Senior Development Advisor

Who We Are

We design places where people love to be together.

Location:

NYC

We are looking for a Senior Development Advisor to join our New York team to support a new Populous service line – Real Estate Strategy – providing strategic consulting to clients pursuing sports-anchored, mixed‑use districts and other large‑scale real estate initiatives in the Americas region.

Reporting to the Head of Real Estate Strategy | Americas, the Senior Development Advisor will assist with building the Real Estate Strategy service line and guiding its day‑to‑day management. In partnership with senior leaders, they will provide strategic consulting to clients, assist in the development of methodologies, and support integration of Real Estate Strategy within internal teams at Populous.

The Real Estate Strategy team will expand Populous’ capabilities and breadth of client service, identifying revenue‑producing opportunities and the enhancement of fan and visitor experience surrounding their venues through real estate investment, guiding clients in conceptualizing and advancing broader district development.

• Supporting the Head of Real Estate Strategy to build and guide the firm’s Real Estate Strategy service line, developing service offerings, methodologies, and client engagement strategies.
• Advising clients – including sports franchises, municipalities, developers, and institutions – on real estate strategy, feasibility, and value creation opportunities.
• Leading core analytic work, including market analyses, development vision and program recommendations, financial models, master planning support, and implementation and entitlement strategies for sport‑anchored mixed‑use districts and related projects.
• In partnership with senior leaders, engaging directly with clients in pre‑development efforts including project coordination, entitlement strategy, and development partnerships.
• Providing day‑to‑day oversight of Real Estate Strategy efforts into R+D for sports‑anchored mixed‑use development.
• Contribute to the development, integration, and maintenance of core Real Estate Strategy methodologies, templates, and training materials.
• Supporting the integration of Real Estate Strategy with Populous’ architecture, planning, and design teams to align real estate strategies with design solutions, spanning from marketing and business development through project execution.

• Understanding of real estate development processes, public‑private partnerships, entitlement processes, and district‑scale planning.
• Strong financial and analytical skills, including ability to perform market analysis and pro forma modeling, analyzing data to generate insights and create actionable strategies.
• Outstanding communication skills and team‑oriented mindset that encourages effective collaboration.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse teams, build networks, and establish credibility to effectively drive projects forward.
• Ability to think and work at the intersection of urban planning, design, economics, and public policy to integrate teamwide work into a cohesive whole, guide projects, and engage a diversity of stakeholders.
• Proven business development and networking acumen with an ability to establish and maintain positive client relationships.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to contribute to the growth of a service line within a larger firm environment.
• Demonstrated ability to identify areas for process improvement and take initiative to implement solutions that enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Real Estate, Finance, Urban Planning, Architecture, or related field.
• 6+ years of experience in real estate consulting, development, or advisory roles, ideally with exposure to sports and entertainment‑anchored development.
• Proven track record of participating with interdisciplinary project teams and supporting their work through feasibility analysis and pre‑development planning.

• Travel will be required, up to 10%.

• The projected salary range for this opportunity is $128,000 - $160,000 annually,…