Underwriting Operations Manager Jobs in Alabama (NOW HIRING)

Head of Industrial Growth and Leasing

Location: Birmingham, AL

Regular travel throughout the Southeast is required.

We offer a generous relocation package to help make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible.

• Birmingham is one of the Southeast’s most dynamic and affordable cities, recognized nationally as a growing business hub and an attractive destination for professionals. The area offers a lower cost of living than many major metropolitan markets, a thriving culinary and entertainment scene, and convenient access to lakes, parks, and weekend destinations throughout the region.
• Enjoy the best of both worlds—our Autocar facility is located just 20 minutes from downtown Birmingham, providing easy access to the city’s amenities while maintaining a convenient commute.

About Ruddell Group

Ruddell Group acquires, develops, and operates light industrial real estate throughout the Southeastern United States. Our focus is on industrial parks and buildings generally under 100,000 square feet serving growing; Light manufacturers, Advanced manufacturers, Assemblers, Regional distributors, and Business-to-business service companies. These users typically occupy between 20,000 and 100,000 square feet and require flexible industrial space with combinations of office, warehouse, showroom, service areas, outdoor storage, specialized utilities, and room for expansion. As our portfolio grows, we are seeking a proven leader who can help drive leasing performance while creating tenant relationships that support future development.

Build the Leasing Engine of a Growing Industrial Platform

Ruddell Group is seeking a Head of Industrial Growth & Leasing to help scale our industrial real estate platform across the Southeast. This is a high-impact leadership role focused on leasing existing assets, creating tenant demand before buildings are developed, and helping drive the next phase of the company's growth. You will work directly with company leadership to increase occupancy, originate build-to-suit opportunities, cultivate relationships with expanding industrial companies, and influence where and how future developments are built. This role is designed for a commercially minded operator who enjoys building relationships, creating opportunities, and turning market intelligence into executed transactions.

The Opportunity

This role combines industrial leasing, business development, tenant origination, market intelligence, and strategic growth. Success is measured by creating relationships with growing companies before they enter a formal real estate search process and converting those relationships into leases, build-to-suits, expansions, and long-term partnerships.

The ideal candidate will help Ruddell:

• Maintain industry-leading occupancy
• Increase cash flow and portfolio value
• Create a pipeline for future tenants
• Support future public-private partnership opportunities
• Shape future development decisions based on real tenant demand

Key Responsibilities:

• Portfolio Leasing & Asset Performance
• Lead leasing strategy across the existing portfolio
• Maintain occupancy targets of 95%+
• Protect rental rates and drive NOI growth
• Identify expansion opportunities within existing tenant relationships
• Develop retention strategies that strengthen occupancy and tenant satisfaction

 Tenant Development & Business Generation

• Build relationships with expanding industrial companies throughout the Southeast
• Develop a qualified pipeline of prospective tenants before formal site searches begin
• Generate build-to-suit opportunities
• Create anchor tenant relationships for future developments
• Develop long-term relationships with company executives and decision-makers
• Identify expansion requirements before they become active market requirements

Market Development 

• Strengthen relationships with brokers, site selectors, economic development organizations, and municipal leaders
• Stay informed on labor trends, incentives, infrastructure investments, and industrial market conditions
• Help identify future development opportunities and target markets
• Increase visibility and awareness of the Ruddell platform throughout the region

Strategic Growth

• Advise leadership on future building programs and development timing
• Provide market intelligence that influences investment decisions
• Support public-private partnership initiatives and municipal relationships
• Help shape the long-term growth strategy of the platform