Maneva Group · 1 day ago
Chicago Residential Investment Fund - CEO
Chicago, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$180K/yr - $200K/yrManeva Group is an executive search firm seeking a Chief Executive Officer for the Chicago Residential Investment Fund (CRIF), a nonprofit organization focused on developing mixed-income multifamily housing in Chicago. The CEO will lead the organization, build its strategy, and oversee the execution of housing projects while engaging with various stakeholders to advance the mission of affordable housing development.
Staffing & Recruiting
Responsibilities
Establish CRIF’s internal systems, tools, and processes that support consistent and transparent decision-making
Develop multi-year strategies that align capital deployment with CRIF’s mission and the City’s housing priorities
Create frameworks for evaluating projects, assessing financial viability, and forecasting long-term portfolio performance
Apply creativity and opportunism in sourcing and structuring deals, particularly in a shifting federal landscape
Identify high-potential development opportunities, including stalled projects and public land sites
Draft, publish, and promote requests for proposals to publicize development opportunities and competitively select projects and development partners
Evaluate the soundness of deals through financial modeling, market assessment, and risk analysis
Make early viability judgments and guide which deals should advance, which require restructuring, and which should not proceed
Lead negotiations of term sheets, partnership structures, ground leases, and other critical agreements
Move selected projects to closing and ensure they progress into construction within targeted timelines
Build CRIF’s initial team and oversee its professional development
Create internal workflows, documentation systems, and reporting structures that support efficiency and clarity
Manage staff and consultants, promoting a culture that values thoughtful analysis, collaboration, and decisive action
Integrate the principles of sustainable development into all CRIF-supported developments to advance innovative, long-term building performance and sustainability
Build strong working relationships with developers, investors, lenders, and City partners
Engage effectively with all City bodies with CRIF project approval authority, including City Council, the Department of Housing, the Department of Planning and Development, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and the Office of Budget and Management to advance projects through the necessary procedural steps
Represent CRIF in public forums, industry gatherings, and community presentations
Provide consistent updates to the Board and offer clear recommendations based on data and market conditions
Guide Board involvement in strategy, oversight, and long-term planning
Serve as a highly effective public-facing leader, capable of navigating complex relationships with City officials, community stakeholders, developers, and advocates who may hold competing priorities or seek to influence CRIF’s work
Establish standards for long-term asset management and operational performance
Monitor project outcomes and ensure that financial and regulatory requirements are met
Demonstrate fluency across both market-rate and affordable housing developments
Qualification
Required
Entrepreneurial mindset with a strong background in real estate
Practical experience in both market-rate and affordable housing
Ability to build a pipeline, evaluate deals, and guide negotiations
Experience establishing evaluation tools, project intake processes, and decision frameworks
Strong relational skills to engage with developers, City departments, investors, community partners, and the CRIF Board of Directors
Understanding of what makes a development viable and ability to evaluate opportunities quickly
Experience in building and staffing an organization
Ability to create organization-wide structure without slowing momentum
Experience in strategic leadership and program design
Ability to develop multi-year strategies that align capital deployment with CRIF's mission
Experience in sourcing and structuring deals
Ability to identify high-potential development opportunities
Experience in drafting and promoting requests for proposals
Ability to evaluate the soundness of deals through financial modeling, market assessment, and risk analysis
Experience in leading negotiations of term sheets, partnership structures, and other critical agreements
Ability to build and oversee a team, promoting professional development
Experience in creating internal workflows, documentation systems, and reporting structures
Ability to integrate principles of sustainable development into projects
Experience in building strong working relationships with stakeholders
Ability to engage effectively with City bodies for project approvals
Experience in representing an organization in public forums and community presentations
Ability to provide consistent updates to the Board and offer clear recommendations
Experience in establishing standards for long-term asset management and operational performance
Fluency across both market-rate and affordable housing developments
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits package
Company
Maneva Group
Are you searching for the CEO, Executive Director, or other leader that is going to scale your organization's impact to the next level? Maneva Group is the premier national executive search firm for the social impact and nonprofit sector.
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase