23 Director Of Communications jobs in Houston

Overview:

When you join Hines, you will embark on a career journey fueled by vision and guided by leaders who set the standards of our industry. Our legacy is rooted in innovation and excellence, earning us a spot on Fast Company’s esteemed annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, as well as recognition as one of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Companies to Work For in 2024. Discover endless opportunities to grow and make your mark at Hines.

Responsibilities:

Leveraging an AI-first approach, the Senior Manager - Real Estate Technology Infrastructure will be a bridge between our global company vision and the physical technology deployed across our international portfolio. You will ensure that our buildings are "smart by design" by managing the vendor ecosystem, establishing technical standards, and contributing the delivery of complex strategic projects. Your focus will be on the Operational Technology (OT) stack, building the processes and partnerships to ensure our buildings are secure, integrated, and future-ready. In this individual contributor position, you provide strategic ownership of the design, validation, and enforcement of building network and infrastructure standards across our property portfolio. The position balances architectural standards, delivery governance, and escalation ownership to ensure infrastructure platforms are secure, resilient, and aligned with business needs. This role reports to the Managing Director, Real Estate Technology Infrastructure. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

**Hybrid position requiring at least three days per week in-office in downtown Houston**

• Strategic Sourcing: Identify, vet, and manage global and regional vendors for building automation, networking, security systems, and related.
• Performance Governance: Establish and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for third-party service providers.
• Contract Management: Partner with Strategic Sourcing to negotiate enterprise-wide agreements that leverage our 25-country+ scale to drive cost efficiencies. Evaluate vendor proposals, quotes, licensing models, and support options; develop comparison materials and provide cost-risk tradeoff analysis to support leadership decision-making. Develop and maintain infrastructure standards for building networks, cybersecurity, and integrated systems to ensure consistency across all regions.
• Standardization: Create technical design guidelines that architects and general contractors must follow during the development or retrofit phase. Own the design, validation, and enforcement of building network and infrastructure standards for property environments, including wireless, switching, firewalls, and site connectivity. Incorporate security and risk considerations into infrastructure architecture decisions, including firewall design, redundancy models, failover strategies, and secure remote administration.
• Cross-Functional Liaison: Act as a technical lead between Technology, Management Services, Engineering, and Construction teams. Maintain portfolio-level visibility of infrastructure deployments, site readiness, remediation efforts, and transition status using enterprise service and project management tools. Ensure complete and accurate documentation, inventories, and configuration records are maintained to support audits, investigations, incident response, and ongoing operations. Support infrastructure requirements for physical security systems, building automation systems, and other safety-critical environments.
• Cybersecurity: Securing "connected" building assets, implementing network segmentation, and managing vulnerability patching for hardware. Security Control Systems: Standards for IP-CCTV, cloud-based Access Control, and visitor management systems. Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
• You will contribute to oversight and governance across the following critical OT areas: Building Integration & Automation: BMS/BAS, lighting controls, and IoT sensor integration via protocols like BACnet, Modbus, and MQTT. Networking & Communications: Building LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi 6/7, 5G in-building solutions, and unified communications.

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements include:

• Bachelor’s degree in MIS, Computer Science, or a related field from an accredited institution preferred or equivalent years of direct experience required.
• Professional Experience: 10–12 years of experience in OT infrastructure, specifically within the real estate or construction sectors.
• Global Mindset: Proven track record of managing projects or vendors across multiple time zones and regulatory environments.
• Practical experience leveraging AI tooling to realize insight and efficiency.
• Significant experience in operational infrastructure, network architecture, or technology operations supporting distributed environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing and supporting enterprise network and wireless architectures, including firewalls, VPNs, redundancy, and failover models.
• Experience supporting construction projects, property portfolios, or multi-site environments with active renovations and transitions preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of vendor and ISP coordination, technical oversight, and commercial evaluation.
• Project Management: Proficiency with tools like Procore, Bluebeam Revu, Jira, or Smartsheet is a plus.
• Technical Literacy: Deep understanding of how physical building systems (HVAC, elevators, utility meters) intersect with digital networks.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Ability and willingness to provide hands-on technical support when required while maintaining strong ownership, accountability, and communication practices.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced, and high-pressure environments with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Willingness to provide occasional after-hours support for escalations or critical activities and to travel periodically in support of key projects or sites.
• Strong working knowledge of OT/IT networking inc. converged networks, and typical connected building systems (i.e., BAS, BMS, ACS, CCTV).
• Base competency of modern building systems & “smart” infrastructure.
• Strong working knowledge of wireless technologies (i.e., DAS, managed Wi-Fi) preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of OT/IT cybersecurity frameworks, principles, and strategies.
• Network/communications certifications (i.e., CCNP, CCIE, CWNA) preferred.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and project management/stakeholder management.
• Proficiency with tools like Procore, Bluebeam Revu, Jira, or Smartsheet is a plus.
• Most duties shall be performed in an office setting at Hines’ HQ office in Houston.
• The nature of this role will require occasional work outside of Houston business hours to support escalations or critical activities in other regions..
• Domestic and international travel will be required periodically (less than 10% of the time) in support of key projects or sites. Travel assignments to certain sites may include requirements to wear provided personal protective equipment (PPE) and may include activities performed in a non-office environment, including outdoors.

Closing:

At Hines, we strive for excellence as a leading global real estate investment manager, driven by our by our belief that real estate is fundamentally about people. Our diverse portfolio spans $93.2 billion¹ of assets across such property types as living, office, retail, mixed-use, logistics and life science projects – all designed to enhance value, connection and inspiration. Our strategic approach integrates local expertise with global knowledge, taking calculated risks aligned with our convictions to exceed expectations and tailor solutions to our clients' needs.

While our projects are renowned for enhancing cities and pioneering sustainable practices, we recognize that the true driving force behind Hines' success is our 5,000 dedicated employees in 30 countries who draw on our 65-year history to build the world forward. This is why we prioritize investing in our people, offering comprehensive training, competitive compensation, robust benefits and generous vacation packages. By centering our focus on the growth and wellbeing of our team, we cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone, including our clients, can thrive.

Hines is proud to be named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024. ¹Includes both the global Hines organization and RIA AUM as of December 31, 2023.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.

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