Aerial Research Photographer

CoStar Group Company Introduction:

CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading global provider of commercial and residential real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces.  Included in the S&P 500 Index and the NASDAQ 100, CoStar Group is on a mission to digitize the world’s real estate, empowering all people to discover properties, insights and connections that improve their businesses and lives. 

We have been living and breathing the world of real estate information and online marketplaces for over 35 years, giving us the perspective to create truly unique and valuable offerings to our customers.  We’ve continually refined, transformed, and perfected our approach to our business, creating a language that has become standard in our industry, for our customers, and even our competitors.  We continue that effort today and are always working to improve and drive innovation.  This is how we deliver for our customers, our employees, and investors.  By equipping the brightest minds with the best resources available, we provide an invaluable edge in real estate. 

Role Description: CoStar Group offers an expansive set of global real estate information platforms as well as heavily trafficked real estate marketplaces such as Apartments.com, Homes.com, and LoopNet.com. CoStar delivers real-time, verified real estate data and media that helps clients confidently spot great opportunities and make smart decisions. By combining the power of CoStar’s independent research organization – the industry’s largest – with global data delivery, software, and application solutions, clients can act on opportunities with confidence. 
 
As an Aerial Research Photographer, you’ll be a core member of our flight team, capturing real estate photography from our plane using state of the art imaging and mapping technology.  Residential renters, homebuyers, commercial real estate owners, investors, and agents all rely on CoStar to provide high-quality media to market their properties and to learn about opportunities. With 24 million people visiting CoStar’s websites each month, every day your media will drive transactions.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with pilots to prepare flight plans for each market and work with ATC to get approval for the flight plans.  

• Import properties into GIS to capture during the flight.

• Fly over the target market searching for new commercial real estate development projects.

• Identify and collect data using moving maps and GIS tools, including Churchill Gear System, Foreflight, and Google Earth. 

• Capture video of both known and unknown properties using a turret-mounted camera and spatial overlays.

• After the flight, extract, label and upload images from the video for each target property. These will then be sent to our in-house research department for further processing.

• Professionally communicate with sales and customers to arrange client flights in each market.  Host clients on the plane, explaining the process and answering questions.

• Ensure the gimbal and camera system is in good working condition prior to each flight, and work with vendors to debug and repair the system if any problems occur.

• Represent the Company in occasional media interviews and events. 

• Professionally communicate with research partners and management to strategically evaluate priorities, initiatives, and tasks. 

• Prepare data for in-house research teams.

• Review/QA data after in-house research teams have reviewed and updated it.  

• Work with pilots to do the schedule planning for the plane.

• Proactively work to improve flight planning efficiency, throughput, and workflows. 

• Evaluate new tools and equipment that can assist the current mission or be used for new missions.

• Train new Aerial Research Photographers

Basic Qualifications:

• 5+ years of related working experience is required

• Traveling from market to market within North America is required

• Current US Passport

• Motion sickness is a disqualifier

• Flexibility to travel and be gone for up to 10 days

• Minimum high school diploma

Preferred Qualification:

• Knowledge of air navigation, meteorology and aircraft operating procedures

• Enjoys challenges of photographing buildings and neighborhoods in both suburban and city environments, understands the challenges and works to find creative solutions 

• Strong relationship-building skills; ability to develop strong personal relationships with key contacts at assigned companies 

• Flexible and adaptable with excellent multi-tasking and time management skills 

• Used to working in fast-paced environment 

• Full understanding of best practices for Architectural Photography, demonstrating artistic vision and creativity 

What’s in it for you?  

When you join CoStar Group, you’ll experience a collaborative and innovative culture working alongside the best and brightest to empower our people and customers to succeed. 

We offer you generous compensation and performance-based incentives. CoStar Group also invests in your professional and academic growth with internal training, tuition reimbursement, and an inter-office exchange program. 

• Our benefits package includes (but is not limited to): 

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage: Medical / Vision / Dental / Prescription Drug 

• Life, legal, and supplementary insurance 

• Virtual and in person mental health counseling services for individuals and family 

• Commuter and parking benefits 

• 401(K) retirement plan with matching contributions 

• Employee stock purchase plan 

• Paid time off 

• Tuition reimbursement 

Access to CoStar Group’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Employee Resource Groups 

Complimentary gourmet coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fresh fruit, and other healthy snacks 

We welcome all qualified candidates who are currently eligible to work full-time in the United States to apply.  However, please note that CoStar Group is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position.