General Counsel

Position Title: General Counsel/Assistant Secretary

Department: Legal

Join our Team! At IHDA we strive to create and maintain a work environment that promotes diversity, recognition and inclusion. IHDA is committed to hiring and investing in individuals of diverse talents and backgrounds to ensure a range of perspectives and experiences inform and guide our work of financing affordable housing in the state of Illinois.

Who we are: The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is one of the Nation’s preeminent Housing Finance Agencies and one of the State’s ten largest financial institutions. Our mission is to finance the creation and preservation of affordable housing across the state. IHDA oversees more than 20 federal and state programs on behalf of the state of Illinois and serves as one of the state’s primary resources for housing policy and program administration. For over 50 years, IHDA has led the state in financing and supporting affordable housing.

Summary: The General Counsel oversees the legal operations of the Illinois Housing Development Authority (“Authority”) and serves as an Assistant to the Authority’s Board Secretary. In addition, the General Counsel may be authorized to serve as an Assistant Executive Director in the absence of the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director, or Chief of Staff. The General Counsel provides legal advice on the operational and programmatic activities of the Authority. Operational duties include oversight of the legal department, corporate governance, risk management and contract matters. Programmatic duties include providing legal guidance in the development and operation of the Authority’s single-family and multifamily programs, providing legal guidance to the Authority’s asset management team, providing legal guidance to the departments focused on community lending and grant programs as well as departments operating various rental assistance programs. The General Counsel also advises the Authority’s Board members and its Chairman on legal issues impacting the Authority.

Essential Functions:

