Director of Real Estate & TOD
Description
Department: Charlotte Area Transit System Department
Salary: $145,541.00 - $209,213.74 Commensurate with Experience
Thank you for your interest in joining the team that keeps Charlotte moving, at a very exciting time for our organization. At the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), we’re committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative transit services for our growing community, and we value employees who bring professionalism, passion, and a commitment to public service.
This position is currently employed by CATS, a department of the City of Charlotte. With the passage of the PAVE Act and last year’s sales tax referendum, CATS is preparing to transition from a City department to the newly created Metropolitan Public Transit Authority (MPTA). The MPTA was established to strengthen regional transit governance, improve accountability, and support long‑term investment in mobility. It’s an important and exciting step forward for transit in our region.
Employees hired into this role will remain City employees through December 31, 2026, and will transition to MPTA employment on January 1, 2027. Benefits and compensation will follow City provisions through 2026 and shift to MPTA provisions in 2027, with clear information shared in advance. Your core duties, reporting structure, and daily responsibilities will remain consistent, with no break in service. If anything delays the transition, your City employment, including compensation and benefits, will remain in place until the move to the MPTA occurs.
The creation of the MPTA positions us for a more modern, sustainable, and efficient transit system, one that can better support the Charlotte region for decades to come. We’re excited about what’s ahead and appreciate your interest in being part of it.
SUMMARY
The Director of Real Estate and Transit-Oriented Development serves as the executive leader responsible for directing CATS’ real estate, transit-oriented development, acquisition, appraisal, portfolio management, land use coordination, and related property strategy functions. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, this position leads a growing multidisciplinary division responsible for advancing capital project delivery, protecting and optimizing agency property interests, supporting transit-oriented development and joint development opportunities, and building the policies, systems, and organizational capabilities needed for long-term real estate stewardship in a regional transit authority environment.
This role provides strategic and executive oversight across acquisitions, appraisals, leasing, property and corridor preservation, land surveying, real estate systems, portfolio management, transit-oriented development, and related economic development coordination. The position is responsible for implementing a policy-driven, scalable, and accountable program with clear standards, governance, workflows, and performance expectations. Work includes directing senior managers and functional leaders; aligning real estate decisions with capital program, operational, legal, financial, and community development priorities; and representing CATS in complex negotiations and intergovernmental relationships.
The Director ensures real estate and TOD decisions support agency service needs, capital expansion and renewal, long-term public value, equitable community outcomes, and integration of transit investments with land use and development patterns across the region. The role serves as CATS’ senior representative with public agencies, developers, property owners, legal and appraisal professionals, elected leadership, community stakeholders, and federal partners, including the Federal Transit Administration.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
The following duties are standard for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification.
Strategic Leadership and Program Direction
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Directs the agency’s overall real estate and TOD strategy, ensuring alignment with capital program priorities, operational needs, long-term property stewardship, and regional development objectives.
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Establishes long-range goals, priorities, and strategic frameworks for acquisitions, appraisals, portfolio management, leasing, TOD, joint development, and related real estate functions.
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Guides the continued evolution of the real estate function to a policy-based, scalable and accountable program.
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Ensures real estate and development strategies support mobility, ridership, corridor protection, land use integration, and public value creation.
Policy, Governance, and Systems Stewardship
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Establishes and governs frameworks, policies, standards, and procedures for real estate transactions, appraisals, leasing, easements, dispositions, corridor preservation, joint development, and related program activities.
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Leads development of governance structures, business processes, workflows, and performance expectations that strengthen consistency, transparency, accountability, and audit readiness.
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Oversees real estate systems, records practices, documentation standards, and related administrative infrastructure needed to support a modern real estate program and meets FTA requirements.
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Ensures decision-making and program administration are supported by reliable data, defensible documentation, and clear organizational controls.
Division Oversight and Organizational Development
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Leads and manages a growing organizational structure that may include the Assistant Director of Real Estate, Senior Manager of Real Estate, Land Survey Manager, acquisition and appraisal leaders, portfolio and leasing staff, TOD staff, systems support roles, and other assigned personnel.
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Establishes organizational roles, reporting relationships, staffing models, and succession approaches appropriate for a maturing real estate and TOD division.
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Provides strategic direction, coaching, and accountability to managers and senior staff while fostering a culture of professionalism, responsiveness, collaboration, and public service.
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Supports workforce development and institutional capability-building so the division can sustain high-quality performance as responsibilities expand.
Acquisition, Appraisal, and Transactional Oversight
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Provides executive oversight of acquisition, appraisal, relocation-related coordination, easement, disposition, and other property transaction activities supporting capital delivery, agency operations, and strategic property needs.
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Ensures transactional real estate activities are aligned with project priorities, schedule needs, documentation standards, regulatory requirements, and agency governance expectations.
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Reviews significant or sensitive transactions, policy questions, dispute issues, and major negotiation matters requiring executive attention.
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Supports effective coordination among real estate staff, project teams, consultants, legal counsel, and agency leadership on complex transaction matters.
Portfolio Strategy, Leasing, and Asset Optimization
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Directs strategy for property use, surplus designation, leasing, tenant agreements, corridor protection, access rights, and other portfolio management decisions affecting agency real property interests.
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Balances revenue generation, mission support, future transit flexibility, public accountability, and long-term asset value in portfolio strategy decisions.
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Oversees approaches to real estate portfolio planning that support both current agency needs and future expansion, redevelopment, or preservation opportunities.
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Helps ensure the agency’s real property assets are managed intentionally and in a manner consistent with strategic, financial, and operational goals.
TOD, Joint Development, and Economic Development Coordination
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Directs agency strategy related to transit-oriented developme