Senior Director, Real Estate & Development

Senior Director Real Estate & Development

Location: Hybrid/Remote with travel of approximately 40-50% to markets sites and clinics
Salary Range: $150000 - $180000/year base plus annual bonus (20%) eligibility and benefits
Reports To: Chief Administrative Officer

About ACES

ACES is on a mission to enhance lives and help more people reach their potential by improving access to high-quality autism therapy for families across the country. As we continue to grow we are building a best-in-class team to help ACES manage the footprint we have enter new communities launch new locations and scale all of it sustainably.

Why This Role Matters

Expanding into new communities allows ACES to bring high-quality autism care to more families. The Director Real Estate & Development is responsible for real estate planning searches transactions lease administration and facilities across ACES rapidly growing footprint. You will help shape the pace of ACES growth while strengthening the systems and discipline required to execute footprint expansion at scale.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Strategy governance and planning: Develop ACES real estate and facilities strategy roadmap operating plan budget decision gates and executive reporting in partnership with Finance and senior leadership.

• Market and site execution: Lead market planning site searches diligence financial analysis LOIs lease negotiations renewals expansions relocations dispositions and portfolio optimization.

• Development and openings: Own end-to-end clinic development including design permitting landlord coordination construction FF&E technology dependencies commissioning turnover and opening stabilization.

• Scalable infrastructure: Build prototypes playbooks SOPs project controls dashboards stage gates cost benchmarks quality standards and performance metrics to improve opening capacity speed cost schedule and risk management.

• Facilities operations: Oversee maintenance standards work-order governance vendor performance landlord relationships inspections permits business licenses COIs annual fire inspections and fire/life-safety requirements.

• Compliance and risk: Ensure compliance with applicable laws leases company standards OSHA guidelines accessibility requirements licensing-related facility needs and other facility-related regulatory obligations.

• Lease administration and portfolio controls: Manage critical dates rent/CAM reconciliations landlord charge audits TI allowance collection capital planning forecasting reporting and portfolio risk mitigation.

• Cross-functional coordination: Partner with Operations Clinical Growth Credentialing Payer Relations Compliance IT People Legal and Finance to align construction licensure payer enrollment hiring technology staffing and billing readiness.

• Team and vendor leadership: Select lead and hold accountable internal team members and external partners including brokers architects engineers contractors project managers consultants landlords and service providers.

This leader is expected to bring structure urgency and disciplined execution to a growing function while balancing speed to market with quality compliance cost control and long-term portfolio health.

Key Performance Indicators

• Openings delivered against the approved annual plan including on-time opening rate and cycle time from LOI or lease execution to opening.

• Build-out and project costs managed against approved budget with clear visibility to variances change orders and escalation needs.

• Forward site pipeline coverage sufficient to support the annual de novo opening plan and future market priorities.

• Facilities response and resolution performance preventive maintenance completion and stakeholder satisfaction across operating clinics.

• Lease administration accuracy including zero missed critical dates and timely management of renewals options escalations and obligations.

Were seeking a motivated experienced leader:

• 8 years of progressive experience including at least 3 years managing people or programs across corporate or healthcare real estate multi-site development construction and facilities operations for a geographically distributed portfolio.

• Demonstrated success building and scaling real estate and facilities functions in a growth-oriented multi-state organization.

• Proven record leading site selection lease transactions design/construction programs capital planning portfolio optimization and delivery of 15 new locations per year in a relevant multi-site environment.

• Strong understanding of lease structures landlord negotiations TI allowances free rent work letters renewal and expansion options assignment/change-of-control rights and risk terms.

• Experience with outpatient healthcare pediatric education or childcare facilities and related licensing zoning life-safety ADA environmental workplace-safety and facilities compliance requirements strongly preferred.

• Experience partnering cross-functionally with operations clinical finance legal compliance IT credentialing payer relations and people teams to deliver new site openings.

• Private equity-backed or high-growth experience including real estate diligence and acquisition integration preferred.

• Experience leading internal teams and external brokers architects contractors project managers consultants landlords and service providers.

• Bachelors degree in real estate business finance engineering construction management architecture or a related field; advanced degree or credential such as MBA CCIM PMP or FMP preferred.

• Ability to travel approximately 40-50% to markets and sites; valid drivers license required.

Work Environment

Role requires regular visits to active construction sites and occupied clinics including walking climbing stairs and standing for extended periods with appropriate safety equipment.

ACES is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin age disability protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. ACES will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable fair chance laws.