Real Estate & Development Administrator

POSITION PURPOSE / IMPORTANT APPLICATION INFORMATION

 

“Westminster’s purpose is to provide core services and foster economic resilience to give our community the opportunity to thrive. Westminster is a city of beautiful, safe, well-maintained neighborhoods and destinations with a vibrant, diverse economy, rich and resilient environment and a strong sense of community belonging.” 

 

The City of Westminster is a mature, first-ring suburb in the Denver metropolitan area. As the City approaches build-out, revitalization and redevelopment, infill development, and strategic utilization of remaining land – as well as the promotion of existing real estate options opportunities to new and expanding businesses, are critical to the economic vitality of the City. 

 

The Real Estate and Development Administrator has substantial responsibility for these activities through a combination of direct responsibilities and projects integrating place, people, and business-based strategies. This work involves the strategic positioning, planning and deployment of real estate assets, redevelopment programs and development partnerships to increase the vibrancy of and private sector investment in the built environment throughout the City. The Real Estate and Development Administrator works with internal and external stakeholders pursuing opportunities for revitalization, redevelopment, and development throughout the City in support of City Council’s Strategic Plan. The creation of a Redevelopment Toolkit for the City is a specific goal of the Strategic Plan and is a high priority for the Economic Development Department. This position is responsible for the negotiations and real estate transactions and administration of the citywide inventory of developable property, in addition to targeted and general real estate, redevelopment, and community economic development activities. 

 

The position requires the ability to manage multiple, complex projects and activities; a high level of organizational and interpersonal skills; excellent analytical abilities; strong technical skills in redevelopment and real estate development, and the ability to identify creative solutions to move these projects forward. The position interacts with local property owners, developers, investors, City, State, and regional staff members and commercial real estate organizations. The environment in which this position operates is complex, highly political, fast-moving and always evolving, requiring a high-level of independence of action and judgement. 

 

The full annual salary range for this position is stated above. Starting wages are negotiable and dependent on the qualifications and experience of each individual candidate. The City of Westminster offers a bonus of up to $1,500 per year depending on the employee’s fluency in Spanish, Hmong, Laotian and/or American Sign Language (ASL).

 

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES AND CULTURAL VALUES/GENERAL COMPETENCIES

 

The City's work culture encourages passionate, positive and enthusiastic employees who, along with our City Council and City Manager, are strong supporters of our mission: Westminster’s purpose is to provide core services and foster economic resilience to give our community the opportunity to thrive. Our core values are embodied in our SPIRIT (Service – Pride – Integrity – Responsibility – Innovation – Teamwork).

 

This position supports the goals of the Department of Economic Development, which supports and is responsive to the City Manager's Office, citizens, the city's business community, City Council, and the overall city organization. Through leadership by example, Economic Development progressively manages the economic development, redevelopment, real estate, and housing functions of the organization, where service and empowerment are governing principles, and effectively communicates with internal and external audiences. The Economic Development Department is the City's ambassador to the business and development community and strives to excel in the provision of service.

 

Every employee is accountable to:

• Demonstrate a high level of customer service; encourage others to focus on the customer; foster an environment where customer service is a priority
• Communicate with customers to ensure that, where possible, they are satisfied, and that their needs are being addressed; solicit and evaluate customer feedback
• Act as an ambassador by understanding and fostering the organization's mission and vision
• Exhibit pride in self, the department, the city, and the community; conduct self in a professional manner
• Demonstrate integrity and build trust through credibility, reliability, commitment, loyalty, and ethical behavior
• Address difficult or contentious issues in a constructive manner
• Support/promote change; demonstrate flexibility, and take calculated risks when appropriate
• Participate in personal growth opportunities, and attend trainings designed to enhance capacity to bring new skills and ideas to the job and the organization
• Work to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service or product being delivered
• Demonstrate support for team efforts by accepting new roles and responsibilities, and helping others achieve objectives
• Value diversity; demonstrate an awareness of differences; demonstrate sensitivity, and adapt behaviors and communication to accommodate these differences

 

GENERAL COMPETENCIES

Citywide - Every employee in this position is accountable to:

• Establish effective interpersonal relationships through honest, open communication and follow-through on commitments
• Recognize personal strengths and weaknesses, and target areas for personal self-development
• Demonstrate initiative in performing job tasks
• Exhibit problem-solving skills leading to sound judgment and quality decisions
• Achieve goals, and handle assigned workload and new assignments effectively; demonstrate an ability to work independently
• Communicate effectively with individuals and groups using clear and concise verbal and written communications
• Demonstrate accountability for work, and take ownership in job performance
• Demonstrate concern for the accuracy and quality of work; take steps to correct mistakes and improve the overall product

Job Specific – Every employee in this position must be able to:

