Real Estate Development Associate Jobs in Edison, NJ

Heartshare Human Services is seeking an accomplished and visionary executive to serve as Vice President, Residential Real Estate Development & Portfolio Strategy. This executive will lead the long-term strategy, planning, development, and optimization of Heartshare's OPWDD residential real estate portfolio, ensuring it supports the organization's mission, strategic growth, financial sustainability, and commitment to delivering exceptional, person-centered services. 

The Vice President will develop and execute a multi-year residential portfolio strategy that advances modernization, accessibility, aging-in-place principles, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence. This role provides executive oversight of residential acquisitions, development, redevelopment, relocations, capital planning, asset management, and portfolio optimization, ensuring every investment strengthens service delivery while maximizing operational and financial performance. 

As the organization's executive leader for residential real estate strategy, the Vice President will partner closely with Executive Leadership and cross-functional teams—including Residential Operations, Clinical Services, Finance, Facilities, Quality Assurance, Legal, Development, Communications, and Government Relations—to align real estate investments with organizational priorities, emerging service needs, funding opportunities, and long-term community impact. 

Essential Functions and Primary Responsibilities 

Executive Leadership & Strategic Portfolio Planning 

• Develop and execute a comprehensive 5–10-year residential real estate and asset management strategy aligned with Heartshare's mission, organizational priorities, demographic trends, and OPWDD requirements. 

• Establish an enterprise-wide portfolio management framework that balances operational performance, regulatory compliance, financial sustainability, person-centered outcomes, and long-term growth. 

• Develop executive dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor portfolio performance, occupancy, capital investments, deferred maintenance, accessibility, utilization, and overall portfolio health. 

• Present portfolio performance, strategic investment recommendations, and enterprise risk assessments to Executive Leadership and the Board of Directors. 

Portfolio Development, Asset Management & Analytics 

• Lead all residential acquisition, development, redevelopment, relocation, modernization, and portfolio optimization initiatives across the organization. 

• Maintain a multi-year development pipeline with defined milestones, budgets, timelines, risks, and measurable outcomes. 

• Optimize the residential portfolio through strategic reinvestment, consolidation, rightsizing, lifecycle planning, and replacement of aging assets. 

• Utilize predictive analytics and demographic, operational, clinical, and financial data to guide capital planning, investment decisions, and future residential service expansion. 

• Evaluate and implement innovative housing models, universal design principles, smart home technologies, sustainable building practices, and accessibility improvements that enhance quality of life and operational efficiency. 

Real Estate Development & Capital Strategy 

• Direct property identification, site selection, acquisition, due diligence, feasibility assessments, and adaptive reuse opportunities for new residential development. 

• Evaluate environmental, infrastructure, climate resilience, insurance, operational, and long-term financial risks associated with existing and proposed properties. 

• Develop long-range capital investment and forecasting strategies that integrate lifecycle replacement planning, facility modernization, and organizational growth. 

• Partner with Finance and Development to secure grants, tax incentives, financing opportunities, philanthropic investments, and public-private partnerships that maximize external funding. 

Government Relations & Community Partnerships 

• Serve as the executive liaison with OPWDD and other regulatory agencies to advance residential development initiatives and ensure compliance with all applicable requirements. 

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with government agencies, community organizations, elected officials, funding partners, and neighborhood stakeholders to support project approvals, funding opportunities, and community engagement. 

Project Delivery & Operational Readiness 

• Provide executive oversight of residential development projects to ensure successful delivery on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with regulatory, safety, and organizational standards. 

• Establish standardized project governance, executive reporting, post-occupancy evaluations, and continuous improvement processes to support operational readiness and long-term portfolio performance. 

• Ensure all residential development initiatives reflect current and future service needs while incorporating person-centered planning, aging-in-place principles, accessibility, and universal design standards. 

Executive Leadership, Innovation & Enterprise Risk 

• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing residential development team while fostering accountability, collaboration, succession planning, innovation, and continuous improvement. 

• Identify and mitigate enterprise risks related to real estate development, regulatory compliance, finance, operations, environmental factors, and market conditions. 

• Champion innovative housing solutions, emerging technologies, and strategic initiatives that strengthen Heartshare's residential portfolio and position the organization for future growth.