Cohousing-L Mailing List: Developer Assistant Position Available Starting ASAP

[Mac Thomson (macthomson]

Heartwood Cohousing is a close-knit, established, rural cohousing community in 
SW Colorado. Phase 1 (24 homes and common house) was built in 2000. We are 
about to break ground on the 14 homes of Phase 2.

I am one of Heartwood’s founders, a current resident, and Project Manager 
during Phase 1. I am serving as Project Manager again during Phase 2. I am 
looking to hire an Assistant Project Manager to begin ASAP. It would be a full 
time position lasting until the completion of home construction, probably fall 
of 2026. The position might pay $5K per month plus bonus potential 
(negotiable). You would need to relocate to SW Colorado, which happens to be a 
very nice place to live.  :-)

If you are organized, reliable, a good communicator, and would like to learn 
about cohousing development via a year and a half work immersion, this might be 
a great opportunity for you. Please reach out to me at macthomson [at] mac.com 
<mailto:macthomson [at] mac.com> or 970-903-9751.

Beth Walker, a close friend and neighbor, served as our Assistant Project 
Manager during Phase 1. She sent me the email copied at the bottom describing 
the position.

Beth’s email is excellent. My list of requirements is slightly different, but 
in the neighborhood:
administrator
communicator
carpentry experience - optional, but would be valuable
reliable
organized
integrity (someone I can trust)
emotionally mature (low drama)
driven (enthusiastic)
smart

I call myself the Project Manager for Phase 2, but in reality I’m the 
developer, so the position I’m looking to hire would be as the assistant 
developer. I tend to prefer the term project manager over developer simply 
because being a developer seems to have a bad connotation, especially amongst 
people interested in cohousing.

During the pre-construction phase, your job would primarily be working on 
design specs (leading a team to decide on home finishes and pricing). During 
the construction phase, your job would primarily be to ensure that the homes 
are being built to a high quality standard, consistent with the architectural 
plans. Those descriptions are a gross over-simplification. In general, you and 
I would be a development team managing all aspects of design, approvals, legal, 
financing, marketing, homebuyer relations, and construction. We would divvy up 
the work between us based on abilities and time availability. That’s basically 
the way Beth and I worked together 25 years ago and it was one of the best 
collaborative work experiences either of us has ever had — great work and great 
results.

If you are interested and think you may be a good fit, please reach out to me 
at macthomson [at] mac.com <mailto:macthomson [at] mac.com> or 970-903-9751.

Also, please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested and a 
good fit.

Thanks,
Mac

P.S. You can learn lots more about Heartwood Cohousing at our extensive 
website: http://www.heartwoodcohousing.com <http://www.heartwoodcohousing.com/>

P.P.S. You might wonder why Beth isn’t serving as Assistant Project Manger for 
Phase 2. She now has a very successful life coaching business that she’s very 
happy with and would not want to leave.

-- 
Mac Thomson

Heartwood Cohousing
Phase 2 Project Manager
http://www.heartwoodcohousing.com

**********************************************************
> On Feb 14, 2025, at 7:24 AM, Beth Walker wrote:
> 
> APM ROLE -- 2 Aspects:  ADMINISTRATION (Tracking) and COMMUNICATION (does not 
> include the Technical aspect of this role)
> 
> Primary Duties and Responsibilities -- Work directly with the Project Manager 
> to support all aspects of the Phase 2 (P2) building project.
> Serve as a liaison between the Architect, the GC (builder), the Spec Review 
> Team (SRT), and the P2 homebuyers. Includes:  Answering a variety of 
> questions with tact and diplomacy, problem solving, and directing calls 
> appropriately for resolution.
> Provide coordination, monitoring, and communication of the P2 building 
> project. Coordinate work with Heartwood Phase 1 (P1) as needed.
> Assist in Project Manager activities and processes including project 
> planning, intake, prioritization, initiation, execution, and training; as 
> well as in fostering collaboration of homebuyers and key project stakeholders.
> Provide administrative support for weekly construction-related meetings. 
> Attend meetings, take notes of discussion (capture all decisions and 
> timelines), and prepare the initial draft of minutes and summaries.
> Assist the Project Manager in the development of presentations for internal 
> and external audiences.
> Determine priority of matters needing attention; redirect matters to others 
> to handle, or handle matters personally, as appropriate.
> Keep the Project Manager advised of time-sensitive and priority issues, 
> ensuring appropriate follow-up. Track all matters through to completion, 
> ensuring full resolution of problems.
> Routinely perform a wide variety of support duties as needed.
> Handle printing, faxing, mail/overnight packages, copying, filing, and 
> email/messages.
> Sort and triage e-mail; maintain e-mail and other address directories.
> Compose and prepare e-mails relating to project progress.
> Schedule meetings; assist in the preparation and distribution of meeting 
> agendas and materials.
> Prepare documents, reports, tables and charts; distribute as appropriate.
> Prepare, reconcile, and submit expense reports.
> Maintain paper and electronic filing systems.
> Maintain confidential and sensitive information.
> Complete a variety of special projects including creating PowerPoint 
> presentations, financial spreadsheets, special reports, and agenda material.
> Other additional and/or alternative duties as assigned from time to time.
> Requirements:
> Excellent verbal and written communication skills -- the ability to:
> communicate information clearly and concisely 
> with tact and diplomacy
> in a timely manner
> Attention to detail -- ability to track and easily access a thousand pieces 
> of information
> Ability to create and use Excel spreadsheets to track information
> Ability to use project management software to track information
> A team player capable of cultivating productive working relationships
> EQ - high level of Emotional Intelligence 
> Excellent computer skills, including the Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, 
> Word, PowerPoint, and Excel)
> Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills
> Ability to communicate clearly with many people of varied backgrounds and 
> skill levels.