LivCor, a Blackstone portfolio company, is a real estate asset management business specializing in multi-family housing. Formed in 2013 and headquartered in Chicago, LivCor is currently responsible for a portfolio of over 400 Class A and B properties comprising more than 150,000 units in markets across the United States.
Our business is focused on making real estate more valuable. But for us, it’s more than that. It’s people first, community always. It’s a life-filled career, not just a career-filled life. It’s doing good work, with good humans, and making a difference. It’s excellence in all its forms. Ultimately, we create great places to work, live, and grow. We do that by focusing on leaving people – and places – better than we found them.
Whew! Still with us? Cool. Let’s talk about where you’d fit in:
Only read further if you are:
- Kind
- Humble
- Honest
- Relentless
- Smart with Heart
You should be:
- Authentic. You do you. Together, we’ll do something amazing.
- A passionate person with a love for real estate and investing; and believes that helping others win is a noble cause, essential to our success.
- An excellent team player who enjoys working with others and has strong interpersonal skills.
- Highly motivated, energetic, and organized
Please review the job applicant privacy notice here.
The Director – Issues Management role will be a critical member of and exciting addition to LivCor’s Issues Management team.
As a member of the Issues Management team, you will work closely with LivCor and Blackstone leaders on crisis/issues prevention and management – protecting and enhancing our reputation by managing a wide variety of issues and escalated matters that occur across our portfolio.
We’re looking for a strategic thinker and creative problem-solver, with a proven track record in solving complex reputational issues in both corporate and political arenas.
We want a passionate and engaging leader who views every challenge as an opportunity, is happiest when intellectually challenged by diverse and interesting issues, cares deeply about doing important work with incredible (+ fun!) humans, and has creative vision to help shape the future of the Issues Management team.
Most importantly, we want someone who is humble, kind, and compassionate with a great sense of humor.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL:
Thrive working on a tight-knit team who does serious work (but doesn’t take itself too seriously!).
Develop strong relationships, work collaboratively, and lead through influence – balancing competing perspectives and needs of stakeholders at all levels.
Think big picture to foresee reputational risks and opportunities within the broader Blackstone ecosystem, and zoom into critical details, nuances, and variables to inform issues management strategy and response.
Expertly navigate issues with LivCor and Blackstone stakeholders (asset management, legal, executive leadership, etc.), third-party partners (property management companies, external PR agencies and law firms, key vendors, etc.), and external audiences (residents, media, elected officials, etc.).
What you will do:
Leveraging your deep corporate reputation and crisis/issues management background, you will be one of the Issues Management team’s go-to experts on the full range of issues that arise in our portfolio.
Work closely with LivCor’s functional teams (asset management, legal, capex, etc.) and third-party partners to expertly manage sensitive issues and matters.
Take on a central role in both preventing issues before they happen and managing (“owning”) them when they do (gathering facts, identifying reputational vulnerabilities, solving for problems, creating solutions, executing effectively, and understanding how, when and to whom to escalate sensitive matters, etc.).
Advise stakeholders on communications and reputational issues both big (lawsuits, environmental disasters, material crime, etc.) and small (escalated customer service matters, asset / operational disturbances, etc.) to minimize reputational risk.
Know how to effectively brief up and summarize extremely complex issues to senior LivCor and Blackstone leaders (think: be brief, be brilliant, be gone.).
Draft communications materials (media statements, talking points, Q&A’s, etc.) to prepare stakeholders and spokespeople for escalated issues and matters that may become public.
Recognize and navigate public affairs issues (local elected official or government department outreach) when they have a reputational component.
Support development and implementation of crisis preparedness work, including standards, playbooks, and protocols.
Help gather, input, track, understand, trend spot, and report on data accretive to the business and LivCor’s ability to effectively manage issues.
Work with PR agencies and external law firms to support communications efforts as needed, including research, material development, and media and social media monitoring.
What you should have:
Bachelor’s degree in communications, political science, or related field (discipline agnostic if you can demonstrate strong experience relevant to the role). Maybe you think you would have made a great attorney in another life?
10 + years of high-stakes reputation management experience with a keen public affairs eye.
A strong understanding of, previous exposure to, and proven experience resolving the types of issues we deal with (customer service matters, media/government outreach, legal issues, environmental issues, etc.) – bonus points if you have experience working in private equity, with an asset management firm, or with a large REIT or real estate investment firm.
