Assistant Director, Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate

Assistant Director, Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate

• 556339
• Manhattanville
• Columbia Business School
• Full Time
• Opening on: Apr 2 2026
• Grade 12

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• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $75,000 - $87,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University''s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Managing Director, the Assistant Director, Academic Programs and Operations is responsible for independently administering and managing the MBA Real Estate Program curriculum, inclusive of course delivery and annual planning, oversight and support of adjunct faculty, sourcing, securing and managing real estate Course Assistant assignments, and serving as primary liaison on behalf of the curriculum and faculty, to internal and external constituents.

The incumbent is responsible for the planning and delivery of a variety of premiere events run out of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate for students, faculty, alumni, and industry participants. Additionally, the Assistant Director provides the data and analysis necessary for a myriad of executive reports and projects, and independently manages sensitive financial information and reporting, in coordination with the Senior Managing Director. Incumbent also identifies and evaluates important opportunities for case writing and development within the real estate curriculum with faculty, in coordination with Columbia Caseworks, and oversees production of cases from ideation through publication and promotion.

Responsibilities

Curriculum and Academic Program Administration

• Manages full administration of the MBA Real Estate curriculum in coordination with Business School and University offices, faculty, and students, including course administration and exemption requests with the Faculty Director. Identifies and secures qualified course assistants (CAs) and provides ongoing direction and administrative support.

• Onboards adjunct Real Estate faculty in partnership with HR and the Samberg Institute for Teaching Excellence. Manages course materials, scheduling, syllabi, presentations, and projects, and supervises work-study employees as needed. Maintains the teaching schedule for all MBA and EMBA Real Estate courses each term, updating as required and collaborating with Student Academic Affairs and academic divisions to resolve scheduling issues. Supports the recruitment and retention of adjunct faculty and guest lecturers at the direction of the Real Estate Chairperson.

• Develops and manages the process for Real Estate independent study courses, including student communication, application intake, and faculty review, with guidance from the Faculty Chairperson.

• Provides administrative oversight to faculty and curriculum and performs related work and special projects in support of the Real Estate program.

Student Engagement, Admissions, and Career Coordination

• Serves as a primary spokesperson, in conjunction with the Senior Managing Director, to prospective and admitted students regarding the program, curriculum, and faculty. Coordinates with Admissions on fellowship recipients, tracks fellows, and manages ongoing communications.

• Serves as the Center's liaison to the Career Management Center, Executives in Residence, and students regarding employment reporting and career opportunities. Manages processes for tracking student-reported employment outcomes, supports employer engagement and business development efforts with the Career Management Center, and coordinates enrollment and employment reporting with senior leadership.

Financial Management and Program Resources

• In partnership with the Financial Planning Office and Senior Managing Director, manages aspects of the Program and Center academic budget, including reviewing and reconciling expenses, renewing and negotiating vendor contracts for academic resources, managing sponsored programs and related gifts, and overseeing Center-funded student academic expenses such as real estate case competitions.

Events, Programming, and Student Initiatives

• Leads and delivers major Milstein Center programming, including Discussion Across Disciplines, the Project Class Business Plan Competition, Real Estate Open Houses, the Coming to Terms JV exercise, and the Student Faculty Lunch Series. Advises Columbia Real Estate Association case competition teams and manages the annual Project Class gift in coordination with the Senior Managing Director.

Communications, External Engagement, and Reporting

• Manages executive-level communications and coordination with Center affinity groups such as the Real Estate Forum. Supports the production and dissemination of annual Center reports and related materials, distributes Milstein Center Research Lab content to constituent groups, and updates website content as appropriate.

Data, Records, and Program Reporting

• Maintains archival systems and processes for tracking real estate courses, sections, speakers, syllabi, faculty, and enrollments to support benchmarking and reporting. Maintains adjunct faculty records, develops statistical summaries of program activities and resources, and coordinates related website updates with team members.

Research and Case Development Administration

• Manages the case writing and development process within the real estate curriculum, overseeing production from inception through publication and promotion in coordination with faculty, staff, writers, and Columbia CaseWorks.

• Serves as lead administrator for the Milstein Center's Staff Officers of Research in coordination with faculty supervisors. Coordinates onboarding with Finance and the Dean's Office, engages regularly with faculty and research teams to track priorities, and facilitates sharing of research initiatives to support Center marketing, promotion, and programming.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required. Minimum 3-5 years related experience required.
• Experience with high-level business practices required. Excellent writing, oral and interpersonal communication skills required. Facility with design of presentation materials and fine attention to detail are important aspects of executing tasks as Assistant Director. Must be able to lead and function independently and to be able to exercise discretion and judgment about sensitive and confidential matters. Ability to work with high-touch constituent groups, amidst changing priorities and deadlines and a large volume of detailed information, required. Must be proficient user of Microsoft Office Suite, Canva (or similar), CRM databases, and have general facility with website support and HTML. Occasionally early mornings and evenings required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of the real estate industry and experience in a university setting preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.