Director of Strategy & Operations
Posted
Description
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director, Strategy & Operations works directly alongside the EVP of Operations as a strategic partner across Elmington’s asset management, accounting, finance, and operations functions, with cross-functional projects that regularly extend into the Elmington Construction and Elmington Living teams. This is not a role with a fixed lane. On any given day, you may be building a cash flow forecast, working through a question in a partnership agreement or loan document, preparing a memo for the firm’s partners, or helping our teams resolve an urgent issue at a property. The right person is analytically sharp, comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by moving quickly between high-stakes problems.
The role offers rare exposure to nearly every part of a vertically integrated affordable housing platform, including development, construction, property management, and investor and lender relationships across more than $4 billion in affordable housing assets in eight states. This is a high-visibility leadership role with direct influence on how the platform operates. Depending on your interests and performance, it can grow into a long-term strategic leadership position or lead to expanded leadership responsibilities across asset management, finance, and operations at Elmington.
Elmington is comprised of multiple locations and lines of business that are operated as their own living, breathing corporation. They have income and expenses, debt and a bottom line - all of which we will look to you to help optimize through your role. Along with this responsibility comes a very high level of expectations. We are asking you to be an integral part of a multi-million dollar company. At Elmington, you will be pushed to Forget The Ordinary & Think Like an Owner. Every day.
To be an effective Elmington teammate, you will need to:
- Have a great attitude
- Have high expectations
- Think BEYOND the box
- Work with passion
- Have a tireless work ethic
- Be confident
- Be self-sufficient and self-motivated
- Take pride in your work
- Be a good listener
- Offer a solution with every problem
- Go above and beyond for everyone you support
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Act as an extension of the EVP of Operations, taking ownership of priority initiatives across asset management, accounting, finance, and operations and driving them from problem definition through resolution.
- Respond to time-sensitive issues as they arise across the portfolio, such as lender and investor requests, capital and cash flow questions, compliance matters, and operational escalations, getting up to speed quickly and moving each issue to resolution.
- Build and maintain financial models and analyses in Excel, including cash flow and distribution forecasts, budget-to-actual variance, capital needs, partnership and loan economics, and cost-benefit analyses of operational initiatives.
- Review and interpret partnership agreements, loan documents, regulatory agreements, and property operating statements to support decision-making. Training in LIHTC and Section 42 will be provided.
- Prepare clear, executive-ready memos, presentations, and correspondence for the firm’s partners, investors, lenders, syndicators, and public agency partners.
- Work closely with the Controller, Director of Asset Management, Director of Finance, and Operations Manager to gather information, align on priorities, and keep cross-functional work moving.
- Lead or support cross-functional projects and strategic initiatives across the Elmington platform, working closely with the Elmington Construction and Elmington Living teams on efforts such as process improvement, standardization, capital, and new business initiatives.
- Represent the EVP of Operations in internal and external meetings as needed, capturing action items and following through to completion.
- Identify and implement opportunities to use AI tools and automation to improve the speed and quality of analysis, reporting, and recurring workflows.
- Manage multiple concurrent workstreams and shifting priorities, maintaining organized tracking of open items and deadlines.
- Handle sensitive and confidential financial, legal, and personnel information with discretion.
SPECIFIC EDUCATION OR EXPERIENCE:
- MBA from an accredited program required; recent graduates are encouraged to apply.
- Prior experience in investment banking, real estate (investment, development, asset management, or lending), or affordable housing strongly preferred.
- Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills required.
- Fluency with generative AI tools and a demonstrated interest in applying them to business problems preferred.
- Knowledge of LIHTC or affordable housing is a plus but not required.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex issues for senior leaders and external partners.
- Demonstrated comfort with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and owning problems without a defined playbook
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Frequently sit, stand and walk
- Regularly required to talk or hear
- Frequently required to use hands or fingers to handle or feel objects, tools or controls
- Occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl
- Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
- Vision abilities to include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate
- Temperature in the workplace is typically moderate, though the ability to withstand seasonal cold and heat of the outdoors is necessary
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
Occasional travel to properties and partner meetings across Elmington’s markets, estimated at 15-20%.
The Elmington Experience
We’re creating a different kind of company at Elmington. We promise we will never be ordinary, which we hope you can see by this job description. There will be many days you simply aren’t comfortable. You will be pushed to accomplish more than you ever thought possible. You will be challenged by your team leader and your peers to achieve more and to find better ways. With that said, we know Elmington is not for everyone. BUT, if you believe in yourself, enjoy a challenge and appreciate working with exceptional people, then Elmington could very well be the last company you ever work for.