Summary

This role supports established and developing resident-owned communities (ROCs) in Colorado. Candidates must live in the Western Slope region by hire date; moving costs are not covered. The position is mostly remote but requires quarterly travel to the Denver office, with some evenings, weekends, statewide, and occasional national travel required for meetings and events.

Description

THE COMPANY 

The Mission of Thistle Communities is to create, manage and preserve quality, permanently affordable homes for working families, seniors, and people with disabilities. We are an affiliate of ROC USA, a national non-profit. Thistle is a Certified Technical Assistance Provider (CTAP) for ROC USA and helps residents of mobile home communities purchase their mobile home park. 

SUMMARY OF JOB: 

This is a full-time (36 hours/week), salaried with benefits in support of Thistle ROC. This position provides support to established and developing resident-owned cooperatives (ROC) who manage their mobile home communities in Colorado. This is a Colorado-based position which will require the applicant to live in Colorado’s “Western Slope” region either prior or upon hire. Thistle does not cover any moving costs. Frequent statewide and occasional national travel required. This role frequently includes evenings, nights, and occasional weekends. This is mainly remote; however, a successful candidate would be expected to be in the office (Denver-metro area) a minimum of once a quarter, with potential for additional required organization events.   

This position will involve: 

Program Development & Expansion (Cooperative & Non-Traditional Models) 

  • Assisting with development and implementation of the ROC USA Technical Assistance program. 

  • Creating and supporting new resident-owned communities. 

  • Developing a Colorado network of nonprofit/municipality-owned manufactured home parks (MHPs). 

  • Creating business models for cooperative governance beyond traditional ROC models. 

  • Supporting “Western Expansion” through outreach and partner development. 

Community Support & Governance Training 

  • Supporting governance and decision-making processes for community growth. 

  • Leading community engagement: speaking, training, and subsidy search. 

  • Overseeing and mentoring staff in the Mountain West region ROC network. 

  • Training on policy/governance for both new and established communities. 

Operational & Financial Oversight 

  • Supporting financial reporting and performance review of established cooperatives. 

  • Collaborating with Financial Analyst and ROC Portfolio team to interpret financial trends. 

  • Assisting with grant management and funding strategies. 

SUPERVISOR:  Senior Manager – Acquisition Strategy and Portfolio Impact 

DIRECT REPORTS:   ROC Program Specialists (RPS) 

JOB DUTIES:   

Program & Portfolio Oversight 

  • Supports the oversight of the Colorado network of resident-owned communities and externally owned cooperative communities, focusing on the Western Slope region, including asset management, legal compliance, fiduciary responsibilities, and regulatory reporting. 

  • Ensures compliance with lender, investor, and regulatory requirements; prepares and delivers reports to stakeholders. 

  • Supports ROC budgeting and pro-forma development for new and existing cooperatives. 

Leadership & Team Management 

  • Coaches and manages internal teams (RPS and external programs), balancing workloads, supporting professional development, and fostering sector knowledge. 

  • Determines Thistle ROC staffing needs for board and leadership development within the portfolio’s Cooperatives. 

Training & Technical Assistance 

  • Provides training, coaching, and technical assistance to housing cooperatives using group sessions, peer exchange, and technology to strengthen governance, community engagement, and business operations. 

  • In collaboration with the Pre-Purchase Team train and coach communities in the formation of a non-profit cooperative with the outcome of purchasing and operating their manufactured home community. 

Program Development & Advocacy 

  • Assists with affordable housing development strategy, goal setting, and project stabilization across Colorado. 

  • Co-leads cooperative acquisition initiatives and supports business development for external partners. 

  • Maintains relationships with industry partners, local officials, lenders, and other stakeholders to support cooperative housing development. 

  • Represents the organization at public speaking events, trainings, and national networks, promoting ROCs and cooperative housing strategies. 

  • Collaborates on monitoring and responding to policy issues affecting cooperative housing at local, state, and federal levels. 

Other Duties 

  • Ensures timely data tracking, grant reporting, and document delivery. 

  • Performs additional tasks as needed. 

  • Performs other tasks as requested 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE 

  • College degree or equivalent relevant experience required 

  • 3+ years’ experience in housing or community development in nonprofit, government, banking, or development sectors 

  • Supervisory experience in a hybrid setting required 

  • Proficient with databases, MS Office, Salesforce (or similar CRM), Monday.com (or other project management tools), and general office software 

  • Experience working effectively in diverse communities 

  • Strong written, oral, and analytical communication skills; ability to communicate clearly, appropriately, and promptly with varied audiences 

  • Excellent organizational skills; adaptable to changing priorities and able to manage multiple responsibilities 

  • Self-directed with a willingness to seek guidance when needed 

  • Availability for occasional nights, weekends, and travel in-state and nationally for conferences/trainings 

  • Skilled in processes, outcomes, and relationship-building 

  • Knowledge of construction practices preferred 

  • Spanish fluency preferred 

  • Experience or training in trauma-informed care preferred 

SALARY: $75,000-$80,000 

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

The work environment characteristics and physical demands described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and smell, talk and hear.  

  • Employee must be able to drive and must have their own vehicle to travel  

  • Employee must have valid driver’s license, current auto insurance, and vehicle registration 

  • The employee may be exposed to fumes and/or airborne particles. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, extreme cold or heat 

  • The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds 

  • The noise level in the work environment is usually “moderate”. 

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