VR South Asia - Associate - Investments

About VR South Asia (VRSA)

Headquartered in Singapore, VR is the only institutionally-backed integrated retail platform that designs, develops, owns, and manages community-oriented lifestyle centers across India. VR's current pan-India portfolio is 14 million sqft., with six operational flagship centres VR Chennai, VR Bengaluru, VR Punjab, VR Nagpur, VR Surat and VR Ambarsar, a soon-to-be-launched second centre in Bengaluru, and two projects under development in New Delhi and Mumbai MMR.

Over the last 15 years, VR has redefined the spatial retail experience for consumers by delivering innovative centres that seamlessly integrate shopping, hospitality, food, leisure, and entertainment. These award-winning lifestyle centres are designed and operated by VR as social hubs that are 'Connecting Communities- ', contributing significantly to India's economy, and enhancing the overall brand image of the city they are located in by celebrating the local culture.

About the Opportunity:

Besides an attractive remuneration package, working for VRSA gives you the opportunity to join a high-growth platform that is leading the transformation of India's urban built environment. In this role, you will be working directly with the company's senior leadership, and will get to immediately create a meaningful impact on a 1.7 mm sqft. branded city center that has the potential to completely reimagine retail, entertainment, F&B, rental living and other lifestyle offerings in Delhi. Because the project is in its initial phase of development, you will experience first-hand what it takes to launch a US$220mm-plus (INR ~1,700 crores) landmark city-centre project. The team is fast-paced, hard- working, and results-oriented, and we are committed to providing you the opportunity to move ahead more rapidly than is possible at most other places in most industries. Delhi has hardly seen large- scale retail projects in the past few decades. On this project not only will you gain experience of working on one of its kind projects but also you will gain experience working with a lot of reputed International partners.

Core Responsibilities:

The Associate will play a significant role in realizing the company's vision for the development while delivering community-centric lifestyle destinations that will redefine India's built environment. He / she will:

- Assist in the successful delivery of one or more real estate projects across the development lifecycle

- Take ownership of the underwriting model, adjusting for changes in the cost and revenue side of the project throughout the development life cycle and reporting impact on projected investment returns

- Prepare project feasibility studies for various development components and options, including preliminary capital cost budget, highest and best use studies, pro-forma operating statements, valuation studies etc.

- Take ownership of various market research studies for the development, including setting objectives, scope and deliverables. Oversee the successful delivery of these studies through coordination with internal and external stakeholders.

- Coordinate and collaborate across internal functional groups and external consultants in carrying out their project responsibilities, facilitating necessary calls / meetings

- Assist in the oversight of the development's execution through to completion, including construction progress, sales and marketing, soft launch etc.

- Work with marketing and leasing to generate target tenant & trade mix plan, income projections, leasing strategy etc.

- Take ownership of the regular Development Management reports and project reports, assembling inputs from the wider project team into a comprehensive reporting package for presentation to management and other senior stakeholders

- Facilitate the monthly Development Management Meetings, including the recording of minutes and follow-up on action points

- Keep abreast of global trends and best practice in real estate and related areas (construction, place-marking, programming etc.), and share these findings with the wider project team

Qualifications / Experience Required:

- MBA or Master's degree in real estate, engineering or economics (or a similar relevant qualification)

- 5 - 7 years' relevant experience, ideally with prior experience in a real estate development or project management in India or a similar high-growth Asian market

- Expert knowledge of complex financial modeling showing project returns, shareholder returns, creating waterfall structures, complex capital structuring etc. This is a mandatory requirement. Candidates will be tested for this skill.

- Proven track record in contributing to development of real estate projects that highlight experience across business areas, including research, strategy, financial analysis, capital structuring, sales and branding, tenant acquisition, construction management, and post-operation stabilization

- International exposure either through education or work experience preferable

- Experience working with junior- and senior-level stakeholders, and collaborating across functions

- Strong written and verbal communication, negotiation, and presentation skills

- Strong quantitative skills and understanding of investment / valuation principles

- Expert knowledge of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)

- Experience working with large data sets and data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau, Power BI etc.)

- Good knowledge of India's real estate industry from a strategic business development perspective

- Good understanding of real estate principles

Preferred Qualities:

- Excellent time management and organizational skills

- Capable of performing well under pressure and meeting deadlines

- Ability to act and operate independently with minimal daily direction

- Ability to relate well to others, build effective relationships across functions and levels

- Ability to take ownership of complex situations involving limited information or uncertain outcomes

- Ability to identify and resolve problems and develop alternative solutions in a timely manner