• Management and oversight of the Authority’s Legal Department including budget development and management. Directly supervise the Authority’s Deputy General Counsel and the Authority’s Assistant Director of Procurement & Supplier Management.
• Provide legal guidance to the Authority’s fourteen operational and programmatic departments including: Accounting, Asset Management, Communications, Community Affairs, Executive, Finance, Homeownership, Human Resources, Information Technology, Internal Audit, Legal, Multifamily Financing, Operational Excellence, Strategic Planning & Reporting, and Strategic Response.
• Oversee all legal matters for the Authority including, but not limited to legal matters related to: multifamily programs, single-family programs, work associated with the issuance of taxable and tax-exempt bonds, federal and state tax credits and other funding sources, community lending and grant programs, rental assistance programs, litigation, including foreclosures, procurement, audit, and the various legal aspects of corporate governance.
• Primarily responsible for ensuring the legal materials needed for the Authority’s monthly and special Board meetings is timely prepared and made available to the Authority’s members, including agenda management, drafting resolutions, and providing guidance regarding public meetings/compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
• Provide guidance on statutes, regulations and procedural manuals and all other local and federal proposed and final laws, rules and regulations that relate to the Authority and its operations. Participate in external audit processes as applicable, including the delivery of management representation letters, in connection with the Authority’s annual external financial audit, annual single audit, and bi-annual compliance audit.
• Serve as Assistant to the Authority’s Board Secretary, assisting with adherence to the Open Meetings Act, including the review of the Authority’s meeting minutes. Provide guidance to the Board and the Executive Director regarding Board Committees.
• Oversee the Authority’s procurement function. The procurement function includes but is not limited to: reviewing agreements between the Authority and its contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, vendors, and other third parties in connection with the Authority’s purchase of goods and services, oversight of the Authority’s vendor risk management program, BEP compliance matters, and coordination with IHDA’s Special Adviser on Equity and Inclusion.
• Serve as a member of the Authority’s staff level loan committee, participate in weekly loan committee meetings, assist the Authority in its management of the Authority’s Loan Committee Charter. Serve as a member of the Authority’s staff level Record Retention Committee. Serve as a member of the Authority’s Privacy Committee. Serve as a member of the Authority’s Red Flags Committee.
• Designate (or serve as) the Authority’s FOIA Officer and help oversee the Authority’s compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.
• Designate (or serve as) the Authority’s Ethics Officer and help oversee the Authority’s compliance with applicable state ethics laws.
• Coordinate and manage outside legal counsel engagements, including but not limited to issuer’s counsel, bond counsel, labor & employment counsel, real estate counsel and litigation counsel.
• Draft, review, or advise, as necessary, policy and program proposals, manuals, etc. for legal sufficiency including programmatic matters and operational matters. Oversight of legal department personnel serving on the Authority’s staff level policy committee. Assist the Authority in its management of the Policy Committee Charter.
• Manage the Authority’s regulatory agenda with respect to administrative rule making. Draft and prepare administrative rules in compliance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, appear in front of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rulemaking from time to time as necessary.
• Provide guidance to the Executive Director, Chief of Staff and Human Resource personnel regarding employee relations matters. Coordinate with outside labor & employment counsel as applicable. Designate (or serve as) the Authority’s ADA Coordinator.
• Assist in the closing of real estate transactions with respect to the Authority’s multifamily financing programs. Advise multifamily staff regarding federal and state tax low-income credit administration, first mortgage lending special grant programs and other programs. Oversee attorneys responsible for analyzing and drafting programmatic and transactional documents relating to the Authority’s lending programs.
• Advise asset management staff on loan servicing, troubled assets, foreclosure issues etc. Advise asset management staff on lease/occupancy matters for the operation of the authority’s business. Advise asset management staff on issues related to the Authority’s ownership and operation of multifamily rental housing. Oversee attorneys responsible for closing asset management related transactions including transfers of physical assets, management changes etc.
• Provide guidance and other assistance to the Authority’s legislative, external relations and innovations staff as required.
• Provide legal guidance to the Executive Director and Authority departments with the development and creation of new products and programs; including emergency programs which may arise from time to time, such as the COVID-19 emergency relief programs.
• Render final approving opinions regarding validity due authorization of Authority actions and other matters, including as related to the issuance of the Authority’s bonds.
• Represent the Authority in litigation matters or coordinate with outside counsel, as needed.
• Coordinate with the Authority’s Financial Management & Planning unit within the Finance Department with respect to fiscal/funding agent compliance.
• Serve on the senior management/leadership team and participate in organizational management, planning, policy development and implementation as needed.
• Provide guidance to the Executive Director regarding applicable ancillary board and commissions including the Trust Fund Advisory Commission, the Housing Task Force, the Special Housing Appeals Board, the Rental Housing Task Force, the Land Trust Task Force and other special task force or commissions that may be created during the course of normal operations.
• Coordinate with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget in connection with private activity bond cap matters.
• Liaise with the Governor’s legal team as applicable.
• Coordinate as needed with the Authority’s Chief Accountability Officer who has primary responsibility for the Authority’s compliance with the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Juris Doctor Degree with admission to the Illinois Bar required; must be in good standing at all times.
• The ideal candidate will have 7+ years of legal experience in real estate and financial services law including supervisory experience.
• Knowledge in the following highly preferred: affordable housing finance, corporate law, tax law, community development, and Federal and Illinois law, including the Freedom of Information Act, the Open Meetings Act, the Illinois Procurement Code, the Administrative Procedure Act, the Illinois Private Activity Bond Volume Allocation Act, the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act and Section 42 of the Federal Tax Code preferred.
• Knowledge of HUD and U.S. Treasury affordable housing programs desired.
• Ability to analyze situations swiftly and accurately, utilizing a variety of analytical techniques in order to position the Authority’s business units to make well informed decisions.
• Ability to establish and maintain internal and external cooperative working relationships.
• Possess excellent skills in legal research and drafting and editing legal documents.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills; written and oral.
• Must possess strong working knowledge of all aspects of Microsoft Office suite.
• Litigation experience a plus.

Physical Requirements: Alternating between sitting, standing, and walking. Ascending and descending stairs. Crouching and stooping. Pushing and pulling. Reaching overhead or below. Repetitive tasks movements (filing, keyboarding, copying). Lifting, carrying, and moving objects of up to 10 -15 pounds.

What We Offer:

• Paid time off, plus paid holidays
• Currently in a hybrid work arrangement, but candidates must reside in Illinois at time of hire.
• Medical/dental/vision/life insurance plans
• Short/long term disability
• Tuition reimbursement
• Flex spending
• 401K plan – immediate vesting
• IHDA employees may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs.

Must be a resident of Illinois or willing to relocate. Flexible scheduling is available, upon completion of a six-month probationary period.

EOE.