The Vice President, Legal – Property Management & Operations serves as the lead legal and compliance executive for all property management and operational matters across the company’s multi-state manufactured housing portfolio. This attorney oversees the full legal framework supporting property operations, including litigation, risk management, titling, sales compliance, vendor contracting, and employment matters, ensuring the business operates efficiently and consistently while complying with applicable regulatory requirements. While the company continues to rely on specialized outside counsel in various jurisdictions, this role serves as the central point of coordination, ensuring internal alignment, consistency, and strategic handling of all legal matters arising from property operations.

 

Working closely with the President, this individual acts as a strategic advisor who helps identify and solve business challenges from a legal perspective. The Senior Counsel ensures that the company remains well-protected, contractually sound, and compliant with major regulatory obligations while keeping operations agile and business-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Risk Management, Claims, & Litigation Oversight
• Provide legal oversight and strategic guidance on all legal claims, pre-litigation matters, and active lawsuits arising from property-management operations. Partner with the Risk Management department and outside counsel to ensure efficient case handling, consistent insurance coverage, and effective loss-prevention strategies. Serve as a key escalation point for operational legal matters and help develop practical frameworks to mitigate recurring risks.
• Operational Legal Support & Problem Solving
• Provide day-to-day legal counsel to the operations team on matters impacting community management, resident relations, and field execution. Develop and maintain state-specific lease and home-purchase agreement templates. Advise on compliance with landlord-tenant and fair-housing laws, coordinating with outside landlord attorneys for jurisdiction-specific expertise. Participate in due diligence and provide legal perspectives on operational readiness and compliance when entering new markets or acquiring new assets.
• Titling & Abandoned Home Administration
• Oversee the company’s legal approach to home titling and abandoned home recovery processes. Partner with the Titling department to ensure all titles are properly maintained, transferred, or reclaimed into company entities in compliance with applicable laws. Provide guidance on state-level variations and collaborate with outside counsel or agencies as needed to resolve title-related issues efficiently.
• Contracting, Vendor & Contractor Management
• Review, draft, and negotiate all contracts that interface with the property-management platform, including vendor, contractor, software, and service agreements. Maintain standardized templates and contract management processes in collaboration with the Procurement, Technology, and Capital Projects teams. Ensure that all agreements allocate risk appropriately and are aligned with company standards.
• Sales Licensing & Compliance
• Partner with the Sales Compliance function to ensure all home sales activities across states are conducted in accordance with state and local licensing, documentation, and reporting requirements. Oversee legal compliance related to dealer licensing, disclosures, and filings, and ensure company policies and practices are aligned with applicable regulations.
• Employment & Human Resources Support
• Advise the People Operations and field-leadership teams on employment and workplace issues, including policy development, compliance, investigations, and dispute resolution. Partner with outside counsel as needed to ensure sound handling of employment-related matters.
• Corporate Coordination & Policy Alignment
• Collaborate with the Senior Attorney – Investments & Securities and corporate departments to align policies, contract standards, and governance practices between the operating and investment entities. Support training, compliance initiatives, and company-wide risk-mitigation programs.

Qualifications

• Education & Certifications
• J.D. from an accredited law school
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• Experience & Skills
• 7+ years of legal experience, preferably in real estate, property management, operations, or employment law
• Strong background in litigation management, vendor contracting, and operational compliance
• Proven ability to partner with business leaders to resolve complex, cross-functional issues
• Experience managing outside counsel and coordinating legal matters across multiple jurisdictions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey legal concepts clearly to non-lawyers
• High integrity, strong judgment, and practical business sense
• Physical Demands
• This is a primarily office-based position with typical physical demands related to extended computer use. Occasional travel may be required.