Director, Real Estate Services

Director, Real Estate Services

Position Status: Full-Time Regular
Department: Procurement and Real Estate Services
Employee Group: Exempt
Location: 4515 Central Boulevard, Burnaby
Salary Range/ Wage Rate: Management / Leadership, Level M5B ($ - $ annually) (2024 wage rates)
Our Procurement and Real Estate Services Department is seeking a Director, Real Estate Services who will lead real estate strategy and transaction management for Metro Vancouver’s four legal entities, with broad decision-making latitude, considerable independent judgment, and accountability for matters with significant financial, legal, operational, reputational, commercial, political, and relationship implications.
You are a poised influential leader with proven exceptional communication skills, executive presence and the ability to confidently engage, negotiate and build trust with senior leaders and stakeholders. You bring deep expertise in real estate services, complex negotiations, and portfolio management within a multifaceted organizational environment.
The Director, Real Estate Services reports to the General Manager, Procurement & Real Estate Services.
This role:

• Directs professional real estate services and strategic portfolio stewardship across Metro Vancouver’s four legal entities (GVRD, GVWD, GVS&DD and MVHC), including acquisition, redevelopment, repurposing, consolidation, leasing, disposition, and asset optimization. Provides strategic advice on real estate implications for major capital projects, utility and regional services, housing priorities, and corporate initiatives.
• Leads complex transactions, including purchases, sales, leases, licences, easements, rights-of-way, statutory rights-of-way, tenure arrangements, and other land and property agreements.
• Accountable for budget preparation, resource planning, forecasting, reporting, and short and long term financial planning related to real estate assets, property rights, and tenure requirements. Monitors and controls spending ensuring the effective and efficient expenditure of funds within the approved budget. Develops enterprise strategies, work plans, portfolio priorities, and performance improvements aligned with Board direction, corporate objectives, financial plans, and client needs.
• Provides expert guidance to senior staff and client departments on real estate strategy, negotiations, contracts, valuation, and sensitive property issues. Manages complex, confidential, high-profile, and in-camera matters involving significant expenditures or revenues to protect the organization from financial harm and liability.
• Makes significant decisions and recommendations on transactions and portfolio management in a way that protects public value, supports infrastructure and housing priorities, and advances service delivery, affordability, resilience, climate action, and reconciliation; develops strategies for contractual, legal, and risk issues; and presents defensible reports, business cases, and recommendations to the General Manager, CAO, Committees, or Board as required.
• Provides leadership for acquisitions through negotiation or statutory expropriation, including litigation direction, claims settlement, and strategies to minimize cost, delay, and risk. Ensures compliance with the Local Government Act, Expropriation Act, land title requirements, and other applicable frameworks.
• Develop policies, procedures, protocols, standards, delegated authority frameworks, work plans, service standards, and performance measures that support timely, transparent, defensible, and risk-informed real estate decisions.
• Reviews, negotiates, prepares, and approves contract language and transaction documentation, working with Legal Services and internal partners to protect the…