Practice Area
We place CFOs, Heads of Development, VP Acquisitions, Controllers, and senior finance leaders at developers, operators, and institutional real estate platforms. This is our most active practice — we have deep networks at every tier of the market from regional developers to top-10 national platforms.
Real estate finance executives operate in a uniquely complex environment — one that demands simultaneous fluency in deal finance, institutional reporting, capital markets, and operational leadership. A CFO who has only worked at a publicly traded REIT is not automatically qualified for a PE-backed development platform. A Head of Development from a single-state operator may not have the carry structure expertise needed at a national institutional firm. Knowing the difference is what makes a search go well.
Senior real estate finance executives must understand the full capital stack — construction debt, mezz, preferred equity, LIHTC, HUD, bridge-to-perm, JV waterfalls, and institutional fund reporting. The candidate who can navigate a 9% LIHTC deal from commitment to perm conversion is genuinely rare. We know who they are and where they are.
The best development and finance executives at PE-backed and institutional platforms are rarely looking. They are managing active pipelines, embedded in carry structures, and receiving inbound calls regularly. Getting a serious response requires a personal relationship, a compelling opportunity, and a message that demonstrates real knowledge of their background. Generic outreach doesn't work at this level.
A candidate leaving a promoted interest or carry structure will not accept cash alone — regardless of how large the number is. Understanding what a candidate has at stake at their current platform, and how to structure a competing offer that accounts for that, is one of the most critical skills in a real estate executive search. Most firms miss this entirely.
Every role listed below represents searches we have run or are actively running. These are not aspirational — they are the actual profiles our clients hire us to find.
When we approach a candidate on your behalf, they should hear from someone who understands the work. These are terms we use daily — not because we looked them up, but because we've placed executives who live them.
JV Waterfall
The distribution structure between equity partners in a real estate joint venture — preferred returns, catch-ups, and promoted interests. A CFO who can't speak to waterfall mechanics will not get past a first call with a sophisticated sponsor.
LIHTC / 9% & 4% Credits
Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs — the primary financing vehicle for affordable housing development. Candidates with LIHTC experience command premiums within the affordable housing sector because the compliance, equity syndication, and HUD interface is genuinely specialized work.
Promote / Carried Interest
The developer or sponsor's share of profits above a preferred return threshold. The single most important variable in retaining or losing a candidate who already participates in one. Cash cannot replace promote economics without a significant premium.
Bridge-to-Perm
A short-term construction or interim loan that converts to permanent financing upon stabilization. Development finance executives who can manage lender relationships across the full arc from construction to stabilized DSCR are a genuinely limited pool.
DSCR / Debt Service Coverage
Debt service coverage ratio — the primary metric lenders use to assess loan performance on stabilized assets. A Head of Asset Management who can't discuss DSCR trends across a portfolio in a lender conversation is not operating at the level a large platform needs.
NMHC Rankings
The National Multifamily Housing Council's annual ranking of the largest apartment developers and managers. When a candidate says they've worked at a "top-10 developer," this is the benchmark. It matters significantly for compensation positioning and candidate credibility at the institutional level.
We have placed executives at developers managing LIHTC portfolios across 20+ states, PE-backed multifamily platforms navigating their first institutional capital raise, regional mixed-use developers building their finance function from scratch, and publicly traded REITs managing complex SEC and SOX compliance environments. We know what each of those environments actually demands — and we know the candidates who have done it.
All searches below are anonymized. Company names and identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality.
Tell us about the role. We'll give you a straight read on the candidate market, a comp benchmark, and an honest assessment of timeline and fit.