Company Background:
Our client is an international real estate advisor that acquires, develops and manages properties and places – specializing in mixed-use and office environments in the world’s leading cities. Our client believes that properties that stand the test of time deserve a lot of time, so they take a different approach: a thoughtful approach.

Our client believes that real estate is more than just buildings. The firm’s mission is to create long-term value through global expertise, local knowledge and passion for real estate. Comprised of experts across a variety of fields, the team consistently strives for excellence, achieves with integrity, and embraces collaboration. Working together, they create places people love.

Over the past 25 years, our client has grown significantly with offices in Boston, Hamburg, London, Munich, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, and Washington DC managing approximately 762,000 sq m/8.2m sq ft in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. By combining a global point of view with local expertise, they’re able to create and manage world-class properties that deliver the best outcomes for their tenants, investors and the communities in which they work.

Position Overview:
Our client is seeking a highly capable, experienced, and motivated real estate professional to serve as a trusted finance strategist and change leader in the role of Senior Vice President, Finance. This person will lead Accounting, FP&A, Treasury and company governance activities. Based in Boston and reporting to the President, the Senior Vice President will work in a highly matrixed organization.

The role will manage a global team of 17 finance professionals responsible for overseeing property NAV calculations, transactions, debt financing, and asset management controllership in support of 32 global properties. The role is also responsible for financial reporting, forecasting, and analytics of the firm’s Management Company and Investor portfolios comprised of 84 legal entities and over 60 annual financial statements. Responsibility for investor reporting for all Investor Entities includes direct interaction with Board members on significant acquisitions, transactions and issues.

This role will actively participate in a small leadership team responsible for setting strategic direction for the organization and ensuring successful execution of key business initiatives to support and enhance the performance of global real estate functions. The Senior Vice President will lead and direct the Finance team and create an environment where business outcomes and financial management are strongly aligned.

Our client’s global finance team comprises the following:

• Regionally based Financial Controllers covering the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific who work closely with local in-house asset managers and development team members as well as third party property management to ensure that investment, asset management and development activities are strongly supported in business decision making, financial reporting and analysis.
• A Boston-based Finance team responsible for global vendor management, accounts payable, travel & expense and treasury operations processes. The team provides financial oversight and governance for major development and capital projects. This team also provides risk assessment services across the company’s financial processes and liaises extensively with the internal audit organization to establish risk controls and risk mitigation plans.
• The Financial Planning & Analysis team is responsible for investor analytics, reporting, performance analysis, cash flow forecasting by region, investor and asset type, cash management, and dynamic portfolio statistical and metric reporting. This team maintains bank relationships and supports Financial Controllers and Asset Managers in tenant credit analysis and debt restructuring and arrangement.
  A London-based Tax team responsible for Investor Entity tax compliance, tax planning and transaction support
  and US tax return support, working with internal tax teams and external tax advisors globally.

Responsibilities:

• Lead finance team to clearly align, effectively communicate, and implement client and Investor strategies.
• Provide Investors with consolidated quarterly and year-end financial statements, NAV and FMV reconciliations and annual audits.
• Establish a close working relationship with Finance, Audit and Tax divisions to ensure a comprehensive view of all financial activities, performance and corporate governance.
• Oversight of external financial audit process ensuring quality audits are completed in an efficient manner.
• Be responsible for quarterly reporting to the Audit Committee and, as required, to the Investor boards.
• Provide strategic guidance for FP&A activities including strategic and multi-year planning, budgeting and forecasting, portfolio analysis and reporting metrics, and scenario sensitivities.
• Liaise with Investors regarding the global cash flows associated with the portfolio, to ensure adequate liquidity.
• Oversight for financial planning and analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and operational and capital cost control for our client’s Management Company

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting, MBA, or CPA with 12-15 years of demonstrated ability; real estate industry experience
• Strong foundation in accounting principles, practices and internal controls.
• Experience with international financial and accounting operations, cash management and treasury systems.
• An agile executive style with the ability to lead an internationally based, diverse team, build partnerships across an organization and effectively communicate with senior executives.
• Strong verbal, written, analytical and interpersonal skills with demonstrated success partnering with and
  influencing all levels of the organization.
• Confirmed FP&A and line finance experience with strong ability to partner closely with Investors and senior leaders.
• Highly developed analytical, communication, project management, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience implementing process efficiencies across a finance organization to improve and enhance productivity.
• A strategic approach along with a willingness to be involved in the details, balance multiple priorities and achieve results.