Description
Job Description
Position Title: Director Acquisitions Department: Development Reports to: Executive Vice President, Development Issued: October 12, 2026
Overview:
The Director, Acquisitions plays a central role in shaping Focus’ pipeline of development opportunities. The Director leads site sourcing for ground-up real estate development and helps craft the business development strategy that guides Focus’ geographic expansion. Site sourcing is the heart of this role. The Director will identify, qualify, and secure on-market and off-market development sites in Chicago, IL, its suburbs, and nationally with an emphasis on the Southeastern U.S. Success depends on deep, trusted broker relationships, with the Director serving as the go-to contact for brokers who want their best opportunities seen first, along with strong ties to landowners, development and investment partners, and 3rd-party clients. The Director will bring a sharp, current read on market conditions, tracking supply and demand, rents, land pricing, and competitive activity to sharpen site selection and inform underwriting. As Focus evaluates new markets, the Director will lead the due diligence needed to understand each market and to create a presence there. Beyond the pipeline, the Director will partner with executive leadership to shape Focus’ overall business development strategy, translating market insight into target markets, product types, and deal priorities. The Director will also be instrumental in obtaining stakeholder approval, including neighborhood,
Responsibilities:
- Site Sourcing: Lead the sourcing of ground-up multi-family and mixed-use development sites, building and maintaining a robust pipeline of on-market and off-market opportunities.
- Broker Relationships: Build, deepen, and maintain strong relationships across the brokerage community, positioning Focus as a preferred buyer and partner and generating consistent early access to off-market deals.
- New Markets: Research, evaluate, and recommend new markets for Focus; lead market entry efforts, including establishing local broker, landowner, and partner networks.
- Market Conditions: Monitor and interpret real estate market conditions, including supply and demand, rent and sale comps, land pricing, construction costs, competitor activity, and translate findings into actionable insight for leadership.
- Business Development Strategy: Partner with executive leadership to craft and refine Focus’ overall business development strategy, including target markets, product types, deal criteria, and pipeline goals.
- Deal Evaluation: Evaluate opportunities through due diligence review and zoning and entitlement feasibility and assist in initial financial modeling and underwriting in partnership with the Senior Analyst.
- Entitlements: In collaboration with the Development Team and the Capital Markets & Investments Team, prepare for and support zoning entitlements, including neighborhood, aldermanic, and community meetings.
- Industry Presence: Network within the real estate industry to attract new business, promote past, current, and future Focus projects, and connect executive leadership to key industry events.
Requirements
Physical Demands:
- The employee will be based at the Focus corporate office in Chicago, IL. The employee will be required to travel to the southeastern U.S., the greater Midwest region, and new and emerging markets as necessary.
- The employee must have the ability to travel to sites.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; talk; or hear.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and depth perception. The employee is occasionally required to use hands or fingers to type.
- The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger; handle; or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop; kneel; or crouch.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
Skills Required:
- Undergraduate Degree in Business or Real Estate with a minimum of 5 years of experience in Real Estate Acquisitions
- Demonstrated success sourcing and securing ground-up development sites, including off-market opportunities
- Robust network in the real estate industry, including established relationships within the brokerage community
- Strong command of market research and analysis, with the ability to assess market conditions and evaluate new markets
- Experience contributing to business development or growth strategy at the leadership level
- Proven ability to identify and execute on a vision within real estate development
- Experience in multi-family underwriting
- Ability to obtain buy-in for contentious and/or complex transactions
- Tenacity
- Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication and presentation skills
- Exceptional leadership skills
- Knowledge of MS Office including PowerPoint is required