Senior Acquisitions Associate

Hirewell; Illinois; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Hirewell seeks a Senior Acquisitions Associate to source and evaluate multifamily opportunities with a focus on attainable housing. You will underwrite property-level cash flows, lead due diligence, and coordinate across brokers, lenders, and internal teams to execute investments that meet financial objectives.

The role requires 4–7+ years in multifamily acquisitions with strong Excel skills and a solid grasp of IRR, cap rates, and financing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Finance, Accounting, Economics; MBA or master's degree is a plus.
• 4–7+ years of experience in multifamily acquisitions or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience underwriting multifamily real estate investments.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and financial modeling.
• Strong understanding of IRR, equity multiples, cap rates, cash-on-cash returns.
• Ability to manage multiple transactions and work with cross-functional teams.
• Affordable, workforce, attainable, or LIHTC housing experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate multifamily acquisition opportunities aligned with attainable housing.
• Develop relationships with brokers, owners, developers, lenders, and partners.
• Review opportunities and assess investment viability quickly.
• Source new opportunities and expand the acquisition pipeline.
• Lead due diligence and coordinate with external consultants and internal teams.
• Prepare investment memos and present findings to senior leadership.

Skills

Deal sourcing

Underwriting

Analytical thinking

Communication

Project coordination

Education

Real estate or finance degree

MBA or master's degree

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Senior Acquisitions Associate – Multifamily / Attainable Housing

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Acquisitions Associate to join our growing investment team and play a key role in sourcing, evaluating, underwriting, and executing multifamily investment opportunities with a focus on attainable housing.

This position will have significant ownership throughout the full investment lifecycle, from initial opportunity screening and financial underwriting through due diligence, investment committee approval, financing, and closing. The Senior Acquisitions Associate will work closely with senior leadership, brokers, lenders, equity partners, property management teams, attorneys, consultants, and other internal stakeholders to identify and execute investments that meet the firm's financial and strategic objectives.

The ideal candidate is an analytical and commercially minded real estate professional who understands multifamily investments and is excited by the opportunity to expand access to quality, attainable housing.

Key Responsibilities

Acquisitions & Deal Sourcing

• Identify and evaluate multifamily acquisition opportunities that align with the firm's attainable housing investment strategy.
• Develop and maintain relationships with multifamily brokers, owners, developers, lenders, and other industry partners.
• Review marketed and off-market opportunities and quickly assess investment viability.
• Assist in sourcing new investment opportunities and expanding the firm's acquisition pipeline.
• Conduct market and submarket research, including rental rates, occupancy, demographics, supply/demand, comparable sales, and competitive positioning.

Financial Analysis & Underwriting

• Build and maintain sophisticated Excel-based financial models for multifamily acquisitions.
• Underwrite property-level cash flows, operating assumptions, renovation plans, capital expenditures, debt structures, and exit scenarios.
• Evaluate acquisition pricing, valuation, returns, cash flow, leverage, and downside scenarios.
• Conduct sensitivity and scenario analyses to identify key investment risks and opportunities.
• Analyze historic operating statements, rent rolls, budgets, leasing activity, and other property-level financial information.
• Develop clear investment recommendations based on quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Evaluate opportunities through an attainable housing lens, including affordability, rent levels, resident demographics, and potential opportunities to preserve or improve housing affordability.
• Lead and coordinate acquisition due diligence from LOI through closing.
• Manage third-party consultants, including environmental, engineering, property condition, market, appraisal, survey, and title providers.
• Review legal documents, purchase and sale agreements, loan documents, leases, organizational documents, and other transaction materials.
• Identify material risks during diligence and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Coordinate with internal and external legal, financing, tax, insurance, construction, and property management teams.
• Track transaction timelines, deliverables, and key closing conditions.
• Support negotiations with sellers, brokers, lenders, and other transaction counterparties.

Investment Committee & Closing

• Prepare investment committee memoranda, underwriting packages, presentations, and supporting analysis.
• Present investment recommendations and key findings to senior leadership.
• Coordinate the transition of newly acquired assets to asset and property management teams.
• Assist with debt and equity financing processes and evaluate capital structure alternatives.
• Support transaction execution through closing and ensure all required deliverables are completed.
• Partner with asset management and property management teams to understand property performance and inform future acquisition assumptions.
• Monitor market trends, investment opportunities, and competitive activity.
• Help identify creative strategies to acquire or preserve attainable multifamily housing.
• Contribute to the continued development of the firm's acquisition strategy, underwriting standards, and investment processes.

Qualifications

• 4–7+ years of experience in multifamily acquisitions, real estate investment, investment banking, private equity, development, or a related field.
• Bachelor's degree in Real Estate, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline; MBA or master's degree is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience underwriting multifamily real estate investments.
• Strong understanding of multifamily operating fundamentals, valuation, debt, and investment returns.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial modeling.
• Strong understanding of IRR, equity multiples, cap rates, cash-on-cash returns, leverage, and discounted cash flow analysis.
• Experience managing real estate due diligence and transaction processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate investment recommendations.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple transactions simultaneously.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
• High level of attention to detail, judgment, and analytical problem-solving skills.
• Affordable, workforce, attainable, or LIHTC housing experience strongly preferred, but candidates with strong market-rate multifamily acquisitions experience will also be considered.