Assistant Director of Operations

University Center is a unique 1700+ bed multi-use student housing complex located in the heart of downtown with academic year residents from 5 master leased universities along with individual leasing, a full-service on-site dining center and market, as well as retail tenants. During the summer, the building transforms into a short-term stay and hoteling facility for interns, groups, corporate clients, and more. With 150+ staff and several departments, University Center is truly a unique and rewarding experience with many areas to learn and grow!

About the Role

The Assistant Director of Operations plays a key leadership role at University Center, overseeing a range of financial, operational, and leasing tasks. In addition to financial management which includes monthly close activities, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance, this position will also be responsible for general strategy, leasing, marketing, and more. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented, proactive leader who has excellent verbal and written communication capabilities, the ability to work through complex challenges, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and enjoys collaborating across departments.

Business Expertise

• In depth knowledge of property management operations and financial concepts such as: budgeting, revenue, NOI, leasing, and compliance.
• Knowledgeable in property management software and/or experience in financial management within student or multi-family housing. Entrata experience preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced capabilities utilizing Microsoft Excel to build/maintain workbooks used to analyze, audit, and/or present financial data.
• A self-starter who is highly organized and motivated, can take on responsibilities and initiate projects while working independently, as well as part of a large team.
• Demonstrates strong customer service and relationship management skills with a variety of clients, vendors, and partners.
• Flexible and capable of prioritizing tasks when working in a busy and changing environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Own and execute all accounting month-end activities, including pre-close and close reports, reconciliations, accruals, reclasses, capital reporting, variance analysis, and cash forecasting. Coordinate with corporate accounting to ensure all month-end activities are completed by the monthly deadlines.
• Monitor and analyze financial performance on an ongoing basis, providing insights and recommending actions to meet or exceed financial goals. Coordinate with department heads monthly, to maintain their annual budgets and spending.
• Review and approve invoices and property credit card transactions.
• Interface with senior executives and ownership on a regular basis. Prepare professional, articulate executive summaries and other communications to ownership as needed.
• Lead the annual budget preparation process, including operating expenses, capital projects, five-year capital planning, and other advanced accounting requirements.
• Support and lead strategic initiatives that drive University Center’s long-term financial health, operational efficiency, and overall property performance through collaboration with senior leadership and department heads.
• Maintain and enhance key financial Excel workbooks and models (Master Lease Billing, StarRez Income, Retail NNN, etc.).
• Review all vendor contracts to ensure compliance with PeakMade and University Center standards. Coordinate with department heads to ensure vendor services are aligned with contracts, budgets, and expected timelines.
• Coordinate with Housing and Operations teams to administer all master leases, including drafting leases, reviewing leases, entering leases in Entrata, issuing invoices/notices, and maintaining master lease records.
• Collaborate with legal counsel to review and update individual and master lease agreements annually.
• Maintain insurance and COI compliance for all vendors, tenants, and residents.
• Support all audit and compliance requirements with accurate documentation and timely responses.
• Develop the strategy for, and manage the leasing of, non-master-leased beds. Including management and oversight of day-to-day activities of the leasing team and assisting in the leasing office as needed.
• Oversee all property-wide marketing and brand management efforts, including strategy development, execution, and cross-department alignment. Supervise online advertising, website updates, collateral creation, promotional product ordering, and outreach leasing initiatives to ensure a cohesive and effective brand presence.
• Oversight for all marketing vendors, including partners for website development, social media content, SEO, digital advertising, and promotional products. Oversee all branded item requests across departments and ensure consistency in quality, spending, and brand standards.
• Maintain and review resident ledgers, scheduled billing, payments, and delinquency to ensure accuracy and collection efforts.
• Maintain a positive relationship with all retail tenants. Maintain and audit retail ledgers and insurance requirements, send retail notices, and other actions as required in retail leases.
• Lead a team of 1–2 staff members to achieve all objectives and tasks, fostering accountability, accuracy, and professional growth.
• Candidates must be available in the evenings and on occasional weekends during peak student housing and financial periods.
• Candidates must be available to travel for conferences and work-related activities approximately 2 weeks per year.
• Additional responsibilities as required.

Education & Experience

• 5+ years of accounting, financial operations, property management, or related experience.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, with a focus on accuracy and process improvement.
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to translate financial data into clear insights.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with accounting and property management systems. Experience with StarRez or Entrata preferred but not required.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and build strong professional relationships.
• Exceptional customer service and professionalism
• Willingness to obtain Illinois Leasing license within 120 days.
• Bachelor’s Degree or high school diploma/equivalent with additional courses and/or relevant experience.

Physical Requirements

• The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery (i.e., phone, copy machine, etc.)
• The person in this position frequently communicates with students and parents. Must be able to exchange accurate information.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear and must be able to exchange accurate information with team members, residents, and more.

*The anticipated pay range for this role is $80,000–$90,000 annually, with final compensation determined based on experience, skills, and internal equity.