CDBG Planning Specialist

Harry S Truman Building - Jefferson City, MO

Division of Community Solutions - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program

REPORTS TO: Chief Development Officer

TRAVEL: up to 25% day travel, with occasional overnight required

The Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is seeking a talented planning professional that is passionate about serving communities, innovative in their approach to using funding to spur community development, and talented in facilitating community engagement. If this sounds like you, apply today!

The CDBG Program administers over $100 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to serve communities, targeting three national objectives:

• Benefit to low- to moderate- income (LMI) persons;
• Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight; and
• Meet an urgent need

The Department of Economic Development (DED) is the designated lead agency for the Missouri Consolidated Plan and CDBG Action Plans which outlines the CDBG program and identifies how funding will be distributed.

In this role, you will provide targeted technical assistance to communities interested in accessing CDBG funding and assist in drafting the planning documents for CDBG.

This role is critical to ensuring that CDBG funds can effectively address pressing community development needs across the State. You will be a part of a team that is responsible for ensuring that the state of Missouri has a HUD-compliant, yet flexible planning platform that enables grants to be expended in a data-driven and stakeholder-responsive manner. You will assist in designing and drafting Action Plans that include permissible activities and methods of distribution for CDBG funds, addressing community needs such as public infrastructure and disaster recovery.

In Summary, you will be responsible for providing planning expertise for the CDBG team’s planning activities and support CDBG project development and engagement efforts including:

• Planning and related functions of the State CDBG Program, including, but not limited to:
  • Consolidated Plans
  • Action Plans (General, Disaster Recovery, Mitigation, COVID-19, other)
  • Action Plan Amendments Implementation Plans
• Act as Grant Application Manager and Facilitator of Application Review Committee for the Program, duties including (but not limited to):
  • Application development in partnership with external stakeholders
  • Application distribution
  • Application collection
  • Application Review for compliance
  • Applications presentation to Application Review Committee
  • Ushering Applications through rating process
  • Ushering Applications through the Funding Approvals, Decision Requests and other related tracking processes.
• Work collaboratively with external stakeholders and agencies, including developing and facilitating training activities for:
  • Division of Regional Engagement staff
  • Regional Planning Commissions / Council of Governments
  • County Leadership representatives
  • City Leadership representatives
• Additional duties as assigned as related to project development.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in Planning, Public Administration, Business Administration, Community or Economic Development, Economics, Education, Statistical Analysis, or a closely related field. Professional experience in these areas may substitute for education on a year for year basis.
• At least 1 year of planning experience, with a strong preference toward individuals with American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification.
• Federal grant management experience, especially prior CDBG experience, including successful working relationships with federal funding agencies and grant recipients/sub recipients
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Ability to multi-task in a highly visible, fast-paced, and detail-oriented role
• Understanding or willingness to learn in detail about applicable Federal and State regulations and policies
• Experience analyzing and interpreting data for use in planning and decision-making

• Attention to detail and ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders during concurrent processes
• Proficiency and passion for operational excellence and continuous improvement. Familiarity with and experience implementing Lean/Six Sigma concepts strongly preferred. Ideal candidate would be open to further developing these skills.

The State of Missouri offers an excellent benefits package that includes a defined pension plan, generous amounts of leave and holiday time, and eligibility for health insurance coverage. Your total compensation is more than the dollars you receive in your paycheck. To help demonstrate the value of working for the State of Missouri, we have created an interactive Total Compensation Calculator. This tool provides a comprehensive view of benefits and more that are offered to prospective employees. The Total Compensation Calculator and other applicant resources can be found here .

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• State of Missouri

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