Project Manager

Full job posting: https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/241843

The School of Government works to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government. The School offers up to 200 courses, webinars, and conferences for more than 12,000 public officials each year. Faculty members annually publish approximately 50 books, reports, articles, bulletins, and other instances of print and online content related to state and local government. The School is also home to a nationally ranked graduate program in public administration and specialized centers focused on information technology and environmental finance.

Position Summary

This position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement that may include a partially remote work location, consistent with System Office policy. UNC Chapel Hill employees are generally required to reside within a reasonable commuting distance of their assigned duty station.

The DFI Project Manager (Real Estate Development) will provide advanced project management, oversight, financial and development technical assistance to real estate development projects that emerge from DFI’s work with local governments and other community-based organizations in North Carolina. The DFI Project Manager (Real Estate Development) will oversee much of the project level work of DFI, including conducting sophisticated pre-development feasibility analysis (market research, parcel analysis, and financial modeling), building and maintaining relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, engaging with private sector development firms, developing and implementing solicitations for real estate development projects, coordinating other DFI staff and mentoring graduate students, advising community partners, translating complex feasibility analysis into actionable recommendations and advising for local government clients, making and delivering presentations to a variety of audiences, and performing project-level quality control and supervision in real estate development projects undertaken by DFI. The DFI Project Manager (Real Estate Development) will also participate in courses taught by School of Government faculty, research and develop new work, and support the operations of DFI.

The School of Government recognizes the importance of an educational and work environment in which all individuals are respected and valued. To that end, we are strongly committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. For more information about the School’s commitment to diversity, please visit our Diversity and Inclusion page: https://www.sog.unc.edu/resources/microsites/diversity-and-inclusion.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required (or foreign degree equivalent); for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or comparable background in independent academic or instructional activities, will accept a relevant Bachelor’s degree (or foreign degree equivalent) and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. This experience may be related to the direction/oversight of programs that focus the academic and research resources of a higher education institution towards community or regional issues.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Advanced research, writing, and analytical skills in real estate development and finance, urban design, city planning, community economic development, or related areas.
• Advanced technical skills in real estate pre-development feasibility analysis in one or more of the following areas: market research, spatial analysis using parcel data, or financial modeling.
• Previous experience in two or more of the following: project management, development finance, public-private partnerships for development, market research, financial pro-forma modeling, and real estate development finance.
• Strong communication and public speaking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and partnerships.
• Strong planning, organizational, and coordination skills to manage or be involved in simultaneous projects efficiently.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative on real estate or community economic development advising projects within a collaborative environment.
• Evening and occasional overnight travel required.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Master’s degree in urban planning, business, public administration, and/or a related field.
• Understanding of tax credit programs (Historic Preservation, Low-Income Housing, New Markets, Brownfields)
• Experience working with local governments in a community economic development function.
• Interest in using public-private partnerships to accomplish community goals and to advance community and economic development projects in distressed areas of North Carolina.