Vice President, Strategy and Analytics

Remote Queer; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work option

Diversity and inclusion commitment

Job summary

Cresa is seeking a Vice President, Strategy & Analytics to lead the GPS practice. This remote, player-coach role focuses on growing advisor adoption, delivering complex client work, and building a sustainable analytics offering.

You will oversee a distributed team, define data governance, and partner across Solutions, Research, Technology, and Development Services to strengthen client outcomes. This is a strategic, hands-on leadership position.

Qualifications

• Proven track record building analytics service lines with financial accountability.
• Hands-on credibility with geospatial, labor, and visualization tools.
• Deep understanding of the occupier side of CRE: site selection and portfolio strategy.
• Leadership in AI adoption: using AI to transform team workflows.

Responsibilities

• Drive innovation. Push the envelope on what the practice offers and how it works. Stay current on analytics platforms, data sources, AI capabilities and industry trends; test and pilot new tools and methods; and bring forward new offerings and approaches that keep Cresa ahead of national competitors.
• Serve as the subject matter expert and working lead. Be the firm’s go-to authority on real estate analytics and the hands-on lead on the work itself. Bring deep, current command of the factors that drive location and portfolio decisions, including labor availability and cost, competitor and market dynamics, power and utility capacity, infrastructure and logistics, demographics and psychographics, real estate and construction costs, and economic incentives. Translate that expertise into clear, defensible answers for advisors and clients.
• Lead the practice. Own the Strategy & Analytics offering: the capabilities catalog, how services are packaged and scoped, and which work is provided at no cost to support pursuits versus scoped as client engagements.
• Build a sustainable commercial model. Partner with GPS leadership and finance to define how the practice is funded and measured, including client-billable work, credit for work supporting other offices, and the practice’s influence on wins and retention. Own a clear path to the practice’s financial targets.
• Drive advisor adoption. Be the face of Strategy & Analytics to advisors across offices. Run market meetings and working sessions, build the case study library, and get the team engaged earlier in pursuits.
• Deliver at the highest level. Lead and present the most complex engagements, such as national market rankings, portfolio rationalization and board-level recommendations, and personally review work for analytical rigor and client readiness.
• Develop the team. Hire, train and grow analysts. Establish a light operating rhythm for intake, prioritization and quality across a remote team.
• Own data and tool governance. Make the final call on which data subscriptions and platforms the team invests in, manage those costs, and set clear standards for accuracy, quality control and client data confidentiality, including how AI tools are used with client data.
• Partner across the firm. Work closely with Solutions, Research, Technology and Project & Development Services so analytics shows up consistently in proposals, pursuits and client delivery.

Skills

Executive leadership

Remote team management

Client engagement

Education

Bachelor’s Degree required; advanced degree preferred

Tools

Esri ArcGIS

Lightcast

Alteryx

Tableau

Job description

Job Description

• At Cresa, we believe our clients deserve better. A better space to work, create, build, grow. A better outcome for their people and organization. A better partner who puts their needs first, helping them navigate the landscape, tilting the playing field in their favor and giving them an insider’s edge.

Our mission is to find and foster the best environment for every business. Our purpose is to think beyond space - strengthening those we serve and enhancing quality of life for our clients and employees. We are built to champion our clients’ aspirations through real estate. When considering partnership, we strive to connect with those who share our values: Work Together, Create Value, Be Tenacious, Enhance Community, and Embrace Diversity.

We believe in being the change. We work together to find new ways of doing things that create value for our clients — and for each other. Because there is not much that feels better than collaborating to make a positive difference each day.

At Cresa, we offer an opportunity to be part of something bigger. To learn, advance, mentor and be recognized. Your voice will be heard, and you will be valued for both your individual and team contributions.

Summary

The Vice President, Strategy & Analytics leads Cresa’s Strategy & Analytics practice within Global Portfolio Solutions (GPS). This is a player-coach role for someone who sets the direction of the practice and is equally comfortable building a model, reviewing a site ranking or presenting to a client CFO.

