President

Location: Washington, DC (preferred) or Concord, NH, or another location with easy access to Washington, DC  

ROC USA, LLC is looking for an inclusive, entrepreneurial, and mission-focused President to provide leadership to our rapidly growing organization that will allow us to capitalize on the significant state and national interest in helping homeowners in Manufactured Home Communities purchase their communities as limited equity cooperatives.  

About ROC USA 

ROC USA® is a national non-profit social enterprise that helps residents form cooperatives to purchase their Manufactured (“Mobile”) Home Communities. ROC USA represents more than 300 Resident Owned Communities (“ROCs”) and 22,000 member-owners in 21 states. ROC USA focuses on making market- and policy-based sector change to scale grassroots cooperative development and build a movement with low-income communities and homeowners.  

ROC USA provides development services that include access to pre- and post-purchase technical assistance, templates, training, and pre-development, acquisition, and improvement financing. ROC USA partners and contracts with 10 nonprofit Certified Technical Assistance Provider affiliates and operates a national Technical Assistance team. Affiliates operate in 16 states, leveraging ROC USA’s brand, standardized co-op ownership model, organizing principles, tools, templates, online training, and other services.  

In 2021, ROC USA started a national Direct Technical Assistance team to respond with greater efficiency and agility to market-based community purchase opportunities in states not served by affiliates. Between the Network of affiliates and the Direct Technical Assistance team, ROC USA can provide services in all 49 continental U.S. states. 

ROC USA also manages a subsidiary called ROC USA Capital, a certified Community Development Financial Institution that has provided more than $350 million in ROC financing. ROC USA Capital finances roughly 60% of all purchases and only finances ROCs that are under a Technical Assistance contract with an affiliate or the Direct team.  

ROC USA is singularly focused on scaling limited equity cooperative ownership of Manufactured Home Communities. With three million individual homesites in 50,000 Manufactured Home Communities and ROC USA’s leadership in this market, ROC USA is well positioned to capitalize on the growing recognition of the importance of preserving these communities.  

ROC USA was created in 2008 as a social enterprise, building on 24 years of work in the sector at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. The Loan Fund was joined by Capital Impact Partners and Prosperity Now as impact equity investors. Each of these founding investors has made two contributions of organizational equity and are members of ROC USA LLC. The LLC structure is rare for non-profits. For ROC USA, it has meant strong and continuous support for our mission from our founding partners. NeighborWorks® America also sponsored ROC USA and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. 

ROC USA has a national team of 33 people located throughout the country and in two offices in Washington, DC, and Concord, NH.   

Residents in ROC USA communities, 89% of whom are low- or very low-income, have a voice in the national organization. Central to our vision for community power building is the ROC Association, which is made up of the co-ops in the network. Co-ops elect three community leader Directors to the ROC USA Board of Directors and operate as a volunteer organization with a Board and two national committees. ROC USA supports the Association’s activities, including peer networking, grant making, and policy advocacy.  

ROC USA is proud of our record of success, but we recognize that the unmet need is great, and are positioning the organization for significant growth. By 2028, we expect to serve more than 30,000 member-owners in at least 24 states. 

Performance & Impact 

In 40 years, no ROC financed by the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund or ROC USA Capital has lost ownership or sold their community to a for-profit investor.  

Homes in ROCs have been demonstrated to sell faster and for 16% more per square foot than comparable homes in comparable investor-owned communities. (2006, UNH) 

Homeowners in ROCs report feeling more economically secure than homeowners in commercially owned Manufactured Home Communities. (2006, UNH)   

Site fees in ROCs are $50 below market after five years of ownership and $100 per month below market after 10 years. (2022, Colliers) 

Sites fees in ROCs are raised 1% annually on average compared to 4 to 6% in commercially owned Manufactured Home Communities. (2021 ROC USA and Colliers)  

Policy Solutions 

As private equity dollars have focused on buying and reselling Manufactured Home Communities, ROC USA, ROC community leaders, Technical Assistance affiliates, and our local, state and national partners have advocated for policy changes that help level the playing field. Recent policy wins include: 

• Passage of statewide right of first refusal laws in three new states in 2023 (New York, Connecticut and Maine), bringing the total number to nine states.   
• Passage of the new federal Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) initiative, in large part, as a result of ROC leaders’ and ROC USA’s advocacy. The $225 million PRICE initiative is the first-ever federal investment to preserve and revitalize Manufactured Home Communities. ROC USA has positioned itself as a national intermediary for a portion of these funds and is also advocating for additional federal funding in Congress.  