A track record demonstrating how you understand risk in all its forms and view every situation through the lens of: how can we work in the background to prevent issues from surfacing and if they do, how do we eliminate repetition?
Experience visioning, building, and executing issues and crisis communications protocols, playbooks, and scenario plans
Strong ability to tailor your communications style, strategy, and tactics to audiences with varying levels of sophistication to tell a clear and compelling story – and to prevent issues from escalating into crises.
Outstanding writing skills and experience communicating directly with executive leadership, coupled with a strong understanding of the local media, national media, and political landscapes.
Stellar leadership and teamwork skills, including the ability to collaborate with business partners and mentor others as well as the confidence and skill to communicate your ideas clearly.
Who You Are:
A team player with a can-do attitude and the ability to work across functional departments and projects, who can deliver on deadline and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
A critical, analytical thinker who enjoys challenging work to achieve strategic goals and understands the business implications of the projects they work on and the importance of mitigating risk.
A process-oriented human who understands that the best ideas still need to be executed by people who need to not only believe, but also need to understand why.
An executor who is passionately committed to excellence and will relentlessly pursue the team’s – and the company’s – goals.
A culture champion who believes that organizational culture has a significant impact on business and people results and leads accordingly.
An owner who takes responsibility.
A strategist who believes everything should be done in an organized and efficient manner.
A passionate teammate who believes that helping others win is a noble cause and that proactive hands-on leadership is the only course of action.
Gumby. Things change.
Funny with a sense of humor, because being able to laugh when you’re under pressure is key.
What we offer:
We know that if we take care of our team everything else will fall into place. We aren’t perfect, but we will try to set very clear expectations, always let you know where you stand, and do everything in our power to help you get where you want to go.
Our culture and values matter to us. A lot. We’re definitely not serious but we take this stuff seriously, if you get what we mean. We want a place that is an ego-free zone. A place where good people do good things together. It shouldn’t be rocket science in workplaces, but for some reason it still is? We’re absolutely determined to be different, and we think we’re doing a pretty good job at it. We have a CEO who makes fun of himself, and who will encourage you to tell him when he is wrong. In fact, he needs people to – we all do. Supportive challenge is good, it’s how we get better. We like getting better. We also love diversity, of all kinds. We need people who look, sound, speak, love, and exist differently from one another. This isn’t at the end of this paragraph because it’s an afterthought. It’s SO important to us we want it to stand out.
Right. On to the technical stuff that we know matters to you. We offer competitive pay that is commensurate with the market and relevant experience, and a full slate of benefits that even includes things like paid parental leave.
If any of this sounds interesting, then maybe we are a fit. Life is too short to work with people you don’t like. So whatever you do, don’t make that mistake.
The LivCorian Values
Be you. Be Real. Be Open. You do you. Together, we will do something amazing. Care, Always. We don’t want to let anyone down. Courageously Curious. We love to learn, even when it hurts. Help Others Win, Be A Good Neighbor. This is about ‘We, not Me.’ Relentless Hustle, Heart & Humility. Work hard. Be Kind. Make Better.
A few of the people you will work with:
Annie Wang
Kyle Erickson
Abby Oaks
Michelle Ronay
Patrick Pope
As of the date on which this job advertisement is posted, the Company anticipates that the base salary pay range for this role is $165,000- $220,000 (this represents the presently anticipated low- and high-end of the Company’s base salary pay range for this position). This role is bonus eligible. Benefits include generous health insurance and wellness benefits, 401(k), and paid time off. Actual pay may vary based on various factors, including but not limited to location and experience.
LivCor is proud to be a US EPA ENERGY STAR Partner
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the California Fair Chance Act and any other applicable city, county, or local ordinances. Good cause exists for a criminal background check because one of the material duties of this position requires access to confidential and proprietary information and accordingly requires the candidate to possess a high level of integrity and discretion. The Company faces a significant risk to its business operations or business reputation if a criminal history check is not performed. A criminal history that has a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with these material duties may potentially result in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment.
EEO Statement
LivCor is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination against any applicant, employee, or other covered person based on any legally recognized basis, including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniformed servicemember status, race, color, caste, immigration status, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation or related medical conditions), age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), protected leave status, domestic violence victim status, or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations, if you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please email talent@revantage.com