The key goal for this role is to grow advisor adoption, put the practice on a sustainable commercial footing, and develop a talented team. This is a hands-on position: the Vice President is expected to spend a substantial share of their time personally delivering and reviewing client work and working directly with advisors. It is not a purely strategic or oversight role. This is a remote position.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Drive innovation. Push the envelope on what the practice offers and how it works. Stay current on analytics platforms, data sources, AI capabilities and industry trends; test and pilot new tools and methods; and bring forward new offerings and approaches that keep Cresa ahead of national competitors.
• Serve as the subject matter expert and working lead. Be the firm’s go-to authority on real estate analytics and the hands-on lead on the work itself. Bring deep, current command of the factors that drive location and portfolio decisions, including labor availability and cost, competitor and market dynamics, power and utility capacity, infrastructure and logistics, demographics and psychographics, real estate and construction costs, and economic incentives. Translate that expertise into clear, defensible answers for advisors and clients.
• Lead the practice. Own the Strategy & Analytics offering: the capabilities catalog, how services are packaged and scoped, and which work is provided at no cost to support pursuits versus scoped as client engagements.
• Build a sustainable commercial model. Partner with GPS leadership and finance to define how the practice is funded and measured, including client-billable work, credit for work supporting other offices, and the practice’s influence on wins and retention. Own a clear path to the practice’s financial targets.
• Drive advisor adoption. Be the face of Strategy & Analytics to advisors across offices. Run market meetings and working sessions, build the case study library, and get the team engaged earlier in pursuits.
• Deliver at the highest level. Lead and present the most complex engagements, such as national market rankings, portfolio rationalization and board-level recommendations, and personally review work for analytical rigor and client readiness.
• Develop the team. Hire, train and grow analysts. Establish a light operating rhythm for intake, prioritization and quality across a remote team.
• Own data and tool governance. Make the final call on which data subscriptions and platforms the team invests in, manage those costs, and set clear standards for accuracy, quality control and client data confidentiality, including how AI tools are used with client data.
• Partner across the firm. Work closely with Solutions, Research, Technology and Project & Development Services so analytics shows up consistently in proposals, pursuits and client delivery.

Qualifications

Required:

• A track record of building or growing an analytics service line inside a brokerage, consultancy or corporate real estate function, with accountability for its financial results
• Hands-on credibility with geospatial, labor and visualization tools (Esri, Lightcast, Alteryx, Tableau); able to build and review models, not only direct them
• Deep understanding of the occupier side of commercial real estate: site selection, portfolio strategy, incentives and the transaction lifecycle
• Practical leadership in AI adoption: has used AI to change how a team works, not only how they work individually
• Executive presence and the ability to win the trust of senior advisors and client C-suites
• A genuine commitment to developing people, including helping strong performers grow into larger roles
• Proven ability to lead and engage a distributed, remote team

Preferred:

• MBA or a master’s degree in economics, planning, GIS or analytics
• Healthcare real estate or health system market analytics experience
• Experience pricing and packaging analytics or consulting services
• Industry visibility through CoreNet Global, IAMC or similar organizations
• Experience building data products or dashboards used directly by clients

Technology and data platforms:

The team uses Lightcast, Esri ArcGIS, Alteryx, Tableau, Moody’s, Experian Mosaic, Placer.ai, RSMeans, Microsoft Office Suite, and AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree required; advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience in location strategy, corporate real estate consulting, labor analytics, economic development consulting or analytics consulting
• 4+ years of experience leading teams

What success looks like in the first year

• An agreed funding and measurement model for the practice, with clear progress toward its financial targets
• Measurably more advisors engaging Strategy & Analytics, and engaging earlier in their pursuits
• A refreshed catalog and packaging that make the most common requests faster to scope and deliver

Physical Requirements:

This is a remote position requiring extended periods of computer work and a reliable home office setup. Periodic travel is required for client meetings, advisor market meetings and team sessions.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

NOTE:

The job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; supervisors may assign other duties as deemed necessary.

Cresa is committed to developing and maintaining a diverse workforce. Cresa strongly believes in equal opportunity extended to all individuals in all aspects of the employment relationship without regard to race, color, religion, belief, creed, age, sex, pregnancy or maternity (including childbirth and related conditions), family responsibility (e.g. child care, elder care), nationality, ethnic or national origin or ancestry, citizenship, marital status, civil partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, veteran’s status, genetic information, political view or status as a qualified individual with a disability, protected leave status or any other protected characteristic in accordance with applicable law.