Vice President of Expansion

DignityMoves seeks an experienced business development leader to drive the expansion of our work building and delivering interim supportive housing that is fast, cost-effective, and scalable.

DignityMoves has a proven track record and has demonstrated a strong market fit for our model. In just 4 years we have successfully built communities in 11 cities across California, with over a dozen more in various stages of development.

Working closely with the CEO and the executive team, the Vice President of Expansion will drive the front end of the deal pipeline, representing DignityMoves externally with senior public-sector officials, philanthropic and corporate partners, and community stakeholders, translating DignityMoves’ model into compelling, pragmatic proposals that align urgency, cost, and outcomes.

Desired experience includes a demonstrated track record in business development, real estate development, public-private partnerships, or complex deal-making, ideally within housing, infrastructure, or mission-driven development. Candidates should have direct experience influencing government agencies, sourcing and closing multi-stakeholder deals, negotiating contracts or MOUs, and navigating government processes, approvals, and timelines.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

DignityMoves is an innovative nonprofit focused on ending street homelessness in California and beyond. Its innovative model utilizes temporarily vacant land, relocatable prefabricated housing units, and emergency building codes to build communities quickly, cost-effectively, and at scale. By harnessing the power of public-private partnerships and tapping into private capital, land, and creative funding strategies, DignityMoves empowers municipalities to build housing quickly and move toward functional zero unsheltered homelessness.

Headquartered in San Francisco, DignityMoves partners with municipal and private stakeholders to rapidly deliver”Interim Supportive Housing” (tiny homes) where everyone gets a private room with a door that locks and access to intensive supportive services– giving them the best possible chance of returning to stability.

Taking advantage of “Shelter Crisis” declarations — under which municipalities can waive many regulatory barriers — DignityMoves guides local governments in using their broad emergency authority to accelerate housing solutions. When they do, DignityMoves can build communities for $50,000 per unit in just a matter of months. This speed and affordability make the model highly scalable. However, widespread success depends on leaders who can coach local agencies, navigate bureaucracy, and instill the urgency the crisis demands.

DignityMoves also works to create system change, including advocacy at the local, state and federal levels. We co-sponsored California’s Interim Housing Act (SB 1395), paving the way for broader adoption of interim housing statewide. For more about DignityMoves, read the DignityMoves 2024 Impact Report here.

DignityMoves actively works with cities across the state to create bespoke solutions to street homelessness, with a current focus on the Bay Area, San Diego County, and Los Angeles. After the opening of our first projects in San Francisco and Santa Barbara in 2022, elected officials and civic leaders were buzzing about DignityMoves’ work: the simplicity of this practical approach took off like a rocket, accelerating demand across the state. As of August 2025, DignityMoves’ total housing inventory includes 732 beds across 622 units in ten sites statewide. Its active pre-development pipeline includes 696 beds / 599 units in ten additional sites, representing communities in San Luis Obispo, two additional San Jose sites, two sites in Los Angeles, and four other communities.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

The Vice President of Expansion will work closely with the executive leadership to bring DignityMoves to new municipalities both within California and across the country. Success in the role will require creativity and resourcefulness – the ideal candidate will be creative, resourceful, persistent, solutions-oriented and great at building relationships. They will be entrepreneurial-minded with a dealmaker’s sensibility. This position reports directly to the Chief Expansion Officer and may oversee expansion associates or cross-functional project teams as needed.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Vice President of Expansion will develop and execute a strategic expansion plan to develop and implement pipeline strategies that support rapid scale, innovation and initiatives; personally drive pitches and solicitations, finding ways to “get to yes”.

● Find vacant land to be used temporarily for interim housing including:

○ Private land, with owners benefiting from property tax exemptions;

○ Public surplus land held by agencies including cities, counties, CalTrans, water boards, school

districts, and others;

○ Land owned by hospitals, faith-based organizations, corporations

● Identify local champions including elected officials, civic leaders, city managers, agency staff

interested in pushing a project forward.

● Apply for funding opportunities including Project Homekey, Encampment Resolution Funds, Prop 1 programs, Behavioral Health funding sources and others.

● Write responses to RFQs and RFPs as needed.

● Develop partnerships with supportive services agencies interested in expanding their capacity in partnership with DignityMoves.

● Form strategic relationships such as Veterans Associations, hospitals, transitional aged youth advocates, community colleges and other organizations with resources and influence dedicated to ending street homelessness.

● Expand DignityMoves outside of California including:

○ Develop an understanding of emergency building codes and local legal frameworks in each

state/region.

○ Identify local champions, donors and partners.

○ Leverage our existing partnerships with Gensler, Swinerton, PAE and our numerous modular

manufacturing partners to tap their relationships and secure warm introductions to decision

makers.

● Develop collateral, marketing materials and technical/code analysis documents to facilitate successful sales and pitches.

● Write funding proposals, give presentations, and attend industry conferences.

● Build and steward relationships with key city and county stakeholders, brokers, site selectors, and other real estate development professionals in target markets to accelerate awareness and adoption of DignityMoves’ solutions; develop a strong referral and lead-generation network.

● Identify new opportunities by analyzing jurisdictional interim housing needs, political will, funding sources, and supportive services partners

● Support the closing of new business by coordinating requirements and assisting with the development and negotiation of contracts and agreements.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE & CHARACTERISTICS

The VP of Expansion will be a resourceful, entrepreneurial, and charismatic dealmaker with the ability and determination to “get to yes.” The VP of Expansion must be based in California, ideally located in the San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles. The successful candidate must have:

● A passion for DignityMoves’ mission to create scalable, measurable solutions to unsheltered homelessness.

● 10 years of sales or business development experience in government relations, lobbying, and/or the real estate industry.

● An extensive rolodex of relationships in local and regional governments in California is highly desirable.

● Willingness to travel frequently to new and priority markets (including out of state) to expand awareness of DignityMoves and interim supportive housing.

● Master networking acumen with excellent persuasion skills and proven experience building and sustaining long-term relationships with real estate professionals, jurisdictions, brokers, landowners, service partners, and elected or appointed officials; demonstrated ability to engage effectively across diverse stakeholder and government groups critical to expansion and advocacy.

● Lived experience with housing instability, homelessness, or direct work with underserved populations is highly valued.

● Strong ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, balancing daily execution with longer-term strategic initiatives while meeting deadlines.

● The judgment, credibility, and presence required to effectively manage senior internal and external stakeholders.

● Highly collaborative and hands-on; willingness to roll up sleeves and drive results.

● Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of audiences and decision-makers.

● High emotional intelligence; values and respects diverse perspectives; genuine, diplomatic, and grounded.

● Bachelor’s degree required.

COMPENSATION

$170,000 per year. Benefits include medical, dental and vision, Discretionary Paid Time Off (DPTO) for vacation and sick time, paid holidays, 401k, and short- and long-term disability. DignityMoves is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive, welcoming, and equitable environment for all. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, socioeconomic status, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.