The Chief Development Officer is responsible for leading enterprise-wide growth for United Apartment Group. This executive will develop and execute strategies that expand the company’s third-party management portfolio, strengthen relationships with owners and investors, enter new markets, and create durable revenue opportunities.
The CDO will own the full business-development lifecycle – from market intelligence, prospecting, and relationship cultivation through underwriting, proposal development, contract negotiation, management transition, and client onboarding. Working closely with operations, accounting, marketing, legal, asset management, and executive leadership. This position ensures that new business is strategically aligned, operationally feasible, financially attractive, and positioned for long-term client retention.
Essential Responsibilities
Growth Strategy and Executive Leadership
- Develop and execute a national or regional business-development strategy aligned with the company’s growth, profitability, and market-positioning objectives.
- Establish annual and multi-year goals for new units, properties, markets, clients, management-fee revenue, and contribution margin.
- Advise the CEO, board, and executive leadership team on market opportunities, competitive conditions, partnership strategies, and growth risks.
Business Origination and Client Development
- Build and maintain a qualified pipeline of owners, developers, investors, lenders, family offices, private-equity firms, institutional capital partners, and other prospective clients.
- Originate new third-party property management assignments through direct outreach, referrals, industry relationships, conferences, and strategic partnerships.
- Cultivate trusted relationships with senior decision-makers and position the company as a strategic operating partner.
- Lead executive-level presentations, property-management pitches, portfolio reviews, and client meetings.
- Maintain disciplined follow-up throughout long and complex sales cycles.
- Represent the company at industry events and within organizations such as NMHC, NAA, IREM, TAAHP and regional apartment associations.
Opportunity Evaluation and Underwriting
- Establish qualification standards for prospective clients, portfolios, individual assets, and market-entry opportunities.
- Partner with operations team to evaluate fee structures, staffing requirements, transition costs, revenue potential, operating complexity, and projected profitability.
- Assess property conditions, market fundamentals, ownership objectives, regulatory exposure, technology requirements, and reputational risk.
- Make informed recommendations regarding pursuit, pricing, contract terms, and resource allocation.
Proposals and Contract Negotiation
- Direct the preparation of requests for proposals, presentations, management plans, pricing models, transition plans, and other pursuit materials.
- Develop compelling value propositions tailored to each owner’s investment objectives and asset strategy.
- Lead negotiations involving management fees, incentive structures, reimbursable costs, performance standards, termination provisions, indemnification, and service scope.
Transition and Client Onboarding
- Remain accountable for a smooth handoff from business development to operations and client services.
- Ensure stabilization through the transition period by working with transition teams to establish onboarding schedules, staffing plans, technology conversions, resident communications, vendor changes, and reporting requirements. Participate in post-transition reviews to assess service delivery, client satisfaction, financial performance, and lessons learned.
Team and Organizational Development
- Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing business-development organization.
- Establish clear roles, territories, account strategies, performance expectations, and incentive plans.
- Coach team members in consultative selling, financial analysis, relationship development, negotiation, and executive communication.
- Promote a culture of accountability, integrity, disciplined growth, and client stewardship.
Market Intelligence and Brand Positioning
- Monitor multifamily transaction activity, development pipelines, ownership changes, capital flows, regulatory developments, and competitor activity.
- Maintain current knowledge of property operations, leasing, marketing, maintenance, resident experience, technology, and financial-performance drivers.
- Partner with marketing to develop case studies, thought-leadership content, proposal materials, digital campaigns, and industry visibility.
- Use market and pipeline data to identify emerging opportunities and improve resource allocation.
- Strengthen the company’s reputation as a high-performing, owner-focused multifamily management platform.
