CRE C Suite, Administration, and Management Careers & Career Paths
Directors, managers, and executives work closely with the C-level staff to develop and execute company strategy, manage internal teams, facilitate partnerships, and oversee large company projects. C-level staff report directly to the organization’s ownership (depending on the company structure), which may be a board of directors. What are common executive job titles in commercial real estate?
- Chief financial officer (CFO)
- Chief operations officer (COO)
- President
- Chief executive officer (CEO)
- Director (department head)
- Assistant director
- Regional manager
- CRE portfolio manager
- CRE asset manager
- Senior account manager
- Property administrator
Commercial Real Estate Executive Education
- Bachelor's degree in business, real estate, finance, or a related field
- Master's degree (MBA or MFin) preferred
Career Fields for General Management and C Suite
Where do executives work in commercial real estate? What types of businesses commonly hire managers and administrators? Every industry within CRE, from SMBs to multinational corporations, employ upper management and executive leaders. These are examples of CRE companies that hire executive or management staff:
- Brokerage
- Development and construction firms
- Urban and community planning
- Architecture
- Materials manufacturers
- Investment managers
- Insurance companies
- Property management
- Professional services
- CRE technology
Keywords That Employers Look For: Management and Executive Searches
Your resume and profile will stand out among applicants when you use the language that hiring firms look for in CRE executive and management staff. Focus not only on hard skills, such as strategic planning, monitoring budgets, and real estate trend analysis, but also soft skills such as leadership experience, team development, and strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
Hard skills for CRE executives and managers:
- Project management: Supervising a team to achieve project and organization goals
- Contracts and leases: An understanding of contract structure, legal terms, risks, and obligations
- Leadership: Management experience and capability
- Property management: Experience with operating and leasing commercial properties
- Asset management: Adept in working with third-party clients and developers to support company projects
- Market strategy: Analyzing the market and identifying key opportunities to gain a competitive advantage
- Capital markets: Understanding of capital markets and investment strategies
- Governing regulations: Knowledge of relevant local, state, and federal policies, laws, and restrictions to maintain organizational compliance
Soft skills for CRE executives and managers:
- Communication: Ability to effectively communicate business and leadership strategy to the company and the board of directors
- Negotiation: Strong negotiation skills to close deals and secure favorable terms
- Leadership: Capability to lead teams and projects, and make informed decisions
- Outside-the-box thinking: Proven ability to address complex challenges with creative solutions
- Time management: Skills in multi-tasking, meeting deadlines, and managing multiple priorities
- Integrity: Adhering to regulations, guidelines, and ethical standards
- Relationship building: Capability in building partnerships and business relationships
Software tools and apps in administration and management
- Financial modeling and analysis: Microsoft Excel, Argus Enterprise, Tableau
- Customer relationship management (CRM): Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot, REthink, Ascendix
- Deal management and workflow: DealCloud, Intralinks, Ansarada, Midaxo
- Data and market research: Biscred, CoStar, Real Capital Analytics, REIS, SNL Real Estate, Capital IQ, Orbis, Crunchbase, FactSet, Bloomberg Terminal
- Presentation and visualization: Microsoft PowerPoint, ThinkCell, Tableau, Qlik
- Document management and collaboration: Microsoft SharePoint, iDeals, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive
- Investment management: Yardi Investment Manager, AppFolio Investment Manager, MRI Software, IMS, Dealpath
- Lease management: VTS, VisualLease, RDM
- Risk management and compliance: Intapp Conflicts, Intapp Employee Compliance, Compliance.ai, ComplySci
- Startup and private company data: Biscred, Crunchbase, Tracxn, Preqin
- Project management: Asana, Trello, Monday, Wrike, Zoho Projects, Teamwork, Jira, Basecamp, Clarizen
Commercial Real Estate C Suite: Industry Outlook
- Median C-level salary U.S.: Ranges between $183,000 and $342,000 per year or $87.98 to $164.42 per hour
- Average vice president salary U.S.: $155,314 or $74.67 per hour
- Average manager salary U.S.: $72,989 or $35.09 per hour
- Projected job growth: 6% per year through 2033
- Employment 2023: 3,944,000
- Employment projected 2032: 4,171,600
- Top 5 states for CRE general and operations managers (number of jobs, annual mean wage):
- Texas (448,530, $122,650)
- California (273,630, $155,170)
- New York (212,770, $165,000)
- Florida (203,090, $130,720)
- Illinois (182,840, $129,590)
CRE executive or manager licensure, certification, and professional associations
- Real Estate License: How to Get a License in All 50 States
- Executive training for CRE: Academy Force CRE
- IREM: Certified Property Manager
- NAIOP: National Association of Industrial and Office Properties
- ULI: Urban Land Institute
- NAREIT: National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts
- CREFC: Commercial Real Estate Finance Council
