Seattle Social Housing Developer

Chief Information Officer

The Seattle Social Housing Developer (SSHD) is a Public Development Authority (PDA) committed to creating, owning, and stewarding permanently affordable, mixed-income social housing that is publicly financed, publicly controlled, and free from market speculation. As we lay the foundation for this transformative model, guided by international examples and rooted in public accountability, we are building a team to define a new standard for equitable, sustainable, and community-centered social housing development in Seattle. Our goal is to expand access, strengthen the social fabric of our city, and ensure housing that is affordable forever and inclusive by design for current and future generations.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Chief Information Officer is a foundational leadership role responsible for building the systems, data, and information-governance foundation SSHD needs to grow responsibly. As SSHD moves from two properties toward an anticipated four to five properties by the end of 2027, and begins preparing to bring property management in-house, the decisions made now about enterprise systems and information governance will determine whether that growth is manageable or whether the agency later has to untangle disconnected systems, inconsistent records, and duplicative processes.

The CIO owns SSHD's technology strategy, enterprise architecture, information governance, system selection, implementation roadmap, vendor management, and staff adoption across accounting and organizational budgeting; property-management oversight and, eventually, in-house property management; asset-management reporting and portfolio performance; capital expenditures, reserves, and capital planning; real estate development and project controls; procurement, contracts, compliance, and vendor management; SharePoint architecture, document management, and records retention; an employee intranet and a secure Board information environment; cybersecurity, access management, business continuity, and AI governance; and data exchange with Thrive and future third-party property managers.

SSHD operates a hybrid model for technology delivery: the CIO owns strategy, architecture, governance, system selection, and vendor oversight, while a managed service provider (currently Compass) continues to handle help-desk support, device and network monitoring, backups, endpoint protection, cybersecurity operations, and incident response. Specialized consultants are engaged as needed for SharePoint development, system configuration, integration, data migration, cybersecurity testing, and other defined implementation projects. The CIO directly manages these relationships to ensure SSHD receives the level of internal ownership needed to select, integrate, govern, and manage its enterprise systems, work that falls outside the scope of a standard managed-IT-support contract.

This position will also lead the work contemplated in SSHD's Enterprise Knowledge Management, Digital Workplace, AI Governance, and Enterprise Systems Strategy engagement, including developing SharePoint and intranet environments, establishing naming conventions and filing standards, managing permissions, monitoring compliance with information-governance requirements, designing priority workflows, and creating a practical three-year enterprise systems roadmap.

The long-term purpose of the Chief Information Officer is to build the enterprise architecture, information governance, and vendor-management infrastructure that allows SSHD to scale its portfolio, and eventually bring property management in-house, without sacrificing data integrity, security, or operational consistency.

As a Public Development Authority, SSHD is subject to the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56), the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30), state-approved records retention schedules, and financial and compliance review by the Washington State Auditor's Office (SAO). The CIO is the systems owner responsible for ensuring SSHD's document management and retention practices meet these public-sector obligations. The CIO also owns SSHD's IT general controls (ITGCs) supporting SAO accountability and financial-statement audits including access provisioning/deprovisioning evidence, segregation of duties within financial systems, change-management documentation, and review of vendor System and Organization Controls & 2 reports in close coordination with the Chief Financial Officer.

POSITION DETAILS

Job Title: Chief Information Officer

Department: Executive

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Direct Reports: None initially; directs and manages SSHD's managed service provider(s) and specialized technology consultants. May grow to include enterprise systems staff as the portfolio and technology needs expand.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $175,148 – $227,693. This full-time, salaried position includes a full package of benefits, including health, dental, and vision. SSHD employees are also eligible for the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) retirement pension plan through the State of Washington.

SCOPE OF AUTHORITY & ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

This role carries significant responsibility for SSHD's enterprise systems and information-governance infrastructure, but its authority is bounded and exercised in partnership with, rather than independent of, other parts of the organization:

• Managed Service Provider(s) (e.g., Compass): The CIO directs and manages SSHD's managed-service-provider relationship(s) against clear service-level and performance expectations, covering help-desk support, device and network monitoring, patching, endpoint security, backups, and security-awareness training. The CIO does not perform this operational IT support directly, but is accountable for the provider's performance.
• Specialized Consultants: The CIO engages, directs, and oversees consultants for SharePoint development, system configuration, integration, data migration, cybersecurity testing, and other defined implementation projects.
• Chief Executive Officer: The CIO reports to, and operates within delegated authority from, the Chief Executive Officer. Decisions with significant legal, financial, Charter-wide, or asset-management implications are made in partnership with, or deferred to, the CEO.
• Chief Financial Officer: The CIO owns SSHD's IT general controls (ITGCs) and works in close coordination with the CFO on access provisioning/deprovisioning evidence, segregation of duties within the accounting and financial systems, change-control documentation, and review of vendor SOC 1/SOC 2 reports, supporting SAO accountability reviews and financial-statement audits.
• Finance, Property Management, Asset Management, and Real Estate Development: The CIO partners closely with these teams to define system requirements, establish shared coding structures, and ensure enterprise systems support day-to-day operations. The CIO does not have direct operational authority over these departments' staffing or day-to-day decisions.
• Board of Directors: The CIO builds and maintains a secure Board information environment, including permissions, version control, retention, and offboarding procedures, but does not report to, or take direction from, the Board directly; all Board-facing work is coordinated through the CEO.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESEnterprise Systems Strategy & Architecture

• Own SSHD's technology strategy, enterprise architecture, information governance, system selection, and implementation roadmap.
• Create a three-year enterprise systems roadmap and total-cost model covering accounting and budgeting, property management, asset management, capital planning, real estate development, procurement/contract/vendor management, and core people-operations systems including HRIS, payroll, time and attendance, and DRS/PERS reporting.
• Define requirements and evaluate systems for accounting, property management, asset management, capital planning, and real estate development; partner with HR and Finance to do the same for HRIS, payroll, time and attendance, and DRS/PERS reporting.
• Establish common property, project, contract, vendor, and financial coding structures across systems to ensure data consistency portfolio-wide.

