Job Description: Lead HUD Tenants’ Rights Counselor

The Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco (HRCSF) is a tenants’ rights non-profit serving tenants citywide since 1979, offering free counseling and organizing support for San Francisco tenants in all types of housing, including rent-control, public housing, and Section 8. Our purpose is to strengthen tenants’ rights, improve living conditions for renters, and preserve and expand affordable housing opportunities. Through our counseling program, we support more than 5,000 tenants a year, and our organizing program has helped build five tenant associations across the city since 2019. 

Position Summary: 

Under the direction of the Counseling Department Director, the Lead HUD Counselor plays a leadership role in Housing Rights Committee’s tenant counseling work with Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and HUD Subsidized housing tenants across San Francisco. This position provides advanced tenant counseling, manages complex and high-impact cases, and offers ongoing support, mentoring, coaching, and coordination for HUD counseling staff.

The role balances direct service, team support, systems coordination, external partnerships, and policy analysis, while helping ensure high-quality, consistent, and accountable counseling services for HUD-subsidized tenants citywide.

Essential Functions:

  • Provide advanced tenant counseling to HUD-Subsidized and Section 8 tenants city-wide, including holding drop-in hours and scheduled appointments. Duties include: 

    • Fielding calls and drafting letters on behalf of clients, documenting tenant needs, and understanding their rights and options related to repairs, unfair evictions, rent increases, retaliation, discrimination, harassment, and voucher administration.

    • Connect tenants with appropriate legal services, city agencies, and community-based organizations.

    • Represent HUD counseling work in meetings with external partners and agencies, including the San Francisco Housing Authority.

  • Handle a caseload while leading especially complex, high-impact, or sensitive cases requiring additional experience or coordination.

  • Provide ongoing support, mentoring, coaching, and case consultation to HUD counseling staff to ensure high-quality and consistent counseling services.

  • Support onboarding and training of counseling staff and volunteers, including sharing tools, best practices, and resources.

  • Coordinate team workflows, including dispatching referrals, tracking case status, and supporting balanced caseload distribution.

  • Develop, maintain, and improve systems, procedures, and tools to support effective HUD counseling work.

  • Prepare agendas for and facilitate HUD counseling team meetings as needed; serve as a liaison between the team and program leadership.

  • Work with organizing staff to engage tenants and residents in broader efforts to advance long-term housing stability including outreach activities such as flyering, attending meetings and tabling events.  

  • Identify recurring patterns and systemic issues emerging from casework and develop policy recommendations.

  • Complete required documentation, case coding, and reporting accurately and in a timely manner, and communicate reporting requirements to the team.

  • Assist with special projects and emerging program needs.

  • Participate in internal meetings, training, and organizational events, and complete other administrative and organizational tasks as needed.

Knowledge, Skill and Experience:

  • Minimum Education (or substitute experience) required:

    • N/A

  • Minimum Experience required: 

    • Strong familiarity with HUD regulations and federal housing code and housing conditions, particularly as they impact HUD and Section 8 tenants.

    • Demonstrated commitment to social, racial, gender and economic justice, housing and/or worker justice

    • Experience providing tenant counseling, case management, or advocacy in a housing-related and/or other social service setting

    • Experience supporting, mentoring, or leading peers, volunteers, or front-line staff in a collaborative work environment.

  • Skills Required:

    • Ability to lead a team, work effectively as part of a team and balance work independently.

    • Experience working with housing choice voucher holders and residents of HUD-subsidized housing

    • Commitment to social and economic justice

    • Ability to conduct public meetings and tenants rights workshops and community presentations

    • Strong organizational, communications and coordination skills.

    • Experience identifying systemic issues through direct service work.Flexibility to work some evenings and weekends.

This position is a full-time, exempt position with a current salary of $80,000/year. Benefits include medical - including chiropractic and acupuncture - dental, and vision and a generous accrual of paid vacations and sick time. This position is full-time (40 hours per week). HRCSF fosters a sustainable work environment centered on self and collective care.

This position is included in a collective bargaining unit represented by Office & Professional Employees International Union, Local 29. Specific employment terms are subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to resume@hrcsf.org, with ATTN: Lead HUD Tenants’ Rights Counselor in the subject line. 

HRCSF is an equal opportunity employer: People of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQI2S, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Diverse viewpoints are vital to our organization’s mission and culture. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.