Financial Strength 

ROC USA has an operating budget of approximately $7 million. After achieving operating self-sufficiency in 2018 and 2019, ROC USA made a significant investment in our operating capacity to prepare the organization for the next stage of growth. In 2023, ROC USA will achieve an earnings ratio of 71% and is budgeting to reach 75% earnings in 2024 (without a PRICE award). Our net asset ratio is 22% and total assets exceed $142 million.  

Recognition 

ROC USA’s community ownership work has been cited by media such as The New York Times (“Investors are Buying Mobile Home Parks. Residents are Paying a Price”, March 27, 2022), The Financial Times (“Why Big Investors are Buying U.S. Trailer Parks,” Feb. 2020), HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (“Mobile Homes,” April 2019), which has been viewed 10 million times, and in A Transform Finance report that cites ROC USA as a community capital provider that provides “meaningful input and governance roles for grassroots stakeholders.”  

Succession Plan 

Paul Bradley is ROC USA’s founding President. This President search represents ROC USA’s plan for a smooth leadership transition to position ROC USA for success and to support Paul’s decision to lead a new mission-important subsidiary – Integrity Community Solutions. The plan includes a transition period, where Paul serves as CEO of ROC USA and of Integrity Community Solutions. The Board and new President will work together to develop a timetable for Paul’s transition from the ROC USA CEO role to focus full-time on Integrity Community Solutions. 

About the Role 

Leadership/Management 

• Motivate a talented staff team and community leaders throughout the ROC network 
• Provide visionary and collaborative leadership to refine and implement the strategic vision and priorities to support ROC USA’s significant growth and current strategic plan 
• Collaboratively lead conversations to effectively integrate programs, strategies, and priorities across the organization and the network 
• Foster collaboration between and among partner organizations and ROC USA 
• Ensure that ROC USA’s internal infrastructure matches the organization’s growth and complexity 
• Effectively recruit, manage and support the Board 

Advocacy 

• Coordinate, align and lead state and federal policy and regulatory advocacy, working closely with ROC residents, stakeholders, and technical assistance providers 
• Identify opportunities for ROC community leaders to tell their stories and advocate on behalf of Manufactured Home Communities 
• Clearly and passionately tell the stories of ROCs, ROC leaders, and ROC USA, when grassroots leaders are not available to speak for themselves 
• Identify new policy, funding and resource generation opportunities, particularly at the federal level 

Financial Acumen and Fundraising 

• Lead fundraising efforts, including those to secure foundation grants, government contracts and major gifts 
• Lead conversations around strategic budget priorities, new revenue opportunities, and budget development  
• Become a leader in the CDFI field and CDFI investment market 
• Manage organizational and reputational risk associated with new federal contracts 

Partner Relationships 

• Help nurture, deepen collaboration, and enhance the relationship between ROC USA and our network affiliates through feedback and enhanced adaptability that reflects the differing needs of affiliates 
• Champion quality stakeholder service that maintains ROC USA’s reputation as a positive, problem-solving organization in partnership with network affiliates, the Resident Owned Communities (ROCs) that ROC USA serves, ROC leaders, and other partners 
• Enhance the organization’s ability to effectively and inclusively work with increasingly diverse ROCs 
• Develop influential new relationships with state and national partners that lead to new mission-aligned policy changes and resource opportunities 

Qualifications and Experience 

• A minimum of 7 years of significant leadership experience in a related field 
• Leadership experience in a complex organization, preferably one that involves innovative finance 
• A passion for building power with low-income people through cooperative ownership 
• Experience managing and developing a team of mission-oriented professionals 
• Proven track record of effective, mission-related advocacy 
• Affordable housing knowledge and expertise. Manufactured Home Community experience/expertise preferred. 
• Proven track record of entrepreneurial resource generation from foundations, government contracts, and/or major gifts 
• Strong financial management skills, including the management of multiple restricted funding sources 
• Experience setting and implementing organizational priorities 
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to tell the story of low-income communities and to effectively communicate the vision and mission of a complex organization  
• A commitment to equity and inclusion and an ability to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds 
• Experience working with and reporting to a Board  

Salary and Benefits  

ROC USA has established an annual salary range of $225K to $260K for the President position. Compensation also includes a comprehensive benefits package.  

Physical Demands  

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, sit, stand, use a computer, and mobile phone. This position requires the ability and desire to travel via car or plane several times per year. The employee will occasionally be required to lift and move up to 25 pounds.