Position Announcement: Director of Housing Security Initiative

Mountain View, California

POSITION DESCRIPTION
DIRECTOR, HOUSING SECURITY 
SOBRATO PHILANTHROPIES, THE SOBRATO ORGANIZATION
Mountain View, CA – February 12, 2025 

THE ORGANIZATION 

The Sobrato Organization ("TSO") is a multi-generational, family-owned firm based in Silicon Valley. Sixty-five years ago, its Founder began developing commercial real estate for high-growth companies before expanding to include building multifamily communities, investing in entrepreneurial enterprises, and giving back to the communities in which the family lives and conducts business. TSO is comprised of three enterprise groups that are integrated for impact, all served by a shared enterprise operations platform. In total, the organization has 91 employees. The Sobrato family applies the same values of mutual accountability, collaboration, engagement, excellence, and integrity across all its philanthropic and business activities, working to leverage the combined power of their investments to create value and opportunity in their local community and beyond: 

  • Sobrato Real Estate & Development: TSO’s Real Estate & Development group develops and operates world-class office buildings, apartment homes, and mixed-use projects in high-growth markets in the western United States. Its mission is to develop, acquire, own, and operate profitable real estate projects that prioritize sustainable design, the wellness of employees and benefit the communities in which they are located.  
  • Sobrato Capital: Sobrato Capital leverages TSO’s investment expertise, network, capital resources, and long-term investment horizon to generate superior investment returns that complement the success of the firm’s Real Estate & Development operations and build the resources of Sobrato Philanthropies. Its mission is to sustainably grow the organization's assets in support of TSO’s broader business and philanthropic goals while serving as a partner of choice for investments. 
  • Sobrato Philanthropies: Three generations engage in grantmaking, advocacy, and impact investing globally and, through a collective strategy, work to improve the Silicon Valley region by supporting thriving communities. The mission of Sobrato Philanthropies (“SP”) is to partner with communities to meet immediate needs, address systemic barriers, and pursue social justice to build a more equitable and sustainable world.  

KEY FACTS 

  • TSO has developed over 21 million square feet of R&D and office buildings and 10,000 apartment units. The firm’s current portfolio of real estate consists of 14 million square feet of office and multi-family properties, 100% owned by the Sobrato Family without institutional partners. 
  • Sobrato Capital, a diversified portfolio of public and private investments, was started in 2009 to diversify the family’s holdings and manage the growing endowment of Sobrato Philanthropies. Sobrato Capital also has cumulative impact investment commitments totaling $450 million across TSO and affiliated external entities.  
  • Since its founding, and due to the success of the Real Estate and Capital enterprises, Sobrato Philanthropies has donated cash, real estate, and free office space totaling nearly $1.5 billion dollars and is currently granting $100 million annually. TSO has been the largest donor to the Silicon Valley region for many years and has a diverse portfolio of work led by individual family members. 
  • Today, 62 nonprofit agencies receive free office space in Sobrato Centers for Nonprofits, totaling 350,000 square feet in Palo Alto, Milpitas, San Jose, and Redwood City. 
  • Today, there are four multi-family communities in the Housing Security Initiative portfolio, totaling 360+ units in Santa Clara, Hayward, Redwood City, and Daly City.  

 

FAMILY MISSION AND GOALS 

Three generations of family owners recently updated the family's vision and goals and affirmed the mission and values of The Sobrato Organization. 

The family’s mission is to leverage the family-owned enterprise to build a more equitable and sustainable world through business and philanthropic leadership. The goals in support of this vision are two-fold: 

  • Integrate for impact, taking a disciplined approach to operationalizing how the family leverages all of its assets for positive impact. 
  • Build a dynamic organization that is able to engage all owners across generations and attract and retain top talent from outside the family at all levels of the organization. 

 

THE OPPORTUNITY 

The Sobrato Organization and Sobrato Philanthropies seek an experienced affordable housing leader with expertise in affordable housing finance and operations, real estate, and community development to serve in the newly created Director - Housing Security Initiative (HSI) position.  

