Executive Director, Commercial Real Estate Counsel

Interested in joining one of the fastest growing commercial real estate firms and the #4 commercial mortgage REIT in the country?

Ready Capital is searching for experienced and driven professionals to expand our team and grow with our company. We offer a work environment that thrives on collaboration and a corporate culture of employees who are passionate and excited about what they do. Come work with us!

About Ready Capital: Ready Capital (NYSE: RC) is a multi-strategy real estate finance company that originates, acquires, finances, and services small- to medium-sized balance commercial loans. Ready Capital specializes in loans backed by commercial real estate, including agency multifamily, investor, and bridge as well as U.S. Small Business Administration loans under its Section 7(a) program and USDA (B&I) loans under the U.S. Department of Agriculture OneRD Initiative.

Position Overview: Ready Capital is seeking a highly motivated commercial real estate counsel with 8–12 years of experience. The ideal candidate will have Big Law experience representing lenders and borrowers in commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and workouts. This role presents a unique opportunity to serve as a key transactional attorney for a publicly traded REIT and to work directly with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to efficiently execute real estate transactions independently and as needed in conjunction with outside counsel.

Key Responsibilities:

• Transactions: Lead, manage, draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial real estate transaction documents, including:
• Loan documents (loan agreements, mortgages, notes, guaranties, allonges and assignments)
• Purchase and sale agreements
• Forbearance agreements and pre-negotiation agreements
• Discounted payoff agreements
• Intercreditor agreements
• Land use easements and ground leases
• Legal Due Diligence: Oversee title, survey, zoning, and other diligence matters, in connection with the purchase and sale of assets and loans, including portfolio transactions and M&A, coordinating with internal teams and outside counsel as needed
• Asset Management Support: Advise on restructurings, workouts, foreclosures, and deed-in-lieu transactions; effectuate loan assignments and internal corporate restructurings
• Corporate & Vendor Contracts: Negotiate vendor agreements, loan servicing agreements, property management agreements, and brokerage/leasing agreements
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with tax, operations, asset management, capital markets underwriting and originations teams to implement business plans efficiently
• Outside Counsel Management: Strategically engage, supervise, and manage outside counsel to ensure cost-effective and timely execution of matters

Qualifications:

• J.D. from an accredited law school
• Admission to the New York Bar (or ability to obtain in-house counsel registration)
• 8–12 years of relevant experience, with most of that experience obtained in a Big Law environment
• Exceptional drafting, negotiation, and project management skills
• Superb business judgment and high emotional intelligence (EQ), with a collaborative and solution-oriented mindset
• Self-motivated, organized, and comfortable taking the lead on complex projects

What Success Looks Like:

• Consistently delivers timely, pragmatic, and business-oriented legal advice that helps advance company goals
• Capable of independently structuring and drafting ordinary-course commercial real estate transactions without assistance from outside counsel, except for local and specialist assistance
• Efficiently manages outside counsel spend while maintaining high-quality work product
• Anticipates issues and proactively develops solutions to keep transactions moving forward
• Builds trust and credibility with internal stakeholders across departments
• Demonstrates strong business judgment, balancing risk with commercial objectives

Why Join Us

This is more than a technical legal role — it’s an opportunity to make a direct impact at a growing public company. The successful candidate will have the autonomy to handle significant transactions, collaborate with senior management, and play a key role in Ready Capital’s continued growth. This position offers substantial growth potential within the legal department and broader organization.

Pay Range:

Compensation commensurate with experience, and expected to consist of $250,000 - 275,000 in salary, as well as an annual cash bonus and equity.