Assistant Vice President, Unified Communications

Working for Equity Residential (EQR), a leading multi-family real estate investment trust (REIT), means being part of a community and striving to provide the best in apartment living, speaking boldly about new ideas for innovation, and inspiring creativity in the ways we work together. Our portfolio of high-quality properties in urban growth markets – New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles – provides homes where people most want to live, work and play. We've got the best people in the business, and our experience shows in our dedication to our residents and in how much we value each other as colleagues. That’s why our employees say they are proud to work at Equity, a company that gives our residents a place where they can Live Remarkably, and offers a culture where our employees have the opportunity to make their mark.

As the Assistant VP, Unified Communications, you’ll report to the 1st VP Information Technology and will be responsible for EQR’s national Unified Communications and Internet of Things (IoT ) strategy, which includes (but is not limited to): planning, design, implementation, policy, and ongoing support.  At EQR, Unified Communications includes a variety of communication services, ranging from IP telephony/VoIP to IoT planning to building system selection and implementation. The AVP Unified Communications also has responsibility for the overall internet connectivity at EQR’s properties, from offices used by employees to common spaces leveraged by residents and visitors.  This gives you an opportunity to work collaboratively with all levels of internal business partners and stakeholders, while also overseeing the work of the Unified Communications staff and independent contractors.  With your team being spread out from Chicago to the East and West coasts, the bulk of your leadership will involve providing direction and removing roadblocks in order for the team to meet the strategic and tactical goals of the organization.

• Effective Leader and Trusted Team Player. You are known for serving as a resource and trusted business partner for internal groups and participating in cross-functional projects is the type of work you love. You hold yourself accountable and take responsibility for your mistakes—but also expect others to do the same. You also have a tendency to make developing your employees a core part of the job.
• Knowledgeable. Through your previous work experience, you’ve built a broad-based familiarity with a variety of unified communications technologies, services, and best practices. You have experience with everything from Voice over IP solutions to camera systems to Internet and wifi connectivity. And the knowledge you’ve built on these services help you lead and deliver successful projects to support the achievement of telephony and connectivity business goals.
• Strategic and Decisive. You demonstrate an inherent sense of urgency to drive great results, while being precise with executing your work. You multitask well, re-prioritize accordingly, and meet deadlines consistently.
• Results-Oriented. You are facile with creating and communicating a clear project plan, tracking progress, and keeping stakeholders in the loop along the way. You frequently ask "why", so that you can identify opportunities that represent unconventional solutions to the problems you or your team are trying to solve.
• Strong Communicator. Your writing and speaking skills are concise, articulate, and effective, providing an ability to interact with all levels/various teams across the organization, be understood, and develop trust and rapport within the organization.
• Organized and Confident. You are flexible, composed, and confidently interact with a variety of individuals, across all levels of the organization. In other words, you handle pressure well and do so with confidence.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Partner with the Development and Investments organization to provide strategic direction on technology (IoT) at our properties, including building controls such as entry systems, HVAC, life safety, lighting, A/V controls, common area technology for resident use, etc.
• Provide direction and high level management for all activities relating to the company’s voice platform (VoIP, SIP, POTS) and connectivity (Internet and wifi) needs at the company’s properties and field-based corporate locations; partner with the appropriate internal and external groups for approvals, scheduling, and implementation.
• Ensure all communication services are in alignment with Equity’s technology roadmap, communicating priorities and recommendations to a variety of leaders and internal stakeholders, from Operations to Property Management.
• Build effective working partnerships with key stakeholders in the company’s Development and Investments groups, as well as with Field leadership, to ensure that the company’s strategy for building controls, telephony, and connectivity is implemented in all new projects.
• Lead national telecom initiatives, including vendor selection, project planning and implementation.
• Coach, mentor, motivate, and supervise the geographically dispersed Unified Communications team working in all aspects of telephony and Internet connectivity —from vendor and expense management to help desk/support activities and project management for capital or development projects (i.e. involving leasing office and common area telephony and connectivity) to management of the company’s voice platform— and influence them to take positive action and accountability for their assigned work.
• Provide oversight and direction on annual budget planning and expense control for all telephony, internet, and other unified communication expenses for EQR properties.
• Develop, manage and maintain a central comprehensive database of all telephone, data, and video accounts for EQR properties.
• Handle special projects as necessary/assigned, including training initiatives on the organization’s unified communications technologies, services, and best practices.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE & REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree required, with an emphasis in business or information technology preferred.
• 7+ years of relevant work experience, including 5+ years of people management experience is also required.
• Must be an experienced strategic thinker and excel at building strong working relationships both internally and externally. Team player that demonstrates flexibility and the ability to integrate and work well with others.
• Must have proven project management skills and the ability to document and communicate complex technological processes in a way that can be understood by a wide audience.
• Must have strong work ethic, the capability to effectively prioritize and manage a large and varied work flow, and thrives in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment. Tolerance for ambiguity required.
• Must possess an understanding of the principles of Voice over IP technology.  Familiarity with Unified Communications as a Service solutions as well as contact center applications preferred.  Experience implementing and managing Meraki wifi and camera solutions preferred.  Experience with ServiceNow ITSM preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, as well as Google Apps for Business.
• Must be available for overnight travel (up to 25% annually) to any of Equity’s major core markets, as required.