The Director will lead the implementation of the Housing Security Initiative (HSI), including program design, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and program refinement; financial analysis and impact assessment; and stakeholder engagement. The ideal candidate must have expertise and a track record of success in affordable housing finance and operations, real estate and community development, knowledge of existing local, state, and federal regulations (e.g., regulatory agreements, property tax, and welfare exemption knowledge), and a sophisticated understanding of the Bay Area affordable housing ecosystem.  

The Sobrato Organization (TSO) is at an exciting inflection point as it works to align its business and philanthropic goals toward collective social impact. Sobrato Philanthropies’ (SP) bold Theory of Impact is based on the understanding that housing security is critical to building thriving communities and intersects closely with other key SP issue areas: Economic Mobility, Educational Equity for multilingual learners, and Climate Action.  

The Housing Security Initiative (HSI) is the first piloted effort to unite TSO’s enterprise through this vision, leveraging assets across Sobrato Philanthropies, Sobrato Real Estate, and Sobrato Capital to preserve and produce affordable housing and advance pro-housing policies. The Director will evolve this work from initial pilot projects to create structures for scale within a complex family business.   

The Director reports to the Vice President of Community Impact and Systems Change. The Director will be a key member of the SP Leadership Team and support TSO leadership in developing and executing programmatic goals focused on affordable housing preservation, production, and policy advancement. The Director will set clear work plans and manage workflows and communications across Sobrato Philanthropies, Real Estate, and Capital to ensure efficient, day-to-day management of the Initiative. The Director will provide written communications to the senior leadership, executive leadership, and Governance Board on the progress and impact of this portfolio. The Director will document processes, approaches, impacts, and learnings, building HSI’s internal infrastructure and developing a replicable model. 

The Director will center equity and community voice and seek solutions that ensure currently low-wage, housing-insecure residents and families (at or below 80% of area median income) experience dignity and access to resources through the Housing Security Initiative. The Director will demonstrate curiosity, humility, a passion for applying a multi-sector approach to problem-solving, eagerness to learn, and a commitment to the mission of The Sobrato Organization. 

This full-time exempt position is based in Mountain View, CA. TSO has designated Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays of each week as “Core Collaboration” days, where all employees are expected to be present in the office to facilitate a sense of community and belonging among employees and allow for inclusive collaboration within and among teams.  

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Program Design, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation (40%)   

  • Lead strategic refinement and scaling of HSI, advancing preservation, production, and pro-housing policy.  
  • Ensure effective implementation of the overall HSI strategy, tied to the Theory of Impact and monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework, including: 
  • Partner with SP staff to implement monitoring and evaluation plans and systems to demonstrate program impact and effectiveness of investments.  
  • Use data-driven insights to monitor, refine, and improve program strategies continuously. 
  • Document processes, approaches, and learnings to codify elements of the Initiative for scale and replication.  
  • Manage the implementation of cross-TSO (real estate, capital, and philanthropies) contributions to the overall Housing Security Initiative, including: 
  • Collaborate with and solicit input and collective experience from all teams while independently driving end results. 
  • Convene, coordinate, and plan HSI meetings and working groups. 
  • Ensure alignment and coordination on HSI-related acquisitions, investments, and grants while navigating complex cross-organization working dynamics accompanying a new initiative. 
  • Build systems, processes, procedures, and tools to facilitate efficiency, transparency, and communication. 
  • Design and implement community engagement and residential wrap-around services model in partnership with real estate property management and philanthropic grantee partners 
  • Provide program management and oversight of the HSI scorecard, budget, deliverables, impact data, and communications. 
  • Oversee the welfare tax exemption application process for projects within the HSI portfolio. 

Financial Analysis and Impact Assessment (30%)  

  • Review the financial analyses for HSI real estate acquisitions, impact investments, and grants, ensuring financial stewardship is in alignment with social impact goals.  
  • Analyze and effectively present the relative economic and social impact of affordable housing initiatives. 
  • Develop systems and processes or leverage existing ones to surface key HSI impact data in a replicable manner.  
  • Contribute compelling annual data to enhance TSO's storytelling, degree of influence, and ability to communicate clearly. 
  • Lead the assessment of economic and social impacts, showcasing the deliverables of our initiatives in enhancing community well-being. 

