Research Director, Tavakoli Center for Real Estate

The USC Marshall School of Business is seeking applicants for a Managing Research Director within the newly launched Tavakoli Real Estate Center.  The Research Director will have oversight of the building, assembling, and maintaining a world class database of real estate and urban/spatial data for use by Marshall faculty and students. There is also a teaching component to this role in which the research director will teach one or more classes focusing on the analysis and/or application of real estate data in business contexts.

The Tavakoli Real Estate Center is dedicated to supporting research, curriculum, and career development of the real estate program at the Marshall School.  The most important and immediate objective of the center is to build out the research and data infrastructure which procures, curates, and maintains a wide array of data sets utilized by Marshall real estate students and faculty.  

Responsibilities and Duties

• Building, assembling, and maintaining a world-class database of real estate and urban/spatial data for use by Marshall faculty and students
• Publishing articles directly, and/or in conjunction with Marshall's existing faculty.  These can be either traditional academic research targeting finance/real estate journals or shorter, practitioner-oriented research articles targeted toward Marshall's general real estate community, including students, alumni, and employers. (Examples of recent work can be found here: https://www.marshall.usc.edu/real-estate-analytics-lab-real.)
• Teach one or more classes focusing on the analysis and/or application of real estate data in business contexts.
• Engaging with students and faculty in support of data-based curriculum in the classroom
• Curate, assemble, and transform raw data into forms appropriate to the classroom setting.
• Determines organizational structure, reporting relationships, and short- and long-range program needs based on program goals.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in general economics, urban economics, or finance with a focus in real estate
• Experience developing curriculum and design concepts
• Proven experience in research, managing sponsored projects
• Proven experience with budget development and control.
• Demonstrated effective consulting, negotiation, and/or development experience.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.
• 7 years of directly related expertise in specialized research and/or programs.
• Experience, knowledge, and familiarity with data from GIS, real estate, location, housing, or commercial transactions
• Knowledge of relevant federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Salary Range

The annual base salary range for this position is $172,398.00 - $178,000.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Funding Restrictions

This position is funded by a gift and may be funded by a subsequent gift. Accordingly, your position is contingent upon receipt of the necessary funding from this or any subsequent gift to continue employment. In the event funding for your position changes and it becomes necessary to adjust your percentage of effort, or it becomes necessary for your employment with the University of Southern California to end, you will receive one (1) month written notification of termination.

Required Documents and Additional Information

• Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled at any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.
• USC has excellent benefits, including health benefits for staff and their family with access to the renowned university medical network; eligibility for retirement plans with employer contributions*; tuition benefits for staff and their family; free Professional Development cla