Head of Research

Job Title: Head of Research
Location: 303 Peachtree Center Ave, Atlanta, GA
Employment Category: Full-time

Company Overview:
Founded by famed architect John Portman in the 1950s, Portman is a privately owned national real estate investment, development, and management firm focused on delivering premier quality office, hospitality, residential, industrial, and mixed-use projects, prioritizing occupant experience through first-class execution. The diversified, full-service company has developed over 80 million square feet of landmark real estate assets. Portman Holdings continues to achieve success through relationships with investors, partners, and clients that deliver exceptional real estate assets and innovative, experiential places. For more information, visit www.portmanholdings.com

Portman is a diversified real estate investment, development, and management firm with a $3 billion portfolio and a national footprint across multiple property sectors. Our platform combines institutional investment discipline with entrepreneurial execution.
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced professional to establish and lead our Research & Strategy function, integrating data-driven insights into our investment, development, and asset management activities.

Job Summary:
The Head of Research & Strategy will be responsible for creating and leading the firm’s research and strategy platform. This research position is a foundational role for an experienced real estate research professional who can build a best-in-class research discipline that informs investment decisions, capital allocation, and strategic planning. They will partner closely with senior management, investment teams, and external stakeholders to interpret macroeconomic, capital market, and property sector trends and translate them into actionable insights.

The successful candidate will play a key role in developing macroeconomic and in-house real estate research expertise to help frame investment discussions by applying a consistent research focus. The responsibility will be to identify key economic and real estate trends and to work closely with the Investment Team when communicating with them. The research role will help shape strategy, with special emphasis on assisting with market selection and property type focus for deep-value-add and development investment opportunities, as well as on long-term structural forces impacting underlying real estate cycles. The candidate must have direct experience leading investment analysis across the following commercial real estate business verticals: Residential, Industrial, Hospitality, Office, and Retail.

Key Responsibilities:
Research Platform Development
•    Establish the firm’s research function, including defining research priorities, methodologies, and deliverables.
•    Develop and manage the annual research budget.
•    Identify, acquire, and implement research tools, data sources, and analytics platforms.
•    Build and maintain key relationships with external research providers, brokers, and industry data firms.
Market & Economic Analysis:
•    Monitor and analyze macroeconomic, demographic, and capital market trends affecting real estate performance and strategy.
•    Develop forward-looking market outlooks and scenario analyses for the major property sectors (industrial, multifamily, office, retail, and alternative sectors).
•    Produce market intelligence to support investment, development, and disposition strategies across national markets.
Strategic Integration:
•    Partner with the Investment Committee and senior leadership to integrate research insights into investment underwriting, portfolio strategy, and capital raising efforts.
•    Contribute to strategic planning by identifying emerging opportunities, risks, and structural shifts in markets and sectors.
•    Support capital markets and investor relations teams with research-driven materials and presentations.
Thought Leadership & Communication:
Produce high-quality written and visual deliverables, including white papers, presentations, and quarterly market updates.
•    Represent the firm in client and investor meetings, industry conferences, and media as a thought leader.
•    Communicate complex research findings clearly, compellingly, and actionably to both internal and external audiences.
Qualifications:
•    Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics, Finance, Real Estate, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred (MBA, MSRE, or similar).
•    Experience: 5–10 years of progressive research experience in real estate investment, development, or capital markets—ideally within an institutional environment (investment manager, REIT, or advisory firm).
•    Deep understanding of U.S. real estate markets and the key drivers of performance across sectors and geographies.
•    Proven ability to connect macroeconomic and capital market trends to real estate strategy and performance.
•    Demonstrated experience building or enhancing a research function, including budgeting and vendor management.
•    Exceptional analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with strong client-facing presence.
•    Proficiency in data analytics and visualization tools (e.g., CoStar, Real Capital Analytics, CBRE EA, Yardi Matrix, Argus, Excel, Power BI).
Travel Requirement:
•    Overnight travel may be required.

Portman is deeply committed to building a workplace and global community where inclusion is not only valued but prioritized. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, family status, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, neurodiversity, disability, age, or veteran status, or any other non-merit-based or legally protected grounds. Portman is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process.