Assistant Director - Leasing Operations

Tufts University seeks an experienced and dynamic real estate professional to join our Operations team as Assistant Director, Leasing Operations. Formal title for internal purposes: Assistant Director Real Estate. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Operations and working closely with the Senior Director of Real Estate.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a dynamic environment and is eager to help build and evolve real estate operations at Tufts. The successful candidate will bring an entrepreneurial mindset, strong independence, and a results-driven approach, while working collaboratively across schools and central units. This is a specialized leasing operations role that combines lease negotiation and process improvement with leadership-by-influence and systems-building responsibilities-focused on creating efficiencies and clarity rather than property management or tenant services.

This is a one-year, benefits-eligible, limited-term position with the potential to become permanent based on performance.

The role is based in Medford and requires three on-site days weekly.

This role serves as Tufts University's primary resource for real estate leasing, taking ownership of day-to-day operations and enabling senior leadership to focus on advancing strategic initiatives. The Assistant Director, Leasing Operations will lead, negotiate, and execute leases where Tufts acts as both landlord and tenant; collaborate closely with schools and central stakeholders (including Campus Planning, Facilities, Capital Projects, Finance, Legal, and TTS); and develop reliable processes and documentation systems that improve efficiency and support long-term best practices for lease management across the university.
This position will support leasing needs across multiple campuses, including Medford/Somerville, Health Sciences, SMFA, and Grafton/Worcester, as well as offsite, satellite, and international locations, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and compliance standards.
Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and execute leasing transactions where Tufts is both landlord and tenant, including negotiations, coordination with legal counsel, documentation, and approvals.
• Serve as the central point of coordination among stakeholders such as Campus Planning, Facilities, Finance, Legal, and academic units to ensure timely actions and compliance with standards.
• Establish reliable workflows, templates, and documentation systems for lease management; maintain data integrity, version control, and reporting cadence in the university's contract database.
• Manage renewals, amendments, terminations, and closeouts; coordinate space transitions with Facilities and technology teams.
• Prepare materials for governance approvals and ensure purchasing steps (POs) are executed per policy.
• Collaborate with Finance on budgeting, projections, and payment schedules related to leasing.
• Identify and implement process improvements that streamline leasing operations and support broader institutional initiatives.
• Act as an advisor to schools and departments, helping scope space needs and translate them into actionable lease requirements.
• Coordinate with external legal counsel on lease negotiations and risk management, applying best practices in the absence of dedicated in-house real estate counsel.
• Oversee lease documentation and compliance processes, including contract database integrity, governance approvals, and reporting cadence; implement workflows that improve efficiency and decision support.
• Apply systems-thinking and comfort navigating ambiguity to design templates and processes that bring clarity and efficiency in an evolving environment.