Internal and External Stakeholder Engagement (20%) 

  • Support TSO leadership with content expertise in affordable housing finance, compliance, and policy. 
  • Synthesize, present, and communicate financial and housing-related content in a straightforward manner to facilitate thoughtful discussion and decision-making by the Executive Leadership Team, Governance Board, and the Family Owners Council.  
  • Foster positive relationships with internal stakeholders, including the Board and external philanthropic partners. 
  • Collaborate and network effectively with external stakeholders, including government agencies, developers, nonprofits, and community members, to wield collective wisdom and insight for program refinement. 
  • Ensure diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices are implemented by elevating community voices through robust engagement strategies. Ensure that TSO’s housing initiatives align organically with local needs and cultural sensitivities. 
  • Understand the broader systems that impact housing security and economic mobility, including social and political factors, and embed analysis into recommendations.  
  • Develop community partnerships with residents and nonprofit partners to deliver relevant communications, community-building opportunities, programs, and services at TSO’s affordable multi-family properties.  

Other Responsibilities (10%)  

  • Support other high-priority organizational initiatives and special projects as needed.

 

QUALIFICATIONS 

  • 10+ years of experience operating in a leadership capacity with one or more of the following institutions: 
  • An affordable housing developer, community development organization, housing/homelessness nonprofit, or related organization  
  • A real estate development/management business 
  • A philanthropic or impact organization or other non-profit 
  • A family office or family-owned enterprise 
  • Expertise and a track record of success working on affordable housing policy and design, housing-related financing, real estate, and community development are required. Experience with community organizing/tenant engagement is useful.  
  • Deep understanding of and experience working with local, state, regional, and federal affordable housing regulations, policies, and legalese (e.g., regulatory agreements, property tax, welfare exemption, etc.). Experience and acumen in contract administration. 
  • Sophisticated understanding of the Bay Area affordable housing ecosystem. Broad and deep relationships within the Bay Area affordable housing ecosystem. 
  • Ability to lead and influence within a complex organizational structure using collaboration, negotiation, diplomacy, and conflict-resolution skills. 
  • Experience in tenant engagement and addressing community-identified needs. 
  • Expertise in financial management, including affordable housing pro forma development and review. 
  • Demonstrated track record of successfully bringing together diverse stakeholders, systems, and funding sources to achieve common goals. 
  • Knowledge of local and regional housing dynamics, challenges, and actors.  
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively interact with diverse internal and external stakeholders.  
  • Proficient with database software, website tools, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), and Office 365 in a Mac environment. Experience using Yardi, Tableau and Asana is useful.  
  • A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and work experience in affordable housing development, community development, real estate, and/or the public sector is required. 

Competencies 

  • Ability to drive key deliverables effectively and efficiently.  
  • Ability to be proactive and constantly prioritize responsibilities in a fast-moving and rapidly changing environment with empathy. 
  • Works well independently and within a team, demonstrating great initiative, flexibility, and collaboration. 
  • Exercises good judgment. 

 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS 

The target starting salary for this position is $214,000 to $268,000 per year, depending on experience. The Sobrato Organization promotes equitable and rewarding compensation for its team. Salary is commensurate with experience, plus a competitive benefits package with perks including medical, dental, and vision coverage; life insurance; 401(k) plan with generous employer match; paid time off and holidays; access to professional development resources; matching gift contributions; an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); cell phone reimbursement; public transportation passes; dedicated parking; stocked kitchen snacks and beverages; and many employee events and lunches. 

Beyond competitive salaries, benefits, and perks, joining The Sobrato Organization is an opportunity to build upon the Sobrato family legacy of strong values, deep commitment, and large-scale community impact. It is dynamic and growing, encourages collaboration and continuous learning, and is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion. Our team has the opportunity to contribute immediately, taking on meaningful work alongside caring, talented colleagues. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT 

In alignment with our values, Sobrato Philanthropies is an equal opportunity employer committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are dedicated to building a team that represents a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills and to creating an environment of inclusion and belonging, welcoming to all regardless of race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. People of diverse backgrounds with lived experience in our communities and focus areas are strongly encouraged to apply.  

 

TO APPLY

Martha Montag Brown & Associates, LLC has been retained to conduct this search.

If interested, please Apply through ADP Workforce Now.

All correspondence will remain confidential. Questions about the search and application process should be directed to search@marthamontagbrown.com.