Development Director

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Orange Barrel Media (OBM) creates and operates iconic urban media displays that advertisers ask for by name in top U.S. markets. Since our founding in 2004, OBM has pioneered a community-oriented model of outdoor media development and is nationally recognized by cities and real estate owners alike seeking to implement premier media programs that add to the character of urban places. In the advertising community, OBM is widely recognized as the owner of the highest impact and most memorable advertising locations in the cities where it operates.

The OBM team is also a leader in smart city infrastructure, launching the Interactive Kiosk Experience (IKE) platform in concert with cities across the U.S. through the company IKE Smart City. IKE is a best-in-class public engagement platform that helps cities communicate with the public, enliven the pedestrian experience, and tell the story of their city. The core pillars of the IKE platform are public benefit and social equity, values that we seek to maximize in every IKE market to achieve city objectives and exceed community expectations.

We are a place where people are inspired to achieve success, genuinely like each other, and have endless opportunities to grow.

Learn more at www.obm.com and www.ikesmartcity.com.

About the Role

The Development Director’s primary objective is to increase the number of large format signs and IKE kiosks throughout the country. To achieve this objective, Directors will need to develop relationships with key stakeholders in the markets they oversee in order to build a coalition of public and private supporters for OBM and IKE initiatives. Development Directors are responsible for securing deals with real estate developers and cities, negotiating all related contracts, and securing the permits necessary to allow advertising. While business or legal experience would be beneficial in the role, neither is a requirement for a successful candidate. 

The successful candidate will be entrepreneurial, organized, deadline-driven, imaginative, and passionate about building relationships. They will also be interested in urban design, politics, marketing, advertising, technology, and travel. The candidate must be willing to travel on an ad hoc basis as needed to his or her markets across the country. Travel may be unpredictable. The Company presents an opportunity to thrive in an extraordinarily fast-paced and entrepreneurial culture.

What You'll Do

• Identifying new sites and engaging with property owners, including the preparation and presentation of proposals and subsequent agreement negotiation
• Evaluate economic models to recommend deal structures
• Maintaining a thorough understanding of real estate development, public policy, and other opportunities and challenges in current markets and target markets
• Managing OBM and IKE’s permit acquisition processes, including lobbying (directly and with consultants) of elected and government agency officials
• Coordinating community outreach initiatives to build a coalition of supporters 
• Developing creative solutions for navigating complex regulatory environments
• Creating and strengthening OBM relationships with landlords and other partners through proactive communication and relationship building
• Managing communications with property owners and regulators to ensure that contractual obligations are tracked, delegated, and fulfilled
• Collaborating with the Sales Department to help forecast new asset live dates and prepare sales materials
• Collaborating with the Deployment and Operations Departments to ensure timely construction and launch of new assets
• Collaborating with OBM’s in-house architecture studio for more sophisticated large format projects 

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree required (MBA or JD a plus).
• 3–5+ years of professional experience; experience in commercial real estate, finance, public policy, law, urban planning, or a related field preferred.
• Project management experience is a plus.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, negotiation, and organizational skills.
• Comfortable managing multiple projects and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel as business needs require.
• Experience in media, advertising, or commercial real estate is not required. We value candidates who are eager to learn the out-of-home advertising industry and excited to tackle complex challenges.