[Hiring] Director of Real Estate and Construction @Veterinary Practice Partners

Role Description

VPP is seeking a VP of Real Estate & Construction to own the full capital program and real estate function across the network — from site diligence and lease negotiation through de novo/AcquiNovo development and renovation, with P&L-level accountability for the portfolio’s construction budget. This is a build-the-function mandate: standing up the team, the governance model, and the playbook, not administering an existing one.

You’ll carry executive-level accountability for how fast, how well, and how cost-effectively VPP builds and secures locations — and you’ll be the primary voice on real estate and construction in leadership discussions.

What You’ll Own

• Capital Program & P&L Accountability
  • Carry P&L-level accountability for the portfolio’s construction and capital budget.
  • Own capital planning across the national portfolio — prioritizing spend against growth targets and forecasting the multi-market pipeline.
  • Institute an estimating and budget governance layer tied to deal stages, so capital costs are underwritten consistently from LOI through close and into build-out.
  • Develop project- and portfolio-level financial reporting for leadership; ensure budget deviations are pre-approved and documented.
• Real Estate Strategy & Lease Portfolio
  • Lead site selection and market analysis for de novo and AcquiNovo growth, partnering with BD on density, demographics, and competitive positioning.
  • Own the lease portfolio end-to-end: negotiation, renewals, terminations, and landlord/tenant matters.
  • Develop and enforce a related-party landlord policy, including independent market-rent benchmarking wherever a partner doctor or affiliate is also the landlord.
  • Coordinate work letters, tenant improvement allowances, and delivery conditions to protect project timelines and budgets.
• Construction & Development Execution
  • Rebuild and lead the construction PM function as a discipline distinct from facilities maintenance — clear ownership, staffing, and accountability separate from day-to-day upkeep.
  • Direct all construction projects from feasibility through close-out; own the master development/construction timeline across concurrent builds.
  • Manage relationships with architects, engineers, designers, and consultants; lead bidding, contractor selection, and contract negotiation.
  • Refine VPP’s facility design standards and development playbook toward rapid, repeatable openings.
  • Fix project visibility: standardized status cadence, templates, and exception rollups so problems surface before they escalate.
• Regulatory & Risk
  • Oversee permitting, approvals, Certificates of Occupancy, and inspections across jurisdictions.
  • Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal building codes and applicable healthcare facility requirements.
  • Anticipate and manage construction, entitlement, and site-delivery risk; maintain strict cost discipline and change-order control.
• Facilities
  • Partner on the facilities maintenance model (including evaluation of IFM/outsourced providers) to ensure the split from construction PM doesn’t create service gaps for hospital teams.
• Team & Stakeholder Leadership
  • Hire, build, and lead a small, high-caliber real estate and construction team as the portfolio scales.
  • Serve as the primary face of VPP in project dealings with doctors, partners, landlords, and vendors.

Qualifications

• 10–15+ years of progressive leadership in real estate development and/or construction project management in a multi-site retail, healthcare, or services environment; veterinary or healthcare experience a plus.
• Proven experience leading multiple concurrent ground-up projects and carrying P&L-level accountability for a capital program.
• Direct experience negotiating leases and managing a multi-location portfolio, including landlord disputes and related-party arrangements.
• Strong expertise in budgeting, scheduling, contract negotiation, and risk management; demonstrated success delivering within tight cost/schedule constraints.
• Comfort building a function from the ground up — process design, hiring, governance — not just executing an existing playbook.
• Experience managing national vendor/GC networks.
• Proficiency with project management software (Smartsheet, Procore, etc.); familiarity with design tools (AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp) a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related field preferred; a design/architecture background is a plus given the real-estate development crossover this role requires.
• Executive presence — able to distill cost, risk, and schedule tradeoffs for leadership and board audiences.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Comp & Location

• Remote with the ability to travel up to 25%.
• The expected base salary range is $175,000 - $225,000, commensurate with experience.