Director of Market Research in Columbus, Ohio at Ohio Equities

Building relationships that move real estate forward.

Director of Market Research

Columbus, OH (In Office)

In commercial real estate, market knowledge is the foundation of great service. The firms that invest in the best data deliver the sharpest insight and the strongest position for their clients. NAI Ohio Equities is making that investment.

The Director of Market Research will establish and lead a dedicated, in-house research capability for the Columbus market—creating a single, authoritative source of property and market data that powers our reports, tools, and client conversations with accuracy and confidence.

This is a build-it-from-scratch opportunity. The person in this role will not inherit a research department—they will create one. Over time, that work will become a lasting asset for the entire firm.

The Director of Market Research will build, lead, and continuously strengthen Ohio Equities' market research function.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive in-house property database for the Columbus MSA across office, retail, and industrial assets.
• Create and maintain a centralized comparable database for sales and leases.
• Integrate brokerage and property management data to strengthen market intelligence.
• Establish processes that ensure data accuracy, consistency, and long-term scalability.

• Monitor market activity, ownership changes, lease transactions, and emerging trends.
• Build relationships with brokers, appraisers, public agencies, and industry research peers to strengthen the firm's market knowledge.
• Continuously evaluate new data sources, technology, and research tools that improve our capabilities.

• Produce market reports, dashboards, presentations, and analytics that support brokers, clients, and leadership.
• Develop tools and resources that help brokers tell stronger market stories.
• Partner with Marketing to support newsletters, social media, presentations, and thought leadership.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI and emerging technology to improve research, reporting, and decision-making.

The ideal candidate combines analytical rigor with curiosity, relationship-building, and business insight. You're equally comfortable digging into data, building systems, and helping others understand what the numbers mean.

• Significant experience in market research, commercial real estate research, analytics, or a related field.
• Proven ability to build and improve research processes, databases, or reporting systems.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to build relationships across the organization and throughout the market.
• Self-starter who enjoys building something from the ground up.

• Commercial real estate market knowledge.
• Experience with Power BI, SQL, Python, Tableau, or similar tools.
• Financial analysis and market reporting experience.
• Experience presenting market insights or contributing to thought leadership.

This is a rare opportunity to build something foundational and own it.

Rather than joining an established research department, you'll create the firm's market research function from the ground up and help shape how Ohio Equities competes in the marketplace.

Your work will support brokers, clients, marketing, and leadership, while helping establish NAI Ohio Equities as one of Central Ohio's most trusted sources of commercial real estate market insight.