What types of jobs are transferable/equivalent to the US?

DH works for the local council, in housing.  He's a manager, basically an office worker.  It's so general, it so far has been impossible to find a job in the US that he could do, that can support a family of 4.  Especially since there's no equivalent to 'the council.'  So I'm wondering what types of jobs he could get into here, get a couple years experience, and maybe get a job more easily in the US? Maybe a bank teller?  Or does that pay really badly? 

He can't retrain, as we have small children and I can't work because I stay home and look after them.  So it has to be something easy to get into!

What about with your local public housing authority? I know that's a bit limiting, but it's probably the closest to his experience and skill-set.

It's probably going to help you plan better if you consider how much money will need to come into your household to support a family of four in the US.

As with the UK, this will depend on where you live.  

And where you live will depend on what people earn.  

In my opinion, even in a low cost-of-living area of the US such as - say Ohio or North Carolina - a family of four needs $60,000 a year to live modestly.

Target an area in which you want to live and then use a recruiting website (such as indeed.com).  Look then for "office managers" and see what the going rate is for that profession.

You may discover (as most Americans already know) that both you and your husband will need to work in order to live here.   A department head in my company is female.  She has a daughter age 7, a son 18 months and another child on the way.  Her husband is head of monetary security at a local bank.  They both earn a decent wage for our area yet it takes the two of them working to keep a family home.  Both also have college educations.  They don't lead a fancy lifestyle either.  I've been to their home - it's a decent sized ranch home in a modest neighborhood.  Very middle class.  She drove a 15 year old car until her recent elevation to her present position as department head.

Oh - bank teller is an entry-level type position in the US.  It probably pays about $18000 in this area.  I'm going to take a complete guess that it in a metropolitan area, it wouldn't pay any more than $25000.  When I was a young woman, I was a bank teller.  I was married so I wasn't counting on just my own wage to get by.  One of the girls I worked with lived by herself in a dumpy apartment.  Her main grocery staple was rice and she stole toilet paper from the bank to take home.

There MUST be an equivalent to "the council"....look at either local city, county or state government agencies for example.

One thing I and other British ex-pats in the US have observed is that (thanks to the relative ubiquity of college/university education), employers can be really picky and expect a really specific college degree for practically any job. e.g. so even if you've had a dozen years of impressive experience in management of public housing in the UK, if you apply to an equivalent position in the US, they will expect you to have a degree in "urban management" or "housing policy studies" or something like that!

I sometimes joke that soon, even entry level jobs at McD's will require a specific bachelors in burger-flipping.

One thing I and other British ex-pats in the US have observed is that (thanks to the relative ubiquity of college/university education), employers can be really picky and expect a really specific college degree for practically any job. e.g. so even if you've had a dozen years of impressive experience in management of public housing in the UK, if you apply to an equivalent position in the US, they will expect you to have a degree in "urban management" or "housing policy studies" or something like that!

I have noticed this in both directions between the UK and Canada. I think it's just a issue of a host country preferring host country education and experience, not specific to any particular country.

My advice would be to volunteer in the field you want to get into as soon as you arrive.

There is a paper called Social Housing in the UK and US: Evolution, Issues and Prospects by Michael Stone, which might provide background.
http://www.gold.ac.uk/media/Stonefinal.pdf

Also what about work regarding homelessness?

Here is find your local public housing agency:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/pha/contacts

And how to find local homelessness assistance:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/homelessness/localassist