VP, Real Estate Investment Product Development & Strategy

Heitman; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligible

Hybrid work environment

In-office 4 days per week

Job summary

Heitman in Chicago is seeking a VP, Product Lead to drive growth by advancing product development, strategy, and client-focused solutions. You will interface with senior investment professionals and cross-functional teams to shape Heitman’s product offering across markets.

The ideal candidate brings a strategic, quantitative mindset with deep real estate asset management experience and strong Excel/PowerPoint skills. This hybrid position is based in Chicago with in-office work four days a week.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in real estate asset management with investment strategy or product development.
• Experience in real assets or private debt is strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of asset management landscape, including products, channels, and fund structures.
• Proactive, analytical thinker with ability to synthesize complex information and build business cases.
• Able to build/understand Excel models and read basic financial statements; strong presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Acquire deep knowledge of Heitman’s global product suite across Europe, APAC, global, and debt.
• Lead research to assess viability of new product ideas and build business cases.
• Drive product development and guide cross-functional teams from idea to development.
• Set milestones for product growth and franchise reviews.
• Lead product reviews, align on next steps, and drive execution.
• Partner with teams to conduct gap analyses and shape product priorities.
• Develop product insights by analyzing trends across asset classes and competitors.
• Collaborate with sales/PM teams to craft messaging and fund marketing collateral.
• Engage with internal teams and external counsel to design funds and documents.
• Share perspectives from outside the firm and conduct investment due diligence on new ideas.
• Assist in cross-functional product strategy projects.

Skills

Real estate asset mgmt

Real assets

Asset management knowledge

Analytical thinking

Project management

Data analysis

Excel modeling

Cross-functional teamwork

Attention to detail

Communication skills

CFA (plus)

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Description

This Opportunity

The VP, Product Lead will play a key role in driving organic revenue growth by advancing product development and innovation and bringing strategic insight and discipline to the solutions we offer clients. The team stays closely attuned to evolving industry trends and market dynamics to ensure Heitman maintains a differentiated and relevant product suite that meets client needs across market cycles. We partner closely with Heitman’s investment businesses globally, as well as our sales, client service, and marketing teams, to develop client-focused solutions and advance the firm’s strategic objectives.

In this role, you will support several of the team’s core product strategy and development initiatives, with significant exposure to businesses and functional groups across the firm. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with senior investment professionals, client-facing teams, and other key stakeholders on strategic priorities that shape Heitman’s product offering and growth.

The ideal candidate is a strategic and intellectually curious problem solver who brings both commercial judgment and creative thinking. They will pair strong quantitative, analytical, and research capabilities with an ability to synthesize complex information, identify opportunities, and translate insights into actionable product strategies.

R esponsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Acquiring a deep knowledge of Heitman’s Global product suite, with a specific focus on Heitman’s Europe, APAC, global, and debt products
• Lead research to assess new product ideas for viability, feasibility and fit within Heitman’s existing product set and strategic objectives, and building business cases around product ideas
• Drive product development and approval process, including guiding cross functional teams as they work through ideas from the innovation phase and through product development
• Understanding the stages of a product’s growth and maturity and setting standards and objectives for milestone product anniversary and franchise reviews
• Leading reviews on specific products, sharing outcomes with the product development committee, aligning on next steps and driving execution to ensure that Heitman’s products are positioned optimally in the market
• Partnering with teams to conduct critical gap analyses and collaborating on a product priorities strategy
• Developing product insights by analyzing new investment product trends across asset classes and categories, including analyzing competitor product suites and identifying upcoming product blockbusters and new product structures
• Partner with sales and PM teams to develop insightful and concise messaging and narrative for our product suite, and lead the creation of fund marketing collateral
• Engage with cross-functional internal teams and external legal counsel to design funds and create legal documents
• Leveraging and sharing ideas and perspectives from outside the firm
• Conducting investment due diligence, evaluating economics, pricing and competitive analysis on new ideas
• Assisting in a range of cross functional product strategy projects

Qualifications :

• Minimum 10 years of experience in the real estate asset management industry, with demonstrated experience in investment strategy, investment product distribution, or product development
• Experience within real assets, or private debt is strongly preferred
• Deep knowledge of the asset management landscape, including investment products and asset classes, distribution channels, competitive dynamics, and fund structures
• Proactive individual with a high degree of intellectual ability combined with a lateral-thinking, creative and enquiring mind
• An ability to work efficiently and multi-task, prioritize, set and meet deadlines. Ability to manage a project from end to end and drive initiatives to completion
• Strong data management and analytical skills with the capacity to assess data and form a view
• Ability to build and understand an excel model and to read a basic financial statement. Proficiency in excel and PowerPoint
• Collaborative individual with strong relationship-building skill who can partner successfully with employees at all levels
• Good attention to detail and an enthusiasm to continuously improve process and quality of output
• Ability to communicate effectively both written and verbal
• CFA is a plus

Job Location and Travel

• This position is based in our Chicago office.
• Our teams work in a hybrid environment, and this role will be in office 4 days a week .

We are looking for great candidates who have a unique combination of experiences, traits, and talents. We couldn’t describe you in a list of bullet points, so consider this posting a conversation starter. If you check some, but not all, of our boxes, we still want to talk! Please apply for this role if much of this job description describes you.

Founded in 1966, Heitman is a global real estate investment management firm. Our mission is to lead the evolution of real estate through investments that fulfill the needs of people and communities in a world of constant change. To learn more about our organization and culture.

At Heitman, we believe that our success is driven by the success of our team members . That's why we use market data to ensure competitive compensation for every role, reflecting our commitment to investing in our team. When we grow, you grow !

The expected annual base salary range for this role is $150,000 - $200,000 and will be further discussed during the interview process. This range represents what Heitman reasonably and in good faith believe s we would pay a qualified candidate for this role at the time of posting (based on a full-time equivalent schedule). Your actual base salary placement will depend on factors such as (but not limited to): your relevant experience, time in role, base salary of internal peers, prior performance, business sector, and geographic location. In addition , all of our team members are bonus eligible and participate in a generous annual bonus plan , with the percentage varying based on your role and level, ensuring that your contributions are recognized and rewarded.

In alignment with our P eople F irst core value , we offer rewarding careers that focus on both personal and professional growth. We are dedicated to helping you and your family thrive, both in the office and at home. To support this, we provide competitive compensation and a leading-edge, human-centric benefits package.

Additional Information

Candidates applying for roles requiring travel must hold a valid, non-expired driver’s license.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Heitman is an equal employment opportunity employer and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, physical, medical or mental disability or condition (including, without limitation, HIV and AIDS), developmental disability, handicap, denial of family and medical care leave, denial of pregnancy leave, domestic partner status, status as a victim of sexual or domestic violence (or familial relationship to such victim), veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, arrest records, citizenship status, criminal history that has been expunged, unfavorable discharge from the military, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws.