Operations Director

Operations Director

The Operations Director is a strategic, hands-on operations leader responsible for the operational health, financial management, and service delivery of Cushman & Wakefield's Chicago market, which also serves as the corporate headquarters office. This is a high-impact role supporting 200+ employees and brokers across two office locations (downtown and suburban), requiring strong leadership presence, sound business judgment, and the ability to translate market priorities into reliable operational outcomes.

This leader directly manages the Operations Manager and Facilities Manager, and provides oversight for operations support staff, while ensuring administrative and operational functions are delivered efficiently across the market. The Operations Director partners closely with the Market Leader, Director of Brokerage, and the Regional Director of Operations to implement strategic initiatives, develop the annual business plan and budget, and act as a steward for operational excellence across the sub-region.

This position reports directly to the Regional Director of Operations, Midwest.

• Own the operational health and performance of the Chicago office and corporate headquarters; establish consistent routines, standards, and service expectations.
• Serve as a strategic business partner to the Market Leader on operational priorities, planning, and execution.
• Act as the primary escalation point for operational & personnel issues; drive timely resolution and implement preventative controls to reduce recurring friction.
• Drive process improvement and operational efficiency across office functions; standardize best practices and ensure adoption.
• Collaborate with counterparts in other markets and sub-regions to learn and utilize best operational practices.
• Demonstrate expertise across all facets of the company's brokerage business, specifically services provided and clients served.

• Directly manage, mentor, and develop the Operations Manager, Facilities Manager, and operations support staff; set clear expectations, coach performance, and build a culture of accountability.
• Partner with HR to recruit, onboard, develop, and retain operations/support talent; own the full hiring lifecycle including job description development, interviewing, and Day 1 readiness coordination.
• Prepare and deliver annual performance reviews and KPIs; own the annual compensation review and reward processes for the market; and work in conjunction with HR on performance issues.
• Coordinate training and enablement for operational policies, procedures, and tools to ensure consistent service delivery.
• Foster an inclusive, high-engagement environment across the office and headquarters.

• Direct all financial management for the market, including monthly and annual operating budgets, forecasts, pipeline, and reporting; assess variances for the market and service lines.
• Support the Market Leader and Regional Director of Operations in developing the annual business plan and budget; solicit input from service lines and market leads at pre-budget meetings.
• Review and approve expense reports, T&E, commission documentation, payables, and resourcing needs at the local level, in accordance with policy.
• Oversee deal documentation, Revenue Summary Document approval, and adherence to policy; work with Legal Counsel on standard contract/agreement changes as needed.
• Oversee invoice processing and expense coding in Workday; review outstanding receivables and determine collection strategy with the Market Leader.
• Promote CRM compliance for pipeline and revenue reporting; communicate finalized pipeline to market and service line leadership.

• Oversee facilities management including relocations, buildouts, lease management, vendor relations, and compliance/record retention, in partnership with the Facilities Manager.
• Solicit and negotiate vendor bids, contracts, and pricing; ensure vendor records are maintained in Workday Vendor Management.
• Oversee the purchasing and maintenance of office supplies and equipment.
• Maintain and implement the…