Job Description
Director of Real Estate & Construction
Veterinary Practice Partners (VPP) | Reports to: Chief Administrative Officer
About the Role
VPP is seeking a VP of Real Estate & Construction to own the full capital program and real estate function across the network — from site diligence and lease negotiation through de novo/AcquiNovo development and renovation, with P&L-level accountability for the portfolio’s construction budget. This is a build-the-function mandate: standing up the team, the governance model, and the playbook, not administering an existing one.
You’ll carry executive-level accountability for how fast, how well, and how cost-effectively VPP builds and secures locations — and you’ll be the primary voice on real estate and construction in leadership discussions.
What You’ll Own
Capital Program & P&L Accountability
- Carry P&L-level accountability for the portfolio’s construction and capital budget
- Own capital planning across the national portfolio — prioritizing spend against growth targets and forecasting the multi-market pipeline
- Institute an estimating and budget governance layer tied to deal stages, so capital costs are underwritten consistently from LOI through close and into build-out
- Develop project- and portfolio-level financial reporting for leadership; ensure budget deviations are pre-approved and documented
Real Estate Strategy & Lease Portfolio
- Lead site selection and market analysis for de novo and AcquiNovo growth, partnering with BD on density, demographics, and competitive positioning
- Own the lease portfolio end-to-end: negotiation, renewals, terminations, and landlord/tenant matters
- Develop and enforce a related-party landlord policy, including independent market-rent benchmarking wherever a partner doctor or affiliate is also the landlord
- Coordinate work letters, tenant improvement allowances, and delivery conditions to protect project timelines and budgets
Construction & Development Execution
- Rebuild and lead the construction PM function as a discipline distinct from facilities maintenance — clear ownership, staffing, and accountability separate from day-to-day upkeep
- Direct all construction projects from feasibility through close-out; own the master development/construction timeline across concurrent builds
- Manage relationships with architects, engineers, designers, and consultants; lead bidding, contractor selection, and contract negotiation
- Refine VPP’s facility design standards and development playbook toward rapid, repeatable openings
- Fix project visibility: standardized status cadence, templates, and exception rollups so problems surface before they escalate
Regulatory & Risk
- Oversee permitting, approvals, Certificates of Occupancy, and inspections across jurisdictions
- Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal building codes and applicable healthcare facility requirements
- Anticipate and manage construction, entitlement, and site-delivery risk; maintain strict cost discipline and change-order control
Facilities
- Partner on the facilities maintenance model (including evaluation of IFM/outsourced providers) to ensure the split from construction PM doesn’t create service gaps for hospital teams
Team & Stakeholder Leadership
- Hire, build, and lead a small, high-caliber real estate and construction team as the portfolio scales
- Serve as the primary face of VPP in project dealings with doctors, partners, landlords, and vendors
What You Bring
- 10–15+ years of progressive leadership in real estate development and/or construction project management in a multi-site retail, healthcare, or services environment; veterinary or healthcare experience a plus
- Proven experience leading multiple concurrent ground-up projects and carrying P&L-level accountability for a capital program
- Direct experience negotiating leases and managing a multi-location portfolio, including landlord disputes and related-party arrangements
- Strong expertise in budgeting, scheduling, contract negotiation, and risk management; demonstrated success delivering within tight cost/schedule constraints
- Comfort building a function from the ground up — process design, hiring, governance — not just executing an existing playbook
- Experience managing national vendor/GC networks
- Proficiency with project management software (Smartsheet, Procore, etc.); familiarity with design tools (AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp) a plus
- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related field preferred; a design/architecture background is a plus given the real-estate development crossover this role requires
- Executive presence — able to distill cost, risk, and schedule tradeoffs for leadership and board audiences
- Willingness to travel up to 25%
Comp & Location
- Remote with the ability to travel up to 25%
- The expected base salary range is $175,000 - $225,000, commensurate with experience
