Head of GIS & Research

Head of GIS & Research Overview

Research plays a pivotal role in supporting brokerage, marketing, and business development initiatives through advanced data analysis, geographic visualization, and market intelligence. This position is responsible for leading research efforts, producing high-impact visual materials, and ensuring data integrity across platforms to inform strategic decision-making within the industrial real estate sector.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

GIS, Mapping & Visualization

• Develop high-quality labor, demographic, and market heatmaps to support site selection and client presentations.
• Create custom maps and visual graphics illustrating market trends, logistics advantages, and geographic insights.
• Produce detailed amenity maps highlighting nearby services, infrastructure, and end users using Adobe InDesign.

Research & Market Intelligence

• Partner with the marketing team to produce quarterly and annual market reports utilizing third party sites and internal data sources.
• Analyze market trends, comparable transactions, and economic indicators to support brokerage strategy.
• Translate complex datasets into clear, actionable insights and visually compelling deliverables.

Data & CRM Management

• Manage and optimize a proprietary CRM system, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and integrity of all data.
• Input and maintain a high volume of transaction data, with a focus on comparable properties (“comps”).
• Produce monthly reports summarizing new data entries, market trends, and database updates.

Brokerage & Business Development Support

• Create, maintain, and manage broker contact lists to support outreach and business development initiatives.
• Track and manage inbound inquiries from the company website, ensuring timely follow-up and proper routing.
• Collaborate closely with brokers to deliver tailored research and mapping materials for pitches and client engagements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Geography, GIS, Real Estate, Economics, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in GIS, research, or analytics within commercial or industrial real estate.
• Proficiency in GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS) and data visualization tools.
• Experience with CoStar and other commercial real estate data platforms.
• Strong working knowledge of Adobe InDesign for map and report creation.
• Experience managing CRM systems and large datasets.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and data analysis.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Exceptional attention to detail and data accuracy
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Expertise in visual storytelling and presentation
• Self-starter with the ability to quickly learn new systems and tools

Why This Role Matters

This role sits at the intersection of data, geography, and strategy, empowering brokers and clients with the insights needed to make informed real estate decisions. The Director of GIS & Research serves as a key driver of competitive advantage through data-driven storytelling, innovative mapping, and actionable market intelligence.