Manager, Operations Initiatives

Working for Equity Residential (EQR), an industry leading multi-family REIT headquartered in downtown Chicago, 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 growth markets – New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, to name a few – provides homes where people most want to live. We've got the best people in the business, and our experience shows in our dedication to 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 knows how to Live Remarkably.

We are currently seeking a creative, forward-thinking, and analytical project management expert to join our team as a Manager of Operations Initiatives. Under the direction of the SVP of Property Operations, you will be responsible for overseeing new strategic initiatives with high value potential from concept through execution and measurement. As the Manager of Operations Initiatives, you’ll be expected to learn and understand Equity’s existing processes and programs, as well as the various challenges that our teams face, in order to help identify possible solutions. You will also collaborate and align with other individuals overseeing and implementing initiatives to ensure transparency and eliminate any unintended redundancies. Your role will help to influence how our site and corporate teams function by identifying, recommending, communicating, and helping to implement initiatives that improve the efficiency and profitability of our assets.

As the Manager, Operations Initiatives, you will leverage your strengths in relationship building on a daily basis, partnering with colleagues across all levels and departments of the organization, including (but not limited to) Property Management, Marketing, Facilities, Property Operations, Information Technology, and Organization and Talent Development (OTD) — all with the shared goal to execute and deliver on Equity’s strategic initiatives.

• Organized, Flexible, and Adaptable. You have a keen eye for detail and pride yourself on delivering quality work. You multitask well, re-prioritize accordingly, and meet deadlines consistently. You keep your cool during stressful situations, remain resilient, and quickly find solutions in order to meet the changing needs and priorities of the business.
• A Collaborator and Trusted Team Player. You enjoy partnering with others —whether internal or external— and build constructive working relationships that foster cooperation in order to get work done and deliver great results. You are united with teammates and follow through on commitments. Through your past experience, you’ve also built skills that help you effectively persuade and gain the support of others.
• Knowledgeable and Analytical. You are comfortable analyzing data sets, spotting trends and patterns, and synthesizing relevant observations. You use a hypothesis-driven approach to engage in analysis that will deliver on stakeholders’ questions. You like thinking outside the box to come up with innovative points of view on new challenges, relying on your previous project management and analysis experience to help guide you along the way.  
• Results-Oriented. You demonstrate an inherent sense of urgency to drive great results, while being precise in executing your work. You are facile with creating and communicating a clear project plan, tracking progress, and keeping your business partners in the loop along the way.
• Intellectually Curious.  You're inherently interested in the "why" so that you can identify opportunities that represent unconventional solutions to the problems you are trying to solve.
• A People Person. Building professional and high quality relationships with vendors and area businesses comes naturally to you. 
• Creative. You like thinking outside the box to come up with smart solutions to new challenges, and you embrace the opportunity to live in the gray.
• A Strong Communicator. Your writing and speaking skills are clear and effective, helping you connect well with others.
• Comfortable Around Higher Management. You can present information clearly and concisely while building trust and rapport with executives. You understand executive language and thinking.
• Motivated. You invest extra energy to reach your goals.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Lead Key Initiatives Impacting Operations and Property Management (60%)

• Lead planning and execution on key initiatives, including:
• Collaborate with internal subject matter experts to scope projects and make recommendations that can be implemented and drive tangible results.
• Design thoughtful launch plans, which may include initiating pilot groups to testing solutions and gathering feedback. 
• Serve as point of contact for all aspects of selected project rollouts, including partnering with internal teams to develop training materials and communications around change management.
• Develop detailed and high-impact reporting to gather program feedback and measure success.
• Provide consistent communications to stakeholders around project status and results.
• Effective tracking and organization of all initiatives to ensure transparency and outcome:
• Collaborate with various departments and team members to ensure that information regarding various initiatives are being properly tracked.
• Validate details and status of initiatives.
• Support departments and team members by removing roadblocks and friction that may occur during testing and rollout.
• Identify opportunities to enhance the functionality of our operating platform by understanding business needs and partnering with internal teams to define requirements and develop relevant solutions. Demonstrate a working knowledge of how the teams leverage MRI to initiate and monitor processes.
• Leverage and analyze data to identify opportunities for improvement across our operations and property management, processes, and programs; identify trends and evaluate cost / benefit and concerns; subsequently seek technology or business process changes.
• Lead process to integrate successful initiatives into steady state, from pilots to national rollouts.
• Communicate with senior management to ensure projects align with strategy and department goals.
• Travel on occasion to Equity’s core markets as needed to oversee and observe implementation of initiatives.

• Analyze and assess the performance and results of initiatives and translate quantitative and qualitative data into recommendations.

• Evaluate and recommend new vendors, technologies, and hardware, where applicable, to deliver on project goals.
• Manage existing vendor relationships by partnering to develop a strategic vision and suggest product enhancements based on field experience and feedback.

• 5+ years of project management experience preferred, ideally with strategic initiatives; prior property management industry experience a plus, but not required.
• Bachelor's Degree preferred (equivalent industry experience as described above may be substituted for a degree).
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Strong strategic vision and results oriented; comfortable utilizing and learning new technologies.
• Demonstrates a depth of knowledge, technical skills and good judgment, as well as strong analytical skills and problem solving capabilities.
• Proficiency with Excel, including creating models with limited guidance and a proven ability to compile, analyze, and summarize data trends and results.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact and influence across all levels of the organization.
• Proven ability to collaborate; builds constructive working relationships that support the business as well as foster cooperation and teamwork for mutual gain solutions.
• Demonstrates flexibility; remains resilient, responds quickly to change, and eagerly considers new approaches.
• Demonstrated depth of knowledge of Equity business preferred; ability to quickly learn Equity's culture required.
• Availability to travel to Equity Residential markets as needed (5-20%).

We recognize that everyone has different needs outside of work. That’s why, in addition to a competitive benefits package (medical, dental, vision and paid time off), we offer many unique options to employees, like adoption benefits and paid time off for community service projects. To learn more, view our Total Wellbeing page here.