Associate Director, Real Estate and Urban Policy

# Job Description

AECOM Advisory is seeking an Associate Director to help support and expand our urban policy, real estate, and economic service offering. The selected candidate will join our growing Advisory business line, a team of 400 staff globally comprised of business and policy analysts, economists, commercial strategists, technology architects, sustainability and resilience planners, and human capital and change management practitioners. We integrate strategic consulting with policy and technical expertise to help cities, regional, and other public agencies tackle challenges and better serve their constituents. We are recruiting for this role in the following locations: Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Oakland, CA.

Building off AECOM’s considerable expertise in infrastructure design and implementation, AECOM Advisory is a trusted adviser to senior-level clients and executive teams on their most pressing enterprise and strategic needs. We serve the full value chain of clients active in infrastructure, the built environment, and community vibrancy, including national governments, regulatory entities, city agencies, utilities, transit agencies, infrastructure operators, and investors.

This position would focus primarily on our real estate, economic, and public policy services. The successful candidate can lead quantitative and qualitative analysis to develop and/or evaluate strategies that address policy, design, and social challenges. Projects may cover market analysis, financial feasibility and affordability studies, funding and financing strategy (including prioritizing relevant incentives or evaluating value capture opportunity), economic and fiscal impact analysis, and program/policy evaluation to address economic and demographic disparities.

Past related projects range from supporting the City of LA to adopt their Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) Ordinance, working with the County of San Diego on their Inclusionary Housing Policy, conducting assessment of value capture strategies for transit agencies including LA Metro, MTA, and MBTA, and testing the feasibility of adaptive reuse prototypes with LA City Planning.

In addition to technical proficiency, the candidate will be expected to effectively participate in business development activities and to direct project teams to ensure quality and timely work products that satisfy clients’ needs. The position requires the ability to manage a project team while working closely with other disciplines and balancing multiple projects and deadlines, delegating and mentoring staff, and communicating clearly with both clients and other team members. Business development expectations include responding to requests for proposals and representing our team internally and externally for opportunities.

You will join as a leader in a fast-paced and supportive team of diverse consulting professionals. We pride ourselves on our strong culture of mentorship and collaborative problem-solving and our mission of addressing our client’s most complex and impactful problems, paired with career pathways that nurture professional development and personal growth.

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## Role

As an Associate Director in AECOM Advisory’s US West Region, your day-to-day role will include driving business development, overseeing engagement delivery, and supporting practice development. These tasks will include, but not be limited to:

### Directing multiple delivery teams (5–8 team members) across various and interdependent workstreams. Project types may include:
– Adaptive reuse and neighborhood revitalization studies
– Site feasibility studies
– Funding and financing strategies, including value capture and special assessment districts
– Economic and fiscal impact analysis
– Pro forma modeling to determine financial feasibility
– Evaluation of pro-housing policies such as density bonuses and inclusionary zoning

### Additional responsibilities:
– Leading client interactions
– Delivering highly polished deliverables to meet client expectations and firm standards
– Meeting project financial performance and supporting overall practice area operational performance improvement
– Being present in industry conversations and professional networks to identify and originate business development opportunities
– Managing all aspects of proposal responses as Capture Manager, including narrative development, coordination across multiple teams to develop technical solutions, pricing, team definition, subcontractor engagement, internal risk review, and compliance procedures
– Coaching and mentoring junior staff on developing core skills

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## Required Competencies
– Strong interpersonal skills, client-service mindset, and ability to act as a trusted adviser to clients
– Ability to maintain poise, maturity, and effectiveness in a high-tempo, client-facing environment
– Strong technical foundation in economics and real estate, including comfort working with economic and land use data, developing data-driven and contextualized assumptions, and conducting and reviewing technical analysis
– Ability to be self-directed, anticipatory, and comfortable working across a highly matrixed consulting organization
– Solid communication skills, with the ability to summarize and convey key technical insights to executive and senior management audiences
– Collegial team player who can work within a small, motivated team of diverse consulting professionals

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## Qualifications

### Minimum Qualifications
– At least 8 years of real estate, economics, public policy, and/or related industry experience, or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education
– Bachelor’s degree in economics, urban planning, public policy, business, real estate, or a related field

### Preferred Qualifications
– 12+ years of professional experience at a planning and economics consulting firm, or equivalent experience in urban economics, real estate, urban planning, public policy, or related fields
– Master’s degree from an accredited university in a related field
– Experience leading quantitative and qualitative economic analysis related to economic development, real estate, and public finance
– Experience collaborating with multiple disciplines, including urban planners, urban designers, and infrastructure experts in transportation, ports, water, environment, and/or energy
– Experience presenting and developing content for proposals, interacting with clients, leading multiple parallel projects, managing project teams, and presenting professional work at meetings, workshops, and industry conferences
– Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel
– Strong technical skills, including experience with:
– ArcGIS and other spatial or data analysis tools (e.g., R, Python, Costar)
– Evaluation of financial cashflows, particularly public finance, via Excel

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## Additional Information

This position will not offer sponsorship now or in the future.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Offered rate of compensation will be based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. The range for this position is $150000 to $200000.

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## About AECOM

AECOM is proud to offer comprehensive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees. Depending on your employment status, AECOM benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absence, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well-being resources, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, retirement savings plan, and employee stock purchase plan.

AECOM is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients’ complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation, and buildings. Our teams partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable, and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle—from advisory, planning, design, and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2024. Learn more at aecom.com.

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## What Makes AECOM a Great Place to Work

You will be part of a global team that champions your growth and career ambitions. Work on groundbreaking projects—both in your local community and on a global scale—that are transforming our industry and shaping the future. With cutting-edge technology and a network of experts, you’ll have the resources to make a real impact. Our award-winning training and development programs are designed to expand your technical expertise and leadership skills, helping you build the career you’ve always envisioned. Here, you’ll find a welcoming workplace built on respect, collaboration, and community—where you have the freedom to grow in a world of opportunity.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in your potential and are here to help you achieve it. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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ReqID: J10142830
Business Line: Advisory
Business Group: DCS
Strategic Business Unit: West
Career Area: Consulting Services
Work Location Model: Hybrid
Compensation: USD 150000 – USD 200000 yearly

Apply here