings. Represents DASH at external community events, partner events, and stakeholder meetings to facilitate programs and DASH visibility throughout the region.
• Ensures team members regularly seek out and update contacts and resources. 

Leadership and Team Management (25%)

• Supports DASH’s strategic planning efforts, including collaborating with executive and leadership to develop and implement program strategies aligned with organizational objectives.
• Supports DASH on resource development and grant applications to support the Programs portfolio. 
• Supervises and supports the EP, PE, and RTD teams. Delegates work streams effectively, fostering professional growth and motivating and holding team members to a high standard of excellence and accountability.
• Attracts, develops, coaches, and retains high-performance team members, empowering them to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance. Supports staff to develop problem-solving skills and lead team brainstorming to respond to nuanced and individualized cases. 
• Ensures staff understand how to implement their work according to the model of voluntary service and trauma-informed practice for clients, the DASH model, and grant requirements. Ensures staff consistently apply the DASH model and organizational policies and procedures for effective service delivery throughout programs. 
• Identifies departmental training needs and consults with People & Culture to find or develop appropriate training resources.
• Contributes to the development of training sessions through DASH Academy, DASH’s in-house, signature professional development institute for staff. 
• Oversees timely recruitment processes and completion of new hire documentation for the Programs department before presenting top candidates for Executive approval.
• Fosters a collaborative and innovative program culture that encourages continuous improvement and learning.

Experience, Skills and Qualities

While we understand that no single candidate can possess every qualification listed below, the following are priority areas:

• Six or more years of related experience, or a combination of professional experience and a degree. Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) in psychology, social work, social services, or related field required, with relevant experience substituting for education. Master’s degree in psychology, social work, social services, or a related field is a plus but not required.
• Knowledge of and experience working on issues related to trauma (e.g., domestic violence, gender-based and power-based violence, sexual assault/violence, stalking, human trafficking). Understanding of the dynamics of trauma and the ability to work within a trauma-informed framework.
• Knowledge of housing/homelessness services and social services resources for survivors in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area, as well as familiarity with the DC housing market, education system, job training programs, and mental health programs.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities in team management, program management, and project management.
• Familiarity with budget development and forecasting as well as data collection and analysis. 
• Proven track record of developing and managing partnerships with external stakeholders.
• Experience coordinating and working within a team to deliver comprehensive services and advocacy. 
• Strong communication, collaboration, ethics, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. Strong ability to respond diplomatically to challenging issues, and give and receive feedback with openness, compassion, and respect.
• Proven capacity to respond sensitively and thoughtfully to individuals from diverse cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds, encompassing a range of values, attitudes, and languages.
• Knowledge of de-escalation and conflict navigation techniques.
• Proficiency in project management tools (Monday.com, Trello, Asana), Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook), and Internet Browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer).
• Bi/multi-lingual ability in Spanish, Amharic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, or American Sign Language is a plus but not required.

Other:

• Ability to travel within Washington, DC, including to DASH offices, community sites, and other Washington, DC locations during business hours is expected.
• Must provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation, as well as a routine drug screening (if required by any of DASH’s funding agreements).
• Must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 unless qualified for medical or religious exemption.

Compensation & Benefits

DASH offers a competitive salary in the range of $95,000–$97,850. DASH benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, with DASH covering 90% of the employee’s premium and 80% for spouse and children; a minimum of 20 days of paid leave, 15 holidays, and a weeklong winter holiday; and a 3% DASH non-elective contribution retirement plan.

Application Process

Good Insight, a national nonprofit executive search firm headquartered in Washington, DC, is assisting with this search. Interested applicants should upload a resume and a detailed cover letter in PDF format to good-insight.org/careers. Confidential inquiries about the role may be directed to DASH@good-insight.org. For best consideration, submit a PDF resume and a cover letter by mid-October 2025. Qualified applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search. 

Location 

DASH is located in Washington, DC. The Director, Community Housing Programs position operates on a hybrid schedule that requires location in the DC region. The number of in-office days will be agreed with the successful candidate, but is expected to average two to three days per week.

Physical Demands

This role includes prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Contact DASH@good-insight.org to request reasonable accommodations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

DASH is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive work environment and building a team that reflects the rich diversity of our community. DASH bases employment decisions on each person’s performance, qualifications, and abilities. DASH does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or characteristics protected by the District of Columbia and federal law. People of color, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities are encouraged to apply.