Governance Manager

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

National Housing Trust (NHT) has been dedicated to creating and preserving affordable housing for 40 years. Our mission is to create and preserve affordable homes to provide opportunity, advance racial equity, reduce economic disparities, and strengthen community resilience through our integrated policy-plus-practice approach. We build, preserve, and finance affordable housing and use that expertise to inform and advance resident-focused solutions to strengthen the broader affordable housing industry.

NHT has a staff of 50+ across five program areas: Policy, Lending, Real Estate Development, Community Outreach and Impact, and Energy Solutions. Our hallmark is our cross-functional, integrated approach to innovating, demonstrating, and amplifying solutions to the affordable housing crisis in the U.S.

POSITION

NHT seeks an experienced and exceptionally detail-oriented Governance Manager to oversee and coordinate governance activities for NHT and its affiliated organization, NHT Communities (NHTC). This position plays a critical role in ensuring effective, efficient, and well-organized board and committee operations. The position reports to the CEO.

The Governance Manager is responsible for managing the full board governance lifecycle for NHT and NHTC, including board and committee scheduling, agenda development, board book preparation and distribution, meeting minutes, action-item tracking and follow-ups, board communications, meeting logistics, travel coordination, and governance recordkeeping. The role also provides executive and administrative support to senior leadership and works closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure seamless coordination and timely execution of governance activities.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized, self-directed professional with demonstrated experience in board governance and exceptional attention to detail. They possess outstanding writing, editing, proofreading, and document preparation skills, with the ability to produce accurate, polished, well-structured, and visually professional board books, presentations, reports, meeting minutes, and other complex documents. They are skilled at reviewing and managing large volumes of information, identifying errors and inconsistencies, and ensuring the highest standards of quality and accuracy.

Success in this role requires exceptional organizational skills, proactive communication, and a high degree of ownership and accountability. The ideal candidate can independently manage multiple competing priorities, anticipate needs, meet tight deadlines, and consistently follow through on tasks and commitments with minimal supervision. They are responsive, resourceful, adaptable, and comfortable navigating complex organizational structures while maintaining strong working relationships with board members, senior leadership, staff, and external partners.

This Washington, DC-based position requires in-person work, Tuesday through Thursdays.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Board & Committee Governance (NHT and NHTC)

Draft, compile, edit, format, and distribute board books, reports, presentations, memos, and other governance-related materials. This work requires extensive, ongoing writing and careful review to ensure every document is accurate, complete, well-organized, professional, and delivered on time.

Review, proofread and format materials and communications on behalf of the CEO, including correspondence, memos, presentations, and board-related materials. Incorporate feedback and manage revisions to produce accurate, cohesive, and high-quality materials within established deadlines.

Serve as the primary governance liaison for NHT and NHTC board and committee members, senior leadership, and external partners. Manage ongoing written correspondence, inquiries, requests, and reminders with clarity, responsiveness, and professionalism, and track requests and action items through to completion.

Oversee NHT and NHTC governance calendars and deliverables, coordinating the preparation, review, approval, and timely distribution of board and committee materials. Proactively follow up with contributors to ensure accuracy, completeness, and adherence to deadlines.

Take accurate minutes at board and committee meetings, document key decisions, action items, deadlines, and assigned responsibilities from board and committee meetings. Prepare clear written summaries and follow-up communications, track progress, and proactively seek updates to support timely completion.

Maintain accurate, organized, and accessible governance records, including bylaws, resolutions, meeting minutes, and committee documents, while ensuring confidentiality and professionalism in handling sensitive information.

Develop, maintain, and improve governance policies, procedures, templates, and workflows to ensure consistency, efficiency, and compliance with best practices.

Board Logistics & Executive Administration

Coordinate NHT and NHTC board and committee meetings, including scheduling, agendas, meeting materials, logistics, and written follow-up, ensuring meetings are well organized and supported by timely, accurate information.

Work closely with the CEO, COO, board members, senior leadership, and relevant staff to coordinate NHT and NHTC governance activities, including meeting scheduling, preparation and review of board materials, board book distribution, communication, and timely follow-up.

Oversee and coordinate all board and committee meeting logistics, including meeting spaces, technology, catering, travel arrangements, accommodations, and reimbursements. Anticipate needs and proactively address logistical challenges.

Coordinate all communications and logistical arrangements for NHT and NHTC board members, including travel arrangements, hotel accommodations, inquiries, requests, ensuring responsive and timely follow-through on action items.

Develop, manage, and monitor governance-related budgets and expenses, including board meeting costs, travel, and reimbursements.

Provide high-level administrative support to the CEO, including calendar management, scheduling, correspondence, expense reports, travel and hotel arrangements, conference registrations, and other executive support needs.

Provide general administrative and logistical support to senior leadership as needed, including senior team meetings, scheduling, meeting preparation, and coordination of special projects, ensuring effective communication, coordination, and timely follow-through.

Manage and maintain SAM.gov and other required registrations for NHT and NHTC, ensuring timely renewals and compliance.

Assist the Office Operations and Human Resources (OPHR) team with staff meetings, office-related activities, events, and other administrative and operational needs as requested.

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU?

This is an extraordinary opportunity for a highly detailed and organized board governance professional.

Qualifications include:

1-3 years of relevant experience in governance, board administration, executive support, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and professional experience.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft, edit, proofread, and communicate information clearly, concisely, and professionally.

Experience in the affordable housing industry or a similarly complex, matrixed organization.

Exceptional attention to detail and a solution-oriented mindset.

Demonstrated ability to coordinate projects, manage competing deadlines, track multiple workstreams, and ensure timely completion of deliverables with minimal supervision.

Ability to create and design high-quality, visually appealing presentations using PowerPoint, Canva, or similar software, with strong attention to layout, formatting, branding, and visual consistency.

Professional and service-oriented approach to handling i