We are seeking an experienced corporate or commercial real estate professional to join our Enterprise Real Estate Transactions team. This is a senior individual-contributor role responsible for independently leading complex real estate initiatives from the initial definition of the business need and evaluation of strategic alternatives through negotiation, approval, documentation, execution, and close. Reporting to the Director of Real Estate Transactions, this individual will serve as a strategic advisor to internal Cox businesses, working with business leaders to establish a clear decision-making framework and providing guidance and input during business-case development across a diverse portfolio of property types and business needs.
This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to business leaders, bring the executive presence, credibility, and judgment needed to translate operational requirements, market conditions, financial considerations, and contractual risks into actionable real estate strategies. The successful candidate will be capable of evaluating a broad range of alternatives, creating practical solutions, and moving complex work forward with limited day-to-day oversight.
Core Responsibilities:
- Partner with business leaders to define real estate needs and evaluate a full range of strategic alternatives, including renewal, relocation, consolidation, ownership vs leasing, development, build-to-suit, redevelopment, and disposition.
- Independently lead the real estate strategy from business-case development and approval through negotiation, documentation, execution, and close.
- Develop and recommend portfolio strategies that align real estate decisions with business objectives, operating requirements, financial priorities, and market conditions.
- Proactively evaluate lease events, underutilized locations, owned assets, and other portfolio opportunities to identify cost savings, risk mitigation, consolidation, disposition, or value-creation opportunities.
- Develop financial analyses and business cases that comprehensively evaluate business needs, transaction alternatives, and alignment with portfolio strategy to support recommendations and approval decisions
- Lead the negotiation of letters of intent, leases, purchase and sale agreements, easements, amendments, termination agreements, and other real estate documents in partnership with internal and external legal counsel.
- Help develop and implement AI tools that can improve or transform the real estate transaction team’s work.
- Own the business review of transaction documents from initial drafting through execution, including identifying material issues, developing proposed positions, maintaining open-item and decision logs, and coordinating timely resolution with internal and external legal counsel.
- Lead cross-functional groups involving business leadership, Finance, Legal, Tax, Lease Administration, Facilities, Design and Construction, and external advisors to maintain alignment, resolve issues, and drive decisions.
- Direct external brokerage teams, local market brokers, consultants, and other service providers, including defining assignments, setting strategy, evaluating work product, and holding partners accountable for timely and high-quality execution.
- Evaluate market conditions, comparable transactions, landlord and buyer behavior, capital and operating cost implications, and other relevant data to establish negotiating positions and support real estate recommendations.
- Prepare concise, executive-ready transaction recommendations, approval materials, portfolio updates, financial summaries, and presentations for senior leadership.
- Support real estate due diligence and integration planning for corporate transactions, acquisitions, and divestitures, including review of target company lease obligations, owned properties, environmental matters, surveys, title matters, operating risks, and portfolio implications.
- Manage operational real estate matters, including easements, condemnations, encroachments, landlord disputes, and other property-related issues.
- Establish and manage disciplined transaction processes, including clear workplans, roles and responsibilities, approval requirements, critical dates, dependencies, decision points, document controls, and closing checklists, to ensure transactions remain complete, accurate, and on schedule.
This individual should have in-depth knowledge of corporate and commercial real estate and be able to independently understand, analyze, structure, negotiate, and direct transactions. They should possess a strong working knowledge of real estate contracts and transaction mechanics, along with the business judgment to identify material financial, operational, and contractual risks. This individual should be comfortable leading cross-functional work without direct authority and managing the expectations of diverse business leaders and stakeholders.
Qualifications
Minimum:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline and 8 years’ experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master’s degree and 6years’ experience; a Ph.D. and 3 years’ experience in a related field; or 12 years’ experience in a related field.
- Requires strong knowledge of Microsoft tools and Real Estate legal documents
Preferred:
- Experience representing corporate occupiers or working within an in-house corporate real estate organization.
- Experience managing transactions across multiple markets, business units, or property types is preferred.
- Experience supporting corporate acquisitions, divestitures, or integration activity
Job Requirements:
Required:
- Strong knowledge of commercial real estate principles, transaction structures, market practices, contracts, and related transaction mechanisms.
- Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex lease, acquisition, disposition, relocation, and other real estate transactions.
- Strong working knowledge of property purchase and disposition transaction mechanics, including a deep understanding of purchase and sale agreement structures, title issues, surveys, and environmental impact evaluations.
- Demonstrated ability to lead business and economic negotiations and work effectively with legal counsel on transaction documents. A law degree is not required.
- Ability to develop, review, and explain financial analyses and business cases supporting real estate decisions, including cash flow comparisons, net present value, occupancy cost, capital requirements, and sensitivity analyses.
- Strong proficiency with AI tools and experience leveraging them in support of real estate workflows.
- Strong business acumen and sound judgment, with the ability to develop a clear decision-making framework from complex or incomplete information.
- Ability to communicate and distill complex real estate, contractual, and financial concepts clearly to non-real-estate audiences.
- Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate recommendations clearly and credibly to senior leadership.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
- Proven ability to independently manage multiple complex transactions, priorities, and deadlines while maintaining accuracy and follow-through.
- Ability to identify issues early, develop practical alternatives, and drive matters toward resolution, while knowing when to escalate material risks or decisions.
- Experience working across multiple markets and property types, which may include office, industrial, retail, land, technical facilities, and owned real estate.
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, Teams.
Preferred:
- Proficient with Costar platforms
- Experience working with startup or growth businesses
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $122,600.00 - $204,400.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