• Demonstrate substantial knowledge of:
  • Rules and regulations of the department and the City, including the City Charter, municipal code of ordinances, and other adopted codes and plans in effect, particularly those related to land development
  • Principles, practices, and negotiation of real estate transactions
  • Current literature, research, and developments in the fields of redevelopment and real estate practices
  • Requirements and program parameters of federal housing and redevelopment programs
• Provide effective oversight and leadership, as well as plan, assign, and efficiently manage the work of direct staff reports, special projects, and programs
• Negotiate terms and conditions of complex agreements related to real estate development, analyze pro forma and development proposals, and provide sound recommendations to City management and elected officials for execution of contracts
• Empower employees by:
  • Conducting daily business in an inclusive and participatory manner
  • Ensuring respectful, fair, consistent, and equal treatment of all employees, citizens, businesses, and professional associates
• Coach and hold employees accountable to conduct their work and activities in a manner that embraces the City’s SPIRIT values
• Express oneself clearly and concisely in both oral and written form, displaying a professional demeanor at all times
• Foster cooperative working relationships among staff members and emphasize positive customer relations approaches with citizens, vendors/suppliers, and those conducting business with the City
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with civic groups, the public, elected officials, and all City employees

Leadership – Every employee in this position is accountable to:

• Foster a participatory organizational climate that is open, positive, reinforcing, and supportive
• Encourage employees to be accountable for their work and take ownership in what they do
• Demonstrate leadership and courage by making or supporting decisions that reflect the organizational mission and goals even when the decision may be unpopular to some
• Demonstrate collaboration and conflict resolution skills with other departments and employees

Leadership/Supervisory – Every employee in this position is accountable to:

• Help employees to see the value of developing their skills, and assist them in eliminating barriers to their development; encourage employees to step outside of their comfort zone to develop their skills
• Provide meaningful, timely employee feedback and appraisals, and effectively address employee performance problems
• Effectively supervise, mentor, and motivate in a team environment

 

JOB SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS

 

Essential Job Functions, Duties, Responsibilities, and Tasks

1.   Departmental duties:

• Support Department Director and Division Manager and collaborate with the departmental supervisory team, as well as the City Manager’s Office and other departments, to develop solutions that support a high performing organization and fulfillment of the City’s vision
• Represent the City and Economic Development Department in a professional manner and positive light at public meetings, conferences, and community interactions
• Embody the City’s SPIRIT values in all interactions and discussions with residents, businesses, visitors and throughout the organization
• Handle contentious issues in a timely manner that reflects and supports City management philosophy and decisions

2.   Staff supervisory duties:

• Demonstrates long-term perspective through coaching, cross-training and development of employees to build organizational resiliency
• Supervises other staff members as needed and takes necessary actions to ensure proper personnel administration in coordination with the division manager
• Keeps informed as to personnel, property, and operations by observation, reports and management input and initiates actions to improve operations when appropriate

3.   Serves as staff resource for administration of the Westminster Housing Authority

4.   Meets with developers, consultants, architects, citizens, and other community and regional officials to negotiate and coordinate development and redevelopment plans

5.   Maintains and promotes departmental relations, as well as public outreach and engagement for redevelopment activities

6.   Works with the Economic Development Director, Economic Vibrancy Manager, property owners, business owners and others to craft and implement the City’s first Redevelopment Toolkit to encourage private sector investment is the City’s most challenged and underutilized areas

7.   Implements the overall development strategy for the Westminster Station TOD neighborhood, including working closely with other City departments and staff on the planning and development of properties

8.   Maintains regular and punctual attendance

Other Duties and Responsibilities

Incumbent is accountable for all duties of this job, and other projects and responsibilities may be added at the City’s discretion.

 

POSITION REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS/PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

 

Education, Experience, Skills, Formal Training, Licenses, and Certifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college with major coursework in public administration, business administration, economic development, engineering, planning, real estate development, or a closely related field
• Four (4) or more years of experience in real estate, economic development, or closely related field and proven track record of success in the use of real estate assets and/or comprehensive area-wide redevelopment projects to accomplish economic development objectives

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in public administration, business administration, economic development, engineering, planning, real estate development, or a closely related field
• Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) professional, Certification or licensure in real estate related practices, and/or American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)

Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience, which would provide the required knowledge and skills, may be considered.

Physical Requirements

Work is sedentary in nature and requires sufficient physical stamina and strength for:

• Constant sitting to perform daily tasks; occasional walking through a multilevel facility to retrieve information; frequent standing, sometimes for extended periods
• Frequent squatting, reaching above shoulder, and twisting to file documents and lift supplies and material; occasional bending, kneeling, climbing, balancing, and reaching below shoulder to store documents, material, and supplies
• Constant light grasp, fine manipulation, and handling to perform daily duties; occasional firm grasp to safely use equipment
• Frequent lifting, carrying, and pushing and/or pulling of up to ten (10) pounds to move material and supplies; occasional lifting and pushing and/or pulling of up to twenty-five (25) pounds with dollies and carts

 

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work is generally performed indoors and is primarily office work. Must demonstrate the ability to meet the physical demands of the job, including the ability to retrieve information from various locations in the office when needed. Exposure to periods of high activity and stress under demanding conditions. The position requires a great deal of communication with City employees, the public, and outside agencies.

Required Materials and Equipment

General office equipment including personal computers, telephone, cellular phone, copy machine and calculator. May operate a motor vehicle to visit project sites.

 

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

• Background checks will include employment references and criminal history, and when applicable, credit check, driver license record, and education verification
• Drug screen
• Must be legally entitled to work in the United States