Director, Operations

Director, Operations

Responsible for managing local office operations for commercial services within the Chicago market, which also includes the corporate headquarters. This role will ensure that administrative and operational functions are provided to local offices in an efficient and effective manner. This role will directly manage operations staff, and will be responsible for service delivery through management of Operations Managers and a Facility Manager. The Director of Market Operations will provide management oversight for operations functions and staff throughout the sub-region, and will work closely with the Market Leader and supporting functions to implement strategic initiatives. As an operations leader, this individual will ensure there is sufficient front office support and act as a steward for operational excellence initiatives. Additionally, they will work with Regional Director of Operations and Finance team to develop the annual business plan and the annual budget.

Provide leadership, mentoring and supervision to the administrative and office operations staff

Direct all financial management of local office and specified sub-region including monthly and annual operating budgets, forecasts and reporting as well as assessment of variances for the market and service lines.

Responsible for approvals at local level for T&E, commission documentation, payables and resourcing needs.

Responsible for facilities management including relocations and buildouts, managing leases, vendor relations, and overseeing compliance / record retention

Implement and support all company initiatives

Provide leadership, mentoring and supervision to Office Managers and Coordinators within the assigned sub-region

Ensure profitability and product quality of the service delivery and back office resources within the sub-region

Creatively solve problems to ensure the market's offices operate in an efficient and effective manner

Spearhead and coordinate training programs for salespersons and employees

Collaborate with counterparts in other sub-regions to learn and utilize best operational practices

Foster coordination and communication among the firm's profit centers and work with the Market Leaders to develop and implement an annual plan for developing a collaborative work environment

Support Market Leaders with the development of the annual business plan, budget and forecast

Develop strategic planning across the different service lines within assigned sub-region and develop short- and long-range operating objectives, policies and programs

Ensure overall achievement of budgeted financial targets and other standards set forth in approved business plans for the combined businesses / accounts within the sub-region

Promote and ensure compliance with company policies and operating procedures

Advocate, support and increase adoption of firm-wide initiatives

Uphold the values, mission and standards of the company

Encourage cross-service line and cross-functional collaboration across the specified sub-region

Demonstrate expertise with all facets of the company's business, specifically services provided and customers served

Oversee all marketing, research, and service delivery teams and work with teams on staffing, following leading practices across the firm, and creating content that is best in class

In the absence of functional leadership, manage research, marketing, and service delivery staff to best serve fee-earners in delivery of material

In the absence of functional leadership, work with fee-earners to deploy teams of research, marketing, and service delivery staff based on level of effort and expertise required for delivery of material

Work with Market Leader to resolve any conflicts over ownership of opportunities

Support strategic planning processes across the various service lines within the assigned sub-region

Draft and finalize budget (revenue and expenses)

Solicit input from service line, fee earners and market leads at pre-budget meetings regarding recent wins, pipeline activity, anticipated recruiting and attrition, capital spend, etc.

Help promote culture of compliance within market for fee-earners and project coordinators to routinely update CRM system

Communicate and enforce guidelines on updating CRM system within Market

Review pipeline report

Follow up with fee-earners, project coordinators, commission accountant, Market Leader and Office Managers, as needed, to update pipeline information

Communicate finalization of pipeline to Market and Service Line Leadership and answer questions as necessary

Approve deal documentation and Revenue Summary Document to verify splits and other transaction details and work with fee-earners, as needed, to verify / update information and ensure adherence to policy

Work with Market Leader to manage any conflicts over information recorded in deal documentation

Work with Legal Counsel to determine if changes to standard contracts / agreements are required

Oversee all incoming invoices using Workday

Understand expense policy for compliance and correct coding

Work with Commission Accountants, Project Coordinators, and fee-earners, if necessary, to review all deal expenses associated with a closed deal

Oversee tracking of expenses related to deals, working directly with Office Manager to track all deal expenses

Review reports from Commission Accounting on outstanding receivables and work with Market Leader and fee-earners to determine strategy for collecting payments

Approve write-offs or use of collection agency for outstanding receivables over certain limit

Review and approve all expense reports and determine if expenses are appropriate and in policy in Expense system

Review business case for necessity of expenditure

Oversee and manage the purchasing and maintenance of office supplies and office equipment (i.e. furniture, IT equipment, telephones, snack services, plants, etc.)

Solicit and negotiate vendor bids, contracts, and pricing

Work with Office Manager to ensure all vendors are included in Workday Vendor Management

Work with HR to develop job descriptions for identified opening

Interview candidates for various positions

Coordinate with HR, department head, Office Coordinator / Office Manager, IT / Telecomm to ensure all equipment is ordered, desk is set up and ready on Day 1

Determine start date, department, manager, etc.

Use WorkDay for all HR needs (ETS in Global HQ)

Manage employees and delegate workflow

Prepare and deliver annual performance reviews and KPI's

Work in conjunction with HR on performance issues

Ensure compliance with record keeping and policy adherence

Oversee any events and conference within the market in conjunction with Marketing and PR

Manage firm brand, marketing, and PR

Work with Office Manager to track broker licenses, professional memberships, and educational requirements and follow up with fee-earners on any delinquencies or upcoming actions required

Coordinate any move with Office Managers and Office Coordinator by designing seating plan

Work in conjunction with IT, Telecomm, Real Estate on all moves

Implement emergency preparedness plan

Manage required adjacencies, anticipated recruiting and attrition

Perform more administrative duties in the absence of Office Manager such as tracking broker licenses and professional memberships, manage onboarding of new hires, business continuity, coordinate moves, track vacancies and utilization

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements. The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate's experience and qualifications. The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role. The compensation for the position is : $ 127,500.00 - $150,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email HRServices@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.