President/COO

THE OPPORTUNITY

Our Partner, a fast-growing, privately held commercial real estate company in the Madison, Wisconsin area, is creating a new President/Chief Operating Officer seat to run the business day-to-day. This is not a turnaround. It is a company that has grown faster than its operating structure, and a strong senior team that is ready for the layer of support and process around them that has never existed.

You will step into a newly created role with full operational authority from day one, and no layers of bureaucracy or outside partners slowing decisions down. The owner retains development, entitlement, acquisitions, capital markets, and major lease economics on new deals. Everything else is yours: aligning the finance and property management functions, building the budgeting, KPI, and review cadence the company has never had, and standing up the operating layer that lets our Partner keep growing without things falling through the cracks. Year one is a build, and the team is already strong; what has been missing is the structure and accountability around them. Our Partner is looking for someone who will work alongside its tenured senior leaders to build that structure, not take over their departments.

Increase your chances of reaching the interview stage by reading the complete job description and applying promptly.

WHY THIS ROLE

Real Authority A newly created seat with real teeth: full operational control, hiring and budget authority, and an owner who wants to hand you the tough calls, not second-guess them.

A Real Mandate This is not a caretaker seat. Year one is a build: install the budgets, KPIs, and review cadence the company has never had. Authority is granted on arrival, not earned over time.

A Diversified, Stable Portfolio Retail shopping centers and multifamily assets across the Midwest, backed by a financially strong, debt-disciplined owner with no outside investors to answer to.

WHAT THE ROLE ENTAILS

Operational Leadership Own day-to-day operations across the full portfolio. Direct reports include the Controller, Director of Property Management, Director of Leasing, and Director of Construction — capable, tenured leaders who are ready for the structure and support that has never existed around them.

Finance and Reporting Bring finance and reporting up to the scale of the portfolio: clear ownership of every task, a monthly close on a defined timeline, and budgets and reporting that leadership can run the business on. The team is in place; the structure around it is the work.

Process and Systems Build the accountability infrastructure the company has never had: KPIs for every operating role, annual budgets across the portfolio, and a performance review cadence tied to defined targets.

Decision-Making Authority Make the tough calls with full backing from ownership. You set standards, budgets, and deadlines; department heads decide how their teams meet them.

Culture Stewardship Protect and strengthen our Partner's team-first, low-ego, whatever-it-takes culture as headcount grows, and build on it with more team-building opportunities for the broader team.

Build the Missing Layer Define and hire the roles the company has never had, starting with a Commercial Property Manager. Today that work is shared across several people who each have another full-time job; standing it up as a defined role is one of the fastest wins available in year one.

90 / 180 / 365-DAY MILESTONES

90 DAYS

• Learn the business, the portfolio, and the team
• Establish clear task ownership and close discipline within accounting
• Define and hire the Commercial Property Manager role and residential accountant roles
• Understand how tax considerations shape deal decisions

180 DAYS

• Own day-to-day operations across the portfolio
• Monthly close running on a defined timeline, with clear ownership across the accounting team
• Annual budgets completed for all four residential communities
• KPIs defined for every operating role, with leasing activity standards and pipeline reporting in place

365 DAYS

• Operations running smoothly and built to scale
• Controller and Director of Property Management leading defined departments, supported rather than stretched
• A performance review cadence completed company-wide, with compensation tied to defined targets
• A track record that has earned continued trust and authority

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND QUALITIES

MUST-HAVE

• Experience running operations of a privately held, family-owned real estate company
• A track record of tightening operations and building process
• Comfort operating in a single-owner structure shaped by tax planning
• Direct experience in property management with both retail shopping centers and multifamily assets
• Low ego and high team orientation
• Trustworthy enough to be given full decision-making authority
• A track record of maturing a finance and accounting function as a company scales
• Demonstrated experience hiring and building teams, not only managing inherited ones
• Comfortable having direct conversations about roles, standards, and accountability

NICE-TO-HAVE

• Direct experience managing a controller-level finance leader
• Experience scaling a fast-growing real estate operation
• Experience working with an owner who isn't on-site day-to-day
• ICSC, NAA, or NMHC involvement

QUALITIES FOR SUCCESS

Low Ego: leads by doing, not by title.

Trustworthy: handles full authority responsibly.

Decisive: settles disputes between departments rather than routing them to the owner.

Builder: creates process and systems from scratch. xhyhwjd

WHO THRIVES HERE

This role is built for an operator who wants real ownership without red tape. You'll thrive here if you are:

• A builder who gets satisfaction from turning a fast-growing operation into a well-run one
• Comfortable being the senior-most operational leader in the building, answering to one owner instead of a board or a room full of partners
• Skilled at bridging finance and operations, without needing either side to "win"
• Someone who leads by doing the work alongside the team, not by directing from above
• Ready to earn trust fast with a small, tight-knit senior team before asking them to change how they work