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Position Description:

Our client is seeking a Head of Development and Value Creation to lead all strategic real estate activity on behalf of the family office and distribution businesses to include development, redevelopment/renovation, capital improvements, asset management, and leasing.  Activities include defining distribution requirements with business unit heads, working closely on design management with appropriate vendors, all applicable consultant management, and overseeing construction management with a developer’s lens, among others.  The ideal candidate is a critical thinker and creative problem solver, a good communicator who can see and create value. The key measures of success in the role include project execution, value creation and retention, client satisfaction, team collaboration and leadership, risk management, “on time/on budget” mentality and mindset, production and productivity over time.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Set strategy and oversee comprehensive management of all real estate assets of our client and its distribution businesses
• Act as the owner’s advocate in all real estate activities including those related to the distribution businesses, which are separate entities
• Be accountable for overseeing development/redevelopment/capital project scoping, design, management, budgeting, and scheduling
• Analyze and optimize real estate portfolio, including maximizing the use of surplus land and reuse of assets, if no longer needed by distribution businesses
• Identify opportunities to maximize real estate value through development, redevelopment, and renovation of existing assets
• Negotiate and transact acquisitions and leases in accordance with distribution business requirements
• Collaborate with leadership, internal property management, and project management resources within the distribution businesses

Development:

• Responsible for new development including sourcing, land entitlement, easements, surveys, lien waivers, subdivision, infrastructure design and construction, vertical design and construction, contract management, monthly draw approvals, and management of release of funds with some shared responsibility with operating business General Counsel
• Work closely with end user to create and translate a scope for design and pre-construction discovery while allowing all stakeholders to weigh in before go-forward decisions are made
• Approve all upfit requirements and manage third-party general contractors and/or internal project management resources to deliver upfits on time and on budget
• Establish modular business unit construction standards and specifications for repeatable facilities based on size and end-user requirements
• Establish processes and reporting for pre-construction, construction, and project close out
• Act as owner’s representative overseeing all third-party contractors for projects of varying size and scope
• Clearly define roles and responsibilities for each project with each contractor and general contractor
• Manage third-party brokers to help source solutions for real estate needs

Leasing:

• Negotiate all leases on behalf of the family office as well as the operating businesses
• Manage or clearly delegate all aspects of tenant upfits
• Establish fee system to overcome costs of operations (capital and operating/maintenance costs and reserves creation)

Standardization:

• Create standards of scoping, design, engineering, bidding, and value engineering as well as budgeting, scheduling, and construction management
• Create standards of bidding including design/build principles for value engineering, standards of budgeting, financing, and managing contractors during pre-construction, construction, and closeout process
• Oversee all quality of work and create standards for such so that project management is consistent across the portfolio
• Define a look-back process to determine lessons learned for large projects and best practices on a go forward basis
• Create standards to clearly define and standardize lease processes and property acquisition/purchase processes

Communication:

• Ensure open communication with end-user to understand requirements of operating facilities and assets
• Maintain records of decision making to ensure processes and procedures are consistently refined for consistent improvement
• Maintain processes and procedures for handoff to property management with clear, concise, and consistent information turnover
• Draft agenda and maintain records of OAC meetings and attendees

 QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, real estate development, construction management, engineering, architecture, or related field from an appropriate 4-year college program; an MBA, law degree, or other relevant graduate degree is preferred
• Experience and demonstrated success in commercial real estate development processes, preferably with industrial and/or net lease product types
• Successful P&L and capital budget management experience
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and communication skills and a positive attitude
• Demonstrated project management and team leadership skills allowing success in a fast-paced environment, ability to handle multiple concurrent projects with moderate supervision and work both independently and collaboratively
• Proactive, solution-oriented mindset with an interest in continual improvement and adding value
• “Quick study”: the ideal candidate is smart, curious, turns mistakes into learning in a transparent way, is a savvy negotiator who fundamentally owns delivery while working collaboratively with others, and possesses a sense of urgency for key priorities

To learn more about this position, contact: Matthew McAulay | (704) 770-6110 | mmcaulay@crownsearch.com