Duke University and Duke Health

Chief Real Estate Officer

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Description

ZRG has been retained to recruit a Chief Real Estate Officer for Duke University and Duke Health. This is a rare legacy opportunity to shape the future of the extended Duke campus, strengthening its integration with the broader community, fostering greater alignment and collaboration between the university and health system, and elevating the vision and strategy guiding the institution’s real estate portfolio.

For more details about this opportunity, please view the position profile by clicking on the cover image below.

Position Summary

The Chief Real Estate Officer is responsible for overseeing the comprehensive real estate services for Duke University and Duke University Health System. In this capacity, they will manage capital and financial planning, strategic land and asset acquisitions and dispositions, and the negotiation of leases that support the institution’s academic and healthcare missions.

They will also lead the management and expansion of key assets, including Duke Forest, the Washington Duke Inn, and the Lodge at Duke Medical Center. By aligning these properties with institutional priorities, the Chief Real Estate Officer ensures they deliver long-term value while advancing Duke’s mission.

Central to their role is the coordination of Duke’s overall real estate strategy, integrating financial stewardship, growth planning, and strategic development to meet the evolving needs of both the University and Health System. This role is ideal for a professional who is energized by the growth potential of the institution and is eager to play a hands-on role in shaping its physical footprint.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Coordination of the strategy for real estate and capital assets for the University and Health System including owned and leased campuses in alignment with institutional growth plans;
• Manage real estate team involved in the administration of lease portfolio. Establish and maintain relationships with external business partners including city officials, developers, landlords and investors;
• Management of 4+ million square feet of leased space for clinical, research, academic, administration and storage needs in approximately 250 off campus leases;
• Identification, negotiation, and oversight of real estate purchases. Lead internal and external due diligence partners for acquisition and disposition process including facility assessments and valuations;
• Coordination of legal issues including easements, right of way, deeds, etc.;
• Oversight of Duke developed neighborhood associations and Architectural Review Board representation;
• Foster a strong relationship with DUMAC, Inc. to ensure smart, fiscally responsible real estate decisions are made that create short- and long-term value;
• Partner with Finance and Project Management offices to develop and monitor budgets for major real estate projects;
• Work with Development Officers and donors to identify potential real estate donations to Duke University or Duke Health;
• Representation of Duke University and Duke University Health System as requested on internal steering committees as well as participation with community boards, government partnerships, and greater Durham relationships;
• Follow current real estate issues, trends and compliance/legal concerns related to real estate industry utilizing journals, professional contacts, industry organizations and peer groups.
• Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

About Client

Duke University

Duke University was created in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke. The Dukes, a Durham family that built a worldwide financial empire in the manufacture of tobacco products and developed electricity production in the Carolinas, long had been interested in Trinity College. Trinity traced its roots to 1838 in nearby Randolph County when local Methodist and Quaker communities opened Union Institute. The school, then named Trinity College, moved to Durham in 1892, where Benjamin Newton Duke served as a primary benefactor and link with the Duke family until his death in 1929. In December 1924, the provisions of indenture by Benjamin’s brother, James B. Duke, created the family philanthropic foundation, The Duke Endowment, which provided for the expansion of Trinity College into Duke University. Duke maintains a historic affiliation with the United Methodist Church.

Younger than most other prestigious U.S. research universities, Duke University consistently ranks among the very best. Duke’s graduate and professional schools — in business, divinity, engineering, the environment, law, medicine, nursing, and public policy — are among the leaders in their fields.

Duke’s home campus is situated on nearly 9,000 acres in Durham, N.C, a city of more than 250,000 people. Duke also is active internationally through the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore, Duke Kunshan University in China and numerous research and education programs across the globe. More than 75 percent of Duke students pursue service-learning opportunities in Durham and around the world.

Duke Health

Duke Health conceptually integrates the Duke University School of Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Duke University School of Nursing, Duke University Health System, their physician practice, Duke Health Integrated Practice, and incorporates the health and health research programs within the Duke Global Health Institute as well as those in schools and centers across Duke University, including the Duke Robert J. Margolis Institute for Health Policy.

Duke Health is committed to conducting innovative basic and clinical research, rapidly translating breakthrough discoveries to patient care and population health, providing a unique educational experience to future clinical and scientific leaders, improving the health of populations, and actively seeking policy and intervention-based solutions to complex global health challenges. Underlying these ambitions is a belief that Duke Health is a destination for outstanding people and a dedication to continually explore new ways to help their people grow, collaborate, and succeed.

Location

Durham, NC

Requirements

Required Skills:

• Strategic Real Estate Planning: Ability to develop real estate and capital asset strategies aligned with institutional growth plans for both owned and leased properties. Working knowledge of unique needs for healthcare development and mixed-use development projects;
• Portfolio Management: Experience managing a real estate team and overseeing large, complex lease portfolios (4+ million sq. ft. across 250+ leases). Knowledge and comfort navigating complex and multi-owner real estate structures and performances, managing developers and large real estate firm partners;
• Negotiation & Acquisition Expertise: Skilled in identifying, negotiating, and overseeing real estate purchases, dispositions, and leading due diligence processes;
• Relationship Building: Proven ability to establish and maintain relationships with external partners, including city officials, developers, landlords, and investors;
• Legal & Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with legal issues related to real estate (easements, deeds, right of way) and current industry trends, compliance, and legal concerns;
• Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal abilities with experience representing an institution in community and government partnerships;
• Strategic Vision: Ability to think long-term and strategically in a dynamic, high-growth environment for an elite academic health system;
• Leadership Style: Dynamic leader with agility, attention to detail, and adaptability to changing landscape.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in business administration, real estate, or related field;
• Requires over eight years’ experience in real estate and financial analysis; excellent interpersonal, analytical, negotiation, and communication skills. Experience in major university and/or health system setting preferred;
• Third-party real estate services and development experience; leading investment grade projects, asset, and programs;
• Practiced in establishing and aligning strategy, vision, mission, and cost-management across a real estate portfolio;
• Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and / or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Their collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas-an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of their perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of their community have a responsibility to uphold these values.