Director of Real Estate

Ropes & Gray

  • New York City, NY
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 21 days ago
About Ropes & Gray:Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top three on The American Lawyer's prestigious A-List for eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years—rankings that honor the "best of the best" law firms.The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer. Overview:In partnership with the Chief of Real Estate and Facilities and in coordination with the Director of Operations, the individual will play a critical role in guiding Ropes & Gray’s global real estate portfolio. This role is responsible for developing and executing office space strategies that support the firm’s growth, as well as overseeing the firm’s portfolio of leases and subleases. Leveraging deep expertise in Class A commercial real estate and lease negotiations, the individual will advise on and implement strategic real estate plans that align with the firm’s business objectives. Responsibilities:
  • Define and execute a comprehensive global real estate strategy aligned with long-term business objectives and cost targets for business growth.
  • Develop annual and multi-year real estate plans and budgets in coordination with Finance, Legal and Procurement.
  • Advise senior leadership, including office managing partners and policy committee members, on real estate strategies and opportunities for cost savings and efficiencies across the real estate portfolio.
  • Keep abreast of and analyze latest market trends, real estate risks, tax and legislative developments, and investment opportunities to drive business decisions.
  • Implement real estate risk mitigation strategies such as consolidations, transition and subleasing coverage.
  • Lead site selection, lease negotiations, renewals, terminations and subleases, while ensuring all critical terms and conditions are monitored and met to maximize value and minimize costs.
  • Review and negotiate various real estate-related agreements, such as leases, purchase agreements, construction contracts, consulting agreements, and service agreements.
  • Manage and oversee the work of outside real estate local counsel, negotiating leases in locations where in-house expertise is not available.
  • Maintain computer databases of vendor agreements, leases, and supplemental documents (in partnership with Director of Operations).
  • Advise on, procure, engage, and oversee brokers and other vendors.
  • Review lease and sublease agreements, ensuring effective administration of lease portfolio and maintain critical lease dates report.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with real estate providers globally.
  • Lead and develop a small global team of operations and real estate professionals (in partnership with the Director of Operations).
  • Prepare quarterly real estate report updating all stakeholders on space and head count status and active transactions (in partnership with Director of Operations).
Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field. JD beneficial.
  • Minimum 10+ years of progressive leadership experience managing office real estate portfolios for multi-location or global enterprises, ideally in a corporate real estate environment focused on professional services organizations.
  • Proven track record managing global real estate portfolios, as well as an understanding of real estate markets and market influences.
  • Strong financial acumen, project execution ability and data-driven decision-making skills.
  • Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to work with multiple stakeholders and effectively communicate complex issues both verbally and in writing to senior management and clients.
  • Able to effectively interface and influence business and leadership teams in a matrixed organization. Experience or understanding of law firms or other professional services firms is a plus.
  • Ability to develop long range strategies to transform the real estate effectiveness.
  • Results-driven, with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
  • A passion for negotiation with strong problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to read and interpret leases and construction drawings.
  • Proficient in the use of office technology, including Excel, Project, Word, PowerPoint, computer-aided design software and specialized facility and leasing management software.
Compensation and Total Rewards Package:Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.
  • New York ($211,400 - $338,300)
  • Boston ($211,400 - $338,300)
Working Conditions:This position requires on-site presence as an essential function of the role, with travel to various office locations and potential sites as needed. The role involves developing a strong understanding of the people, culture, and operations across our various offices, which will require meaningful engagement with teams in different locations.

Ropes & Gray