Section 8 Help Desk Specialist

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is the State’s affordable housing agency, with a mission to build, preserve, and protect affordable housing and increase homeownership throughout New York State. HCR consists of all the major housing and community renewal agencies of New York State, which were merged and integrated under a single management structure.

Under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul and Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas, HCR is a vibrant, innovative agency that integrates and leverages New York State’s housing resources. We have offices in New York City, Albany, Buffalo, and Syracuse, and employ a diverse workforce of professionals who are hard-working and committed to serving low- and moderate-income families. Our mission is far reaching, encompassing single and multifamily housing finance, home improvement, rent regulation, housing subsidies, and community development. We partner regularly with a variety of public and private stakeholders.

Achieving this mission requires a wide range of skills and backgrounds in public policy, administration, real estate, architecture, finance, law and many other areas of expertise. We seek to provide a workplace environment that is productive, flexible, accountable, ethical and caring. Our employees are empowered to make a difference where they live and work. We offer competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package, including paid leave, health, dental, vision, retirement and family-friendly policies.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal currently offers the possibility of a hybrid workplace through our Telecommuting Pilot Program. Participation in this program requires an application process that must be approved. Participation is not guaranteed.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is currently seeking an experienced Help Desk Specialist to help maintain a new software system for its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (“HCV” or “voucher”) program. HCR provides federal Section 8 rental assistance to approximately 46,000 low-income families across New York through a network of 25 Local Administrators (LAs). HCR is currently implementing Emphasys Elite to manage federal Section 8 data. Elite is a vendor-hosted, web-based, Custom Off the Shelf Product. HCR executed a Software As A Service (SAAS) contract with Emphasys to provide a case management solution along with customer facing portals for Section 8 landlords, applicants and participants.

The selected candidate will be a detailed-oriented, self-motivated customer service professional who is capable of effective written and oral communication. They should have sufficient technical expertise and experience to develop, recommend and implement data-driven, innovative solutions while managing multiple partners and stakeholders.

Knowledge of Section 8 and of Emphasys Elite is preferred but not required. Training will be provided. The selected candidate will be required to become certified as a Section 8 HCV specialist, and will complete self-guided training in Emphasys Elite. Ongoing training will be required. Some travel may be necessary.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Receive and process inquiries from Section 8 staff, landlords, participants and applicants both on-line and by phone; respond to technical inquiries via email, through online chats, over the phone, or in person; listen attentively to customers’ questions and concerns and offer optimal solutions; prioritize customer satisfaction in all communications, directing unresolved issues to next-level personnel.

• Elevate inquiries to vendor (Emphasys) or State tech staff when necessary; liaison with the vendor to address issues, follow-up, and implement changes when necessary.
• Track the status of all inquiries in a database; generate reports on call volume, response times, current status, outcomes, etc.
• Take training and become certified as a Section 8 HCV specialist; participate in other trainings as required.

• Provide friendly, quick and effective customer assistance by phone and email to system users across the New York state.
• Provide support to 500+ internal and contracted users of the Emphasys Elite system and users of public facing portals/websites.
• Identify topics for future training; work with the vendor to plan, schedule, and deliver both on-line and in person trainings as necessary; create and distribute helpful tips, newsletters, etc. to promote best practice.
• Guide users remotely and in person through systems configuration, troubleshooting, and maintenance.
• Work with team members, vendor, New York State Office of Information Technology Services to address user authentication and system security issues.
• Inform users about the system, system enhancements, downtime and available patches/fixes.
• Walk customers step-by-step through the problem-solving process.
• Help with troubleshooting hardware and software issues that arise.
• Follow up with customers to ensure satisfactory service.
• Communicate user feedback to the appropriate internal team members.
• Aggregate observed issues and identify issue trends to remedy those issues and effectively communicate those remedies to impacted parties.

Minimum Qualifications and Desired Skills:

• Two-year associates degree or training program -or- high school diploma and at least 4 years relevant experience.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and experience troubleshooting hardware and software.
• The ability to break down technological processes and deliver clear, step-by-step instructions.
• Patient, friendly demeanor with a great aptitude for listening.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Commitment to providing exceptional customer service.
• Tech savvy, with experience working in a tech-related field.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve a variety of technical issues.
• Team-oriented mindset with an openness to constructive feedback.
• Eagerness to learn new technologies and systems.
• Experience working as an IT Help Desk technician or in a similar customer support role.
• Experience using Crystal Reports and Microsoft Power BI preferred.