Senior Director, Real Estate & Development

San Diego, CA 92163

• Salary Range: $150,000.00 - $180,000.00 Salary

Senior Director, Real Estate & Development

Location: Hybrid/Remote, with travel of approximately 40-50% to markets, sites, and clinics
Salary Range: $150,000 - $180,000/year base, plus annual bonus (20%) eligibility and benefits
Reports To: Chief Administrative Officer

About ACES

ACES is on a mission to enhance lives and help more people reach their potential by improving access to high-quality autism therapy for families across the country. As we continue to grow, we are building a best-in-class team to help ACES manage the footprint we have, enter new communities, launch new locations and scale all of it sustainably.

Why This Role Matters

Expanding into new communities allows ACES to bring high-quality autism care to more families. The Director, Real Estate & Development, is responsible for real estate planning, searches, transactions, lease administration and facilities across ACES rapidly growing footprint. You will help shape the pace of ACES growth while strengthening the systems and discipline required to execute footprint expansion at scale.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Strategy, governance, and planning: Develop ACES’ real estate and facilities strategy, roadmap, operating plan, budget, decision gates, and executive reporting in partnership with Finance and senior leadership.

• Market and site execution: Lead market planning, site searches, diligence, financial analysis, LOIs, lease negotiations, renewals, expansions, relocations, dispositions, and portfolio optimization.

• Development and openings: Own end-to-end clinic development, including design, permitting, landlord coordination, construction, FF&E, technology dependencies, commissioning, turnover, and opening stabilization.

• Scalable infrastructure: Build prototypes, playbooks, SOPs, project controls, dashboards, stage gates, cost benchmarks, quality standards, and performance metrics to improve opening capacity, speed, cost, schedule, and risk management.

• Facilities operations: Oversee maintenance standards, work-order governance, vendor performance, landlord relationships, inspections, permits, business licenses, COIs, annual fire inspections, and fire/life-safety requirements.

• Compliance and risk: Ensure compliance with applicable laws, leases, company standards, OSHA guidelines, accessibility requirements, licensing-related facility needs, and other facility-related regulatory obligations.

• Lease administration and portfolio controls: Manage critical dates, rent/CAM reconciliations, landlord charge audits, TI allowance collection, capital planning, forecasting, reporting, and portfolio risk mitigation.

• Cross-functional coordination: Partner with Operations, Clinical, Growth, Credentialing, Payer Relations, Compliance, IT, People, Legal, and Finance to align construction, licensure, payer enrollment, hiring, technology, staffing, and billing readiness.

• Team and vendor leadership: Select, lead, and hold accountable internal team members and external partners, including brokers, architects, engineers, contractors, project managers, consultants, landlords, and service providers.

This leader is expected to bring structure, urgency, and disciplined execution to a growing function while balancing speed to market with quality, compliance, cost control, and long-term portfolio health.

Key Performance Indicators

• Openings delivered against the approved annual plan, including on-time opening rate and cycle time from LOI or lease execution to opening.

• Build-out and project costs managed against approved budget, with clear visibility to variances, change orders, and escalation needs.

• Forward site pipeline coverage sufficient to support the annual de novo opening plan and future market priorities.

• Facilities response and resolution performance, preventive maintenance completion, and stakeholder satisfaction across operating clinics.

• Lease administration accuracy, including zero missed critical dates and timely management of renewals, options, escalations, and obligations.

Qualifications

We’re seeking a motivated, experienced leader:

• 8+ years of progressive experience, including at least 3 years managing people or programs, across corporate or healthcare real estate, multi-site development, construction, and facilities operations for a geographically distributed portfolio.

• Demonstrated success building and scaling real estate and facilities functions in a growth-oriented, multi-state organization.

• Proven record leading site selection, lease transactions, design/construction programs, capital planning, portfolio optimization, and delivery of 15+ new locations per year in a relevant multi-site environment.

• Strong understanding of lease structures, landlord negotiations, TI allowances, free rent, work letters, renewal and expansion options, assignment/change-of-control rights, and risk terms.

• Experience with outpatient healthcare, pediatric, education, or childcare facilities and related licensing, zoning, life-safety, ADA, environmental, workplace-safety, and facilities compliance requirements strongly preferred.

• Experience partnering cross-functionally with operations, clinical, finance, legal, compliance, IT, credentialing, payer relations, and people teams to deliver new site openings.

• Private equity-backed or high-growth experience, including real estate diligence and acquisition integration, preferred.

• Experience leading internal teams and external brokers, architects, contractors, project managers, consultants, landlords, and service providers.

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate, business, finance, engineering, construction management, architecture, or a related field; advanced degree or credential such as MBA, CCIM, PMP, or FMP preferred.

• Ability to travel approximately 40-50% to markets and sites; valid driver’s license required.

Work Environment

Role requires regular visits to active construction sites and occupied clinics, including walking, climbing stairs, and standing for extended periods, with appropriate safety equipment.

ACES is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACES will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable fair chance laws.