Leadership Hiring for Corporate Real Estate
Corporate real estate leaders sit between the business and the portfolio.
Structured interviews are about twice as predictive of job performance as unstructured conversations.
Read the researchWhere you may have met us.
- CoreNet Global panelNavigating the CRE Job Market, New York2025 →
- CoreNet Global Eastern Regional SymposiumPanelist, early careers talent acquisition in CRE, Washington, DC2022
- BOMA New York, International Women’s Day panelAccelerating Action in Commercial Real Estate2026 →
- BOMA New York podcastGrowth Through Connection: women’s leadership in commercial real estate2026 →
Same title. Different job.
Occupier, in-house
Head of Corporate Real Estate
- Owns
- The company’s own footprint and workplace strategy
- Measured on
- Occupancy cost, utilization, and employee experience
- Built through
- In-house corporate real estate teams
- Works with
- The CFO, HR, and business unit leaders
Service provider account
Head of Corporate Real Estate
- Owns
- A client’s portfolio under an outsourcing contract
- Measured on
- Client satisfaction, savings delivered, and account growth
- Built through
- Integrated facilities and transaction platforms
- Works with
- The client’s real estate team and vendor partners
The wrong leadership hire costs more than a salary. It costs the deals not done, the assets mismanaged through a cycle, and the team that walks out.
Where we lead searches.
Seats we fill
- Chief Investment Officer
- Vice President of Asset Management
- Director of Portfolio Strategy
- Head of Investor Relations
Inside a search.
Search brief
Chief Financial Officer · Hybrid, Dallas
- First-year outcome
- Close the next fund raise
- Reports to
- President
- Base
- $250,000 to $300,000
- Must have
- Fund accounting depth
A third option.
The rigor
Retained search
- Method
- Mapped market, written assessments
- Fee
Two thirds before your hire signs
The terms
Contingent recruiting
- Method
Résumé volume- Fee
- When your hire signs
Both
24 Hour Search
- Method
- Mapped market, written assessments
- Fee
- When your hire signs
What it costs, and when.
Retained search
30% of first-year cash compensation, in three installments
24 Hour Search
25% of first-year base salary, once
How this is calculated
Industry sources put retained fees at 25 to 35 percent of first-year cash compensation (base plus target bonus), billed in three installments at engagement, slate, and placement; we show 30 percent. The first two installments are owed whether or not the candidate signs. Our fee is 25 percent of first-year base salary, invoiced at the signed offer, with no fee on bonus, equity, or sign-on cash. Exact terms are confirmed at engagement.
Recent results.
All case studiesA role open for months, filled inside a 30-day deadline.
- 3
- days to a first slate
- 4 of 4
- finalists sourced by us
- 30
- days to an accepted offer
A VP of Lease Administration, recruited from outside the usual talent pool.
Read the case study →The senior seats we know best.
Owners, operators & investors
VP of Acquisitions
Deal-end leadership across owner and operator platforms.
Read the hiring guide →Head of Asset Management
Returns protection across the hold and through cycles.
Read the hiring guide →Chief Investment Officer
Investment thesis, capital allocation, investor relations.
Read the hiring guide →Head of Capital Markets
Debt, equity, and the lender relationships behind them.
Read the hiring guide →Head of Development
Ground-up across asset classes and geographies.
Read the hiring guide →Chief Financial Officer
Fund mechanics, audit, and capital events.
Read the hiring guide →Chief Operating Officer
Operating leadership at the CEO’s right hand.
Read the hiring guide →Service providers
What CRE leaders ask before engaging a search.
When should I engage an executive search firm for a CRE leadership hire?
Engage a search firm when the role is senior enough that hiring the wrong person creates strategic, capital, or reputational risk you cannot easily recover from. That usually means Director-through-C-suite roles in commercial real estate where the seat is specialized enough that an internal recruiter cannot evaluate it confidently, the market has to be mapped rather than advertised to, and the cost of a mishire materially outweighs the cost of the search itself.
What is the difference between retained executive search and contingent recruiting in commercial real estate?
Retained search firms charge an upfront retainer regardless of outcome and run a defined process to a defined conclusion. Contingent recruiting is paid only on placement, which usually incentivizes speed and volume over fit. 24 Hour Search is built differently: we deliver the methodology of retained search (market mapping, direct outreach, deep reference work, accountability for the outcome), and by default you pay when your hire signs. Retained engagements are available when a client prefers one.
Which CRE asset classes does 24 Hour Search cover?
We place leadership across office, industrial and logistics, retail and mixed-use, multifamily including affordable, hospitality, and land and development. Asset-class fluency matters at the leadership level. A Head of Asset Management built inside multifamily is not interchangeable with one built inside industrial, and the search anchors on the specifics of the actual portfolio.
Do you work with owners and operators, service providers, or both?
Both. On the principal side, we place leadership for owners, operators, REITs, funds, and developers. On the service-provider side, we place senior leadership for global and regional CRE service providers and brokerages, including Heads of Transaction Management, Account Leaders, and Market Leaders or Managing Principals.
How long does a typical CRE executive search take?
We work on your timeline. As a rough guide, Director and VP searches often close in 60 to 90 days from engagement to accepted offer, and C-suite searches in 90 to 120. The real pace depends on availability and urgency, yours and the candidates’.
How is 24 Hour Search different from a typical CRE recruiter?
Our methodology is retained-grade: market mapping, direct outreach, deep reference work, and accountability for the outcome. Every search is run personally by an experienced practitioner with a CRE-fluent background, and the mandate is to reduce the risk of the wrong hire, not to fill the seat fastest.
Your next leader is one conversation away.
You pay when your hire signs.
We reply within one business day.