Rental Housing Specialist

Posting number: FY26-00565

Department: Housing

Job classification: Rental Housing Specialist

Posting type: Open

Categories: Housing

Summary

Non-exempt (compensatory and/or overtime eligible); 40 hours per week; Monday-Friday; 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; full-benefits; partial teleworking schedule may be available in accordance with Division policies

The Frederick County Division of Housing is dedicated to supporting residents, especially seniors, individuals with disabilities, special needs populations, and low- to moderate-income households, through programs that expand housing opportunities and strengthen community well-being.

We are seeking a detail-oriented, mission-driven professional to join our team in a technical administrative role supporting the daily operations of federal and state rental subsidy programs, including the Housing Choice Voucher and Project Based Voucher programs. This position also assists with the management of Bell Court, a County-owned senior housing community. Work is performed under the supervision of the Housing Program Manager -Rental Programs and offers a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the Division’s core mission of providing equitable housing support across Frederick County.

NOTE: The upper pay range reflects possible wage rates for internal County transfers and promotions, which are calculated per County policy.  For external hires, offers are made at the base wage rate.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members.  If you are a person who wants to make a difference, give back to your community, and be a voice for change, apply to Frederick County Government today.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE:
Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full-time benefited Frederick County Government employee.  

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover
• 11 paid holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays (10 and 11 month employees may not receive all holidays)
• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending
• Employee Health Center with no or low-cost primary and urgent care
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit
• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan 
  • Vesting after 5 years of service
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Other employee-paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Lifetime Benefit with Long Term Care plan

NOTE: Benefited employees will accrue service and leave based on the FTE and/or hours worked per calendar year. 

For more information, visit our benefits page on the Frederick County Government job opportunities webpage.

Examples of duties

• Conduct client Annual Recertification by compiling the recertification list and mailing packets to all parties 
• Receive and review Interim Changes, obtain missing information, complete interim change, and send required notifications 
• Assist and counsel income-challenged households, both current program participants and the general public regarding housing-related issues
• Answer questions regarding the Housing Choice Voucher Program, Bell Court, Mod Rehab units, wait list, and general housing questions 
• Determine eligibility for new families selected from waiting lists and assist with purging and maintaining accurate waiting list records
• Attend program, department, and division meetings 
• Update housing resource information, maintain and update rent reasonableness, department reports, manual check runs, and rent runs
• Explain, interpret, and apply HUD, State, Local and FC-DOH policies, procedures, guidelines, regulations, and law
• Perform other related duties as required

To perform this job successfully, an employee must be able to perform all essential functions satisfactorily. Any employee's position may not be assigned all functions or equipment listed above, and the examples may not cover all functions or equipment that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform their essential functions. Qualifications

The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in housing programs which includes customer service experience

Substitutions for the above-listed required education and experience is an Associate's degree in a Business Administration related field.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
A successful incumbent operating in this role displays the following:

• Ability to receive Certified Occupancy Specialist certification issued by the National Center for Housing Management within 60 days of hire
• Knowledge of housing programs such as Housing Choice Voucher Program and Section 8 rules and regulations 
• Knowledge of necessary technology, including specific housing program software 
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and requirements regarding housing development and real estate, including HCV, CDBG, HOME, LIHTC, and State housing programs
• Skill in customer service (written, verbal and in-person)
• Spoken and written (English) communication skills 
• Ability to process housing applications, vouchers, and other housing documents 
• Ability to review leasing and other documents for accuracy
• Ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality
• Maintain a high level of accuracy when reviewing documents, entering data and processing transactions
• Advanced computer proficiency with the ability to quickly learn and effectively utilize multiple software applications and databases
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Adherence to ethical standards of business and real estate practices

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR:

• Work experience with portable vouchers
• Secondary language skills in Spanish or American Sign Language (ASL) 
• Work experience with adults who have an intellectual, developmental disability (I/DD) or those with mental health challenges

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORKING CONDITIONS:

• While working in this position, the employee is required to constantly sitting and walking; frequently reaching and making repetitive motions
• While working in this position, the employee is required to constantly work indoors

Supplemental information

• Requires the ability to arrange and complete travel to various sites (using a car or other reliable transportation)
• Available for varied working hours as needed to accommodate meetings and other events
• May be scheduled to work during an emergency to support County operations

EXAMINATION PROCESS (may include):

1. An evaluation of training and experience
2. One or more interviews