Director of Portfolio Execution

Director of Portfolio Execution

Cuyahoga Land Bank- Cleveland, Ohio

The Opportunity

This is a unique opportunity for a highly organized and strategic operator to drive execution across an entire organization. As Director of Portfolio Execution, you will bring clarity, structure, and accountability to CLB’s most important initiatives. Working closely with the Chief Operating Officer and cross-functional leaders, you will ensure priorities are well-defined, resources are aligned, and projects are delivered on time and on strategy. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in complex environments and enjoys turning strategy into action.

The Organization

The Cuyahoga Land Bank (CLB) is a mission-driven organization focused on revitalizing communities and improving neighborhoods across Cuyahoga County. Through strategic development, partnerships, and responsible land stewardship, CLB works to return vacant and underutilized properties to productive use. CLB operates at the intersection of public, private, and nonprofit sectors, collaborating with municipalities, developers, and community stakeholders. Its work spans legal, development, environmental, and financial functions, requiring strong coordination across teams to execute effectively. With a collaborative and purpose-driven culture, CLB is committed to delivering measurable impact while continuously improving how work gets done across the organization.

The Position – Essential Responsibilities and Functions

The Director of Portfolio Execution ensures that CLB’s highest priority initiatives are clearly defined, properly sequenced, appropriately resourced, and delivered on time and on strategy across all Cross Functional Teams. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role strengthens execution by providing enterprise-wide visibility, managing dependencies, and driving consistent follow-through. This position serves as a central coordination point across teams, improving alignment, reducing bottlenecks, and increasing executive capacity through a structured and practical approach to portfolio management and operational governance.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

Enterprise Portfolio Management:

• Maintain a single, organization-wide view of active strategic initiatives across all Cross Functional Teams.
• Partner with the COO and team leads to clarify priorities, sequencing, and resource allocation.
• Identify cross-team dependencies and resource constraints that impact execution.
• Establish and maintain stage gates and project charters for major initiatives.
• Provide recommendations on prioritization and portfolio trade-offs.
• Design and facilitate execution review meetings with team leads.
• Develop executive dashboards summarizing milestones, risks, and key decisions.
• Track action items and ensure follow-through on commitments.
• Surface risks or delays early and support decision-making.

Cross-Functional Alignment and Escalation:

• Identify initiatives stalled by dependencies, unclear scope, or decision gaps.
• Facilitate resolution discussions across teams.
• Escalate trade-offs to the COO with clear options and implications.
• Strengthen collaboration across Legal, Development, Environmental, Finance, and other functions.

High-Risk or High-Impact Initiative Stabilization:

• Step into complex or at-risk initiatives to clarify scope, sequencing, and ownership.
• Reset expectations and realign stakeholders when needed.
• Stand up focused teams to address urgent cross-functional challenges.

Business Development Support:

• Support special projects and organizational initiatives as directed by the COO.
• Participate in external meetings related to portfolio initiatives.
• Assist in identifying and pursuing new revenue-generating opportunities.

Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Seven to ten years of experience in complex project, program, or portfolio management preferred.
• Experience working across multiple teams as a project leader without direct supervisory authority preferred.
• Experience in real estate development, public sector, economic development, nonprofit, or compliance-heavy environments preferred.
• Experience supporting or working closely with executive leadership preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.

Critical Leadership Competencies and Personal Attributes:

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, with a high degree of emotional intelligence and discretion.
• Ability to incorporate systems-level thinking and holistic problem solving while acting as a cross functional traffic controller.
• Collaboration: able to form positive and productive working relationships.

Compensation:

$110- $125k

The Cuyahoga Land Bank and People Architects are Equal Opportunity Employers. People Architects is conducting the search for this position on behalf of Cuyahoga Land Bank and will review all applications and resumes submitted. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. People Architects and our clients are equal opportunity employers and do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. Applicants for employment with any of People Architect’s clients will never be asked to provide money (even if reimbursable) as part of the job application or hiring process.

*no external agencies/3rd parties.