Director, Real Estate Services - Vancouver, BC
Job Code: E016
Position Title: Director, Real Estate Services
Job Family / Level: M/L, Level 5B
Salary Level: $175,280.90 to $206,262.90 per annum (2024 rates)
POSITION SUMMARY:
Leads the Real Estate Services Function and is accountable for the delivery of a full range of professional real estate services to Metro Vancouver’s four legal entitles (GVRD, GVWD, GVS&DD and MVHC), including acquisition, portfolio strategy, leasing, development support, marketing, disposition, and ongoing stewardship of real estate assets and interests. Provides confidential advice to the General Manager, senior leadership, Committees, and the Board on complex, high-value, time-sensitive, and politically sensitive matters. Accountable for strategy, significant transaction and portfolio recommendations, divisional planning, budget, governance frameworks, and people leadership, ensuring services protect public value and advance infrastructure, housing, affordability, resilience, climate action, reconciliation, and service delivery objectives.
With the General Manager and department Leadership Team, shapes the function’s vision, advances strategic priorities, strengthens team performance, and sustains leading practices. Hires, leads and manages staff.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Directs professional real estate services and strategic portfolio stewardship across Metro Vancouver’s four legal entities (GVRD, GVWD, GVS&DD and MVHC), including acquisition, redevelopment, repurposing, consolidation, leasing, disposition, and asset optimization. Provides strategic advice on real estate implications for major capital projects, utility and regional services, housing priorities, and corporate initiatives.
Leads complex transactions, including purchases, sales, leases, licences, easements, rights-of-way, statutory rights-of-way, tenure arrangements, and other land and property agreements.
Accountable for budget preparation, resource planning, forecasting, reporting, , and short- and long-term financial planning related to real estate assets, property rights, and tenure requirements. Monitors and controls spending ensuring the effective and efficient expenditure of funds within the approved budget. Develops enterprise strategies, work plans, portfolio priorities, and performance improvements aligned with Board direction, corporate objectives, financial plans, and client needs.
Provides expert guidance to senior staff and client departments on real estate strategy, negotiations, contracts, valuation, and sensitive property issues. Manages complex, confidential, high-profile, and in-camera matters involving significant expenditures or revenues to protect the organization from financial harm and liability.
Makes significant decisions and recommendations on transactions and portfolio management in a way that protects public value, supports infrastructure and housing priorities, and advances service delivery, affordability, resilience, climate action and reconciliation; develops strategies for contractual, legal, and risk issues; and presents defensible reports, business cases, and recommendations to the General Manager, CAO, Committees, or Board as required.
Provides leadership for acquisitions through negotiation or statutory expropriation, including litigation direction, claims settlement, and strategies to minimize cost, delay, and risk. Ensures compliance with the Local Government Act, Expropriation Act, land title requirements, and other applicable frameworks.
Develop policies, procedures, protocols, standards, delegated authority frameworks, work plans, service standards, and performance measures that support timely, transparent, defensible, and risk-informed real estate decisions.
Reviews, negotiates, prepares, and approves contract language and transaction documentation, working with Legal Services and internal partners to protect the organization’s interests.
Hires, supervises, directs, coaches, and develops staff; manages performance against division, department, and corporate objectives; and builds a flexible, high-performing workforce through leadership development, technical training, knowledge transfer, succession planning, accountability, service excellence, innovation, and inclusion.
Builds effective relationships with member jurisdictions, internal departments, other governments, First Nations and Indigenous governments and organizations, Crown agencies, tenants, developers, consultants, service providers, elected officials, media, and the public; supports meaningful, reciprocal engagement on property matters aligned with reconciliation commitments.
Performs other related duties as required.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:
Demonstrated expertise leading and optimizing large, complex real estate portfolios, including valuation, appraisal, acquisition, leasing, development support, property management, marketing, disposition, and asset stewardship from owner and tenant perspectives.
Extensive knowledge of legislation, regulations, bylaws, and policies governing public sector real estate, including expropriation, zoning, subdivision, site development, permitting, land title matters, and Board and committee governance.
Proven ability to provide strategic advisory services and lead property acquisition and real estate strategy for large-scale, complex, multi-stakeholder capital and infrastructure projects with significant organizational impact.
Excellent budgeting, financial management, and analytical skills, including the ability to manage budgets, evaluate options, interpret market and valuation information, develop defensible business cases and recommendations and ensure the effective and efficient expenditure of allocated funds.
Excellent communication, presentation, and public speaking skills, with the ability to clearly and persuasively convey complex information to senior leadership, Boards, Committees, elected officials, and external stakeholders.
Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills, including the ability to build trust, navigate conflict, and work tactfully in controversial, complex, and time-sensitive situations.
Demonstrated ability to make complex and sometimes controversial decisions, exercise independent judgment, resolve issues with broader organizational impact, and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to lead with urgency, proactively advance priorities, and deliver complex, high-impact work.
Highly developed leadership, management, and supervisory skills, including the ability to inspire, coach, mentor, evaluate, and develop teams while driving individual and organizational excellence across direct, indirect, and matrixed environments.
Demonstrated management and supervisory skills. Ability to direct, supervise, evaluate, coach and mentor staff. Sound understanding of labour and employee relations, collective agreements, and corporate policy requirements.
Proficiency using Microsoft Office applications and other digital tools relevant to reporting, planning, presentations, and project coordination.
REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & DESIGNATION:
10 years of recent, progressive experience leading and optimizing large, complex real estate portfolios, supplemented by a university degree in business administration, commerce, real estate, urban land economics, finance, or a related field, plus specialized training in real estate strategy, asset management, appraisal, and negotiation; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Accredited professional designation such as AACI, RI(BC), CCIM, CPM, RPA, MCIP, or equivalent.
· Valid BC Class 5 Driver’s License.
To apply for this opportunity, please email your resume, cover letter, and total remuneration expectations to:
Allan Welyk
President & Director
ELEVATE Search Group
Email: allan@elevatesearchgroup.com
Web:www.elevatesearchgroup.com
Elevate Search Group collaborates and partners with companies to identify, recruit, and retain top-tiered professionals within all levels of leadership and non-leadership careers within business development, sales, marketing, operations, human resource, and supply chain management. Our client profiles range from local, regional, national, and global organizations.
Our client portfolio ranges from Public Sector, NPO, and the Private Sector.
