Community and Affordable Housing Specialist

When you join the City of Guelph, you join a team of over 2000 employees who deliver services the community relies on every day. Together, we are bringing to life Guelph's vision of an inclusive, connected, and prosperous city where we look after each other and our environment. As a single tier municipality, we offer a variety of occupations and career specialities within our organization. Guided by the goals and objectives of the Future Guelph: Strategic Plan and committed to the Corporate Values of integrity, service, inclusion, wellness and learning, the candidate will aid in the achievement of the Community Vision for an inclusive, connected, prosperous city.

What we offer

We offer competitive wages and comprehensive benefits to meet the needs of our diverse employees. Many of our positions offer:

• Paid vacation days, increasing with years of service
• Paid personal days;
• Hybrid and flexible work arrangements;
• Defined benefit pension plan with OMERS, including 100-per-cent employer matching;
• Extended health and dental benefits, including Health Care Spending Account;
• Employee and Family Assistance Program;
• Parental leave top up program;
• Learning and development opportunities including tuition assistance
• Employee recognition programs.

Resumes are being accepted for the position of Community and Affordable Housing Specialist in the Strategic Initiatives and Intergovernmental Services department. The successful candidate will support the Manager, Community and Affordable Housing, to strengthen relationships with Wellington County, non-profits, and community partners to address issues and implement opportunities to enhance housing equity, security, supply, and affordability in the City of Guelph as well as help achieve the vision and goals of the City's 10-year Housing Affordability Strategy. Using a human rights-based approach to housing and collaborating through departmental-driven workstreams, with teams of internal and external groups, other levels of government, interest holders and subject matter experts, you will provide research and analytical services in support of key housing initiatives. This role presents an opportunity to have a positive impact on the stability of the City's housing sector by reinforcing connections in both non-market and private market environments.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Supports the coordination of strategic engagement along the housing continuum from homelessness to affordable housing in the community, including, but not limited to: non-profit, emergency housing, supportive and transitional housing providers, the philanthropic sector, land use planners, property developers, rental housing owners, and affordable homeownership proponents.
• Assists with maintaining and enhancing collaborative relationships with Wellington County, the City of Guelph's Consolidated Municipal Services Manager for Social Services, and other key interest holders.
• Supports reporting on housing targets and key performance indicators, particularly with respect to the City's Housing Affordability Strategy. Acquire data and provide timely and accurate analysis to help planning and decision making.
• Identifies grant and funding opportunities to accelerate the provision of housing.
• Uses collaboration and facilitation skills to work cross-departmentally with senior management, City staff and key community interest holders to incorporate recommendations to Council on strategies and implementation approaches on delivering best possible housing outcomes for Guelph.
• Provides policy support to enable informed decision making on community and affordable housing deliverables through the lens of housing as a human right.
• Researches and analyses how to best position the Community and Affordable Housing team to work with a wide variety of community stakeholders to develop, design, and implement policies, processes and programs that drive positive changes along the housing continuum from homelessness to affordable housing.
• Represents the City of Guelph in community initiatives, planning tables, steering committees, etc.
• Provides expertise that will meet future local needs related to community and affordable housing needs and stability.
• Performs other duties as assigned which are directly related to the responsibilities of the position.

Qualifications and requirements

• Experience related to the duties listed above, normally acquired through post-secondary education in Planning, Health or Human Services or closely related discipline, and considerable experience in housing affordability and stability issues and best practices. Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Understanding of the role of Consolidated Municipal Service Managers in relation to housing and housing stability in Ontario.
• Familiarity with monitoring and reporting on housing affordability strategies and associated actions and targets.
• Demonstrated relationship building experience with public and private sector partners, community stakeholders and not for profit groups related to housing.
• Negotiation, collaboration and conflict resolution skills with the ability to analyse problems and identify alternatives.
• Well-developed analytical and business planning skills.
• An understanding of a human rights based-approach to housing and equity lens analysis
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to effectively communicate with elected officials, government departments, all levels of management, staff and the general public.
• Knowledge of policy frameworks, research methods and data analysis, consultation techniques and program planning and program evaluation models including the knowledge of best practices.
• An understanding of land use planning processes and experience with housing, housing targets, affordable housing polices and processes.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a larger multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental team and proven ability manage, co-ordinate and track diverse project-based teams.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple assignments, set priorities, meet deadlines and budgets concurrently in a very demanding environment.
• Extensive computer experience in a Windows environment utilizing MS Office software.

Hours of work
35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, generally between the hours of 8:30 a.m and 4:30 p.m. Occasionally, work outside of typical working hours may be required. This position is eligible for hybrid and flexible work arrangement options (as per current corporate policy).

Pay/Salary
Non-union Grade 4 Rate: $75, $94, rates)

How to apply
Qualified applicants are invited to apply using our online application system by December 21, 2025. Please note all applicants must complete the online questionnaire specific to this position at the time they submit their resume and cover letter in order to be considered.

The City of Guelph is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where employees feel welcome, valued and engaged. Our employment policies strictly prohibit all forms of discrimination on any of the grounds in relevant laws. All employment practices are solely based on individual merit, qualifications, and organization's needs at the time. In keeping with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, we are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals in our job application procedures. If you need an accommodation in order to participate in the hiring process, you may contact us to make your needs known in advance.

Personal information collected through the recruitment process will be used solely to determine eligibility for employment. We thank all candidates in advance; however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted.