Job Overview:

North Hartford Partnership seeks an experienced, self-motivated, and detail-oriented person to join the Real Estate team as Director of Buildings and Grounds of the Swift Factory, an 80,000 square foot 2.5 acre commercial and community campus in Hartford’s North End neighborhood. Once a hub for Hartford industry, the M. Swift and Sons gold leafing factory closed its doors in 2005 and was donated to North Hartford Partnership. After a 10-year community engagement, fundraising, planning, and construction effort, the building has been transformed into a vibrant hub for entrepreneurship, training, learning, and community engagement.

The Director of Buildings and Grounds will be the lead for all aspects of Swift Factory’s leasing, marketing, and property management operations. You will oversee efforts to engage the community and ensure Swift’s diverse, small business tenants receive best-in-class property/office management service.

About North Hartford Partnership

The North Hartford Partnership (formerly Northeast Neighborhood Partners) was founded in 2010 by Community Solutions. Our mission is to advance the equitable social and economic development of the North Hartford Neighborhoods in collaboration with residents and other community stakeholders.

Since 2010, the North Hartford Partnership has collaborated with partners, local government, community organizations, and resident leaders, to create a vibrant, sustainable community where all residents have access to safe, affordable housing, economic opportunities, and a high quality of life.

In 2020, NHP opened the Swift Factory to cultivate economic activity and convene opportunities for residents. In 2022, NHP’s sister organization, the North Hartford Housing Trust (formerly the North Hartford Community Land Trust), began purchasing apartment buildings in the neighborhoods around Swift in an effort to foster housing stability, local control of housing, and healthier, safer living conditions in North Hartford. We are a team of values driven innovators motivated by results. We eagerly seek and support diverse applicants. We provide generous benefits and opportunities for inspiring and transformational professional growth. We pride ourselves in developing an inclusive workplace culture that encourages staff to bring their whole selves to work every day.

Defining Success for this Position:

The Director of Buildings and Grounds is responsible for the overall operational and financial aspects of the Swift Factory property and for meeting project goals and vision. The position is accountable for areas of personnel management, leasing, tenant relations, maintenance, collections, budget management, capital improvements, information reporting and compliance.

Further success includes:

Demonstrating a commitment to the community
1. Building supportive relationships with the entrepreneurs leasing space at Swift and ensuring community members benefit from employment opportunities created through Swift operations.
Carrying out the fiduciary responsibility of operations
1. Achieving an over 90% occupancy rate, maintaining an efficient operating budget, and securing leases and other financial commitments to maintain a sustainable positive net operating income.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Swift Factory marketing and leasing activities

Lead on overall leasing and marketing strategies for the property’s ~ office, kitchens and commercial units.
Establish a competitive and viable pricing strategy for the units.
Syndicate multi-organization collaborations for larger leases.
Engage and present to internal and external executive-level stakeholders throughout the leasing and negotiating process.
Establish and meet targets for building occupancy
Maintain a customer relationship management (CRM) database to track all leasing and marketing communications and every stage of the leasing process for each tenant
Provide monthly reporting to internal and external stakeholders on leasing activity.
Work with tenants to build out specifications, budget, and timeline for the fit out of their space, as needed
Perform community outreach and public engagement work with neighboring organizations and businesses, attending community meetings as needed.

Swift operations and property management

Engage sub-contractor and vendors for all aspects of property management operations, including the drafting and solicitation of Request for Proposals (RFPs) and bid selection while maintaining Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) goals
Manage design and construction of interior and tenant fit-out packages, as needed
Develop, improve, and implement policies and procedures for tenant compliance
Review and approve invoices and expenditures
Monitor and assure compliance with all relevant codes
Support and facilitate property audits, lender and investor walk-throughs, and reporting
Monitor energy/utility consumption and reporting of tenant utility consumption
Oversee rent collection, processes cash receipts, security deposits, and vendor invoices
Oversee move-ins/outs, security deposits, transfers, rent changes, and tenant violations
Create and maintain a comprehensive property budget and provide reporting with regard to actual vs projected budget performance, including the ability to stress test the financial model
Respond to requests for information from auditors and accountants related to audits, tax returns, financial reporting, and monthly reconciliations
Oversee the on-time payment of annual corporate and real estate taxes
Help manage the quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reporting requirements of investors, lenders, and the federal agencies that funded Swift
Maintain service agreements and current certificates of insurance from vendors
Foster a positive, active, and collaborative relationship with residents/tenants
Oversee the resolution of questions and complaints from residents/tenants

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Manage a team of 3 and ensure they receive the support needed to do their best work
Team will include:
- A full-time and part-time Building Superintendent, focused on custodial, maintenance and inspections of building systems
- A Hub Manager focused on donor development, marketing and community engagement

Professional Experience and Qualifications:

A minimum of five years of property and asset management, leasing, project management or related experience
Experience in real estate transactions including negotiating contract of sales, leases
Excellent communication skills (both interpersonal and written)
Understanding of proformas and budgets

Additional Attributes

Familiarity with North Hartford neighborhoods (Northeast, Upper Albany and Clay Arsenal)
Passion for improving the lives of North Hartford residents, and for community, economic, and real estate development
Understanding of structural racism and its impact on communities of color
Ability to successfully manage multiple tasks and projects in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment and demonstrate a willingness to shift easily between various responsibilities with diverse stakeholders
Ability to work independently and self-manage to achieve goals while being a strong team player
Ability to organize, meet deadlines, and delegate appropriately
Own & operate a vehicle with a valid US driver's license
Ability to communicate in Spanish is a plus

Software/Apps Used:

Google Business Apps
Microsoft Office Apps
Zoom video conferencing software
Customer relationship management (CRM) software
Yardi Property Management Software
Adobe Creative Cloud is a plus

Work Environment:

This is a full-time on-site position located at the Swift Factory in North Hartford, CT.
Flexibility for work weeks with nights and weekends
Post-COVID travel within the Northeast USA is anticipated 2-3 times per year to attend meetings, events, conferences, and trainings.

Salary Range:

CS offers competitive salaries and benefits packages for every position. The salary range for this position is between $85,500 - $110,000 and will be based upon experience.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We strive for inclusivity and diversity by attracting extraordinary people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We seek to employ an all-star team of people who vary by their race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, age, culture, religion, veteran status, physical and mental abilities. We promote equal opportunity in the recruitment, selection, training, compensation, promotion, and benefits of all employees.