Building Technology & Development Standards

• Establish low-voltage and building-technology standards — including access control, submetering, energy management, EV charging infrastructure, IoT, and network/security infrastructure — for incorporation into new development scope, recognizing that decisions made at design phase bind building operations for decades.
• Partner with Real Estate Development and Property Management to write these technology standards into project specifications for new construction and major renovation, ensuring consistency, supportability, and manageable lifecycle costs across the portfolio.

Information Governance & Digital Workplace

• Lead the Enterprise Knowledge Management, Digital Workplace, AI Governance, and Enterprise Systems Strategy engagement, including development of SharePoint and intranet environments.
• Establish organization-wide document naming conventions, filing standards, retention schedules, and access/permission structures; monitor ongoing compliance with information-governance requirements, including the Public Records Act (RCW 42.56), the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30), and state-approved records retention schedules, and support timely, accurate responses to public records requests.
• Design priority workflows and create a secure Board information environment with appropriate permissions, version control, retention, and offboarding procedures.

Vendor & Managed Service Provider Management

• Manage Compass, or a successor managed service provider, against clear service-level and performance requirements, and lead formal review of provider performance and contract terms before renewal.
• Engage and oversee specialized consultants for SharePoint development, system configuration, integration, data migration, cybersecurity testing, and other defined implementation projects.
• Coordinate an independent cybersecurity and Microsoft 365 configuration assessment, supplementing the managed service provider's annual internal security review.
• Adhere to SSHD’s code of ethics and conflict-of-interest and gift/vendor-hospitality disclosure requirements in all vendor, procurement, and contracting interactions, given this role's significant exposure to vendor influence.

Cybersecurity, Data & Business Continuity

• Oversee cybersecurity governance, access management, business continuity planning, and AI governance across the organization.
• Oversee secure data exchange between SSHD, Thrive, and future third-party property managers.

IT General Controls & Audit Support

• Own SSHD's IT general controls (ITGCs) supporting financial and compliance audits, including access provisioning/deprovisioning evidence, segregation of duties within accounting and financial systems, and change-management documentation.
• Coordinate review of vendor SOC 1/SOC 2 reports for systems supporting financial reporting and sensitive data.
• Partner with the Chief Financial Officer to prepare for and support Washington State Auditor's Office (SAO) accountability and financial-statement audits, and respond to audit requests related to enterprise systems and access controls.

Portfolio Growth & Property Management Transition

• Inventory SSHD's systems, licenses, data sources, vendors, access groups, and recurring reports as a baseline for future planning.
• Develop the technology transition plan necessary to support bringing property management in-house as the portfolio grows.
• Ensure systems and information-governance decisions made today remain manageable as SSHD scales toward an anticipated four to five properties by the end of 2027.

Reporting & Cross-Departmental Partnership

• Report to the Chief Executive Officer on enterprise systems performance, information-governance compliance, and technology-roadmap progress.
• Partner with Accounting, Property Management, Asset Management, Real Estate Development, and other departments to ensure enterprise systems meet their operational needs.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Enterprise Systems Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading enterprise system implementations, integrations, and architecture decisions, ideally within a small-to-mid-size or fast-growing organization.
• Information & Data Governance: Substantive experience establishing document management, records retention, naming conventions, and information-governance frameworks.
• Microsoft 365 & SharePoint Expertise: Deep familiarity with Microsoft 365 administration, SharePoint architecture, intranet development, and permissions/security configuration.
• Vendor & Consultant Management: Proven ability to manage managed service providers and specialized consultants against service-level agreements and defined project deliverables.
• Cybersecurity Governance: Working knowledge of cybersecurity governance, access management, business continuity planning, and emerging AI-governance considerations.
• Financial & Operational Systems Literacy: Familiarity with accounting, budgeting, asset management, capital planning, and procurement/contract systems.
• Public-Sector Compliance Literacy: Familiarity with the Public Records Act, Open Public Meetings Act, records retention schedules, and State Auditor's Office (SAO) requirements applicable to Washington public agencies or Public Development Authorities.
• IT General Controls & Audit Support: Experience supporting financial-statement or compliance audits, including access controls, segregation of duties, change management, and review of vendor SOC 1/SOC 2 reports.
• HRIS & Payroll Systems Literacy: Familiarity with HRIS, payroll, time and attendance, and DRS/PERS reporting systems.
• Building Technology Standards: Familiarity with access control, submetering, energy management, EV charging, IoT, and low-voltage technology standards as applied to real estate development.
• Organizational Change Management: Demonstrated ability to lead technology adoption and organizational change among non-technical staff and stakeholders.