Director, Business Operations (Risk Management)

About the company

CIM is a community-focused real estate and infrastructure owner, operator, lender, and developer. Our team of experts works together to identify and create value in real assets, benefiting the communities in which we invest. Since 1994, we have grown from a Southern California focus to a diverse team of 900+ employees with projects across the Americas. Our projects deliver jobs, create comfortable places to live, work, and relax, and provide necessary and sustainable infrastructure. We strive to make an even greater impact in the years to come.

About the role

The Director of Business Operations holds primary responsibility for managing and executing the firm's operational resilience framework, with full accountability for third-party risk management, incident response planning, business continuity, and business operational reporting. This role requires both strategic oversight and hands-on execution, supporting key firmwide initiatives and special projects. The Director establishes firmwide standards, ensuring controls are robust, thoroughly documented, effective, and appropriately tailored to the organization's needs. The position involves ongoing program enhancement by identifying and mitigating emerging threats in advance. Additionally, this role directly implements these standards, including incident triage and crisis response, as necessary. Occasional work during weekends and/or holidays may be required due to incident response needs.

Responsibilities

• Third-Party Risk Management
  • Take full ownership of the firm's Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) program, leading both strategy and hands-on execution.
  • Oversee vendor supervision using a risk-based approach, ensuring seamless management throughout the vendor lifecycle—including due diligence, onboarding, ongoing monitoring, remediation, and offboarding.
  • Ensure all vendor risk activities comply with internal policies, regulatory requirements (SEC, FINRA), and investor standards.
  • Regularly update and maintain TPRM policies, standards, and procedures, delivering clear documentation and continuous improvements.
• Incident Management
  • Lead the execution and ongoing enhancement of the firm’s Incident Response Plan.
  • Collaborate closely with legal, compliance, technology, and additional internal stakeholders to maintain and update protocols.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for all incident types, coordinating rapid triage, containment, and resolution across teams.
  • Guide the Incident Response Team, including after-hours support, as needed.
  • Track, report, and document incidents; conduct thorough reviews and remediation planning post-incident.
  • Perform analytics and root cause analysis to proactively reduce future risk and continually evolve the program to meet emerging threats and business needs.
• Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
  • Own and drive the Business Continuity Planning program, from policy development and governance to hands-on execution of annual tests and disaster response.
  • Lead BCP committees and engage stakeholders to ensure the program evolves with changing business and regulatory requirements.
  • Conduct regular business impact assessments to define suitable recovery goals.
  • Integrate high-risk service providers into BCP testing, maintain comprehensive documentation of outcomes, and deliver remediation where needed.
  • Execute BCP plans during disasters, providing after-hours leadership to restore operations promptly and in accordance with established recovery strategies.
• Operational Excellence & Reporting
  • Continuously review and refine workflows to optimize efficiency. Identify and implement improvement opportunities across operational risk controls.
  • Deliver high-quality, insightful reporting—including dashboards, KPI tracking, incident summaries, and vendor risk metrics—to senior leadership and committees.
  • Maintain client-ready documentation of operational risk controls; collaborate with the RFP team to address due diligence questionnaires and inquiries.
  • Support internal/external audits, regulatory exams, and investor due diligence processes.
  • Partner with Compliance to ensure SEC and FINRA regulatory adherence, actively supporting employee training and awareness initiatives.
  • Manage one direct report and oversee vendor resources. Responsible for hiring, coaching, and performance management.
  • Support divisional and departmental business operational reporting, including Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs).
  • Support the Head of Transformation on high-priority, firmwide initiatives and special projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Economics, Information Systems, Risk Management, or related field preferred).
• 12+ years of business operations, internal controls, risk management, or compliance experience.
• Experience in real estate, asset management, financial services, or similar industries required.
• Experience as a people manager required.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel (index/match, pivot tables, advanced formulas, analytics).
• Familiarity with risk frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, NIST, ITGC, SOX) is preferred.
• Experience with Prevalent or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with FINRA and SEC compliance frameworks; FINRA S99 is a plus.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefit plans.
• Health Savings Account with a generous employer contribution.
• Company-paid life and disability insurance.
• 401(k) savings plan, with company match.
• Comprehensive paid time off, including vacation days, 10 designated holidays, sick time, and bereavement leave.
• Up to 16 hours of volunteer time off.
• Up to 16 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.
• Ongoing professional development programs.
• Wellness program, including monthly and quarterly prizes.

Pay

The anticipated base salary range for this position in Los Angeles, CA is $160,000 - $180,000. Actual base salary considers several factors including but not limited to geography, job-related knowledge, experience, and budget. Bonus compensation may be a significant part of the total compensation.