Job Description

A note from our CEO

We've built something special at brightSTAR. A growing portfolio, a proven team, and a development pipeline already in motion; a destination marina, ground-up communities, an RV resort, homes going on the ground every week. And here's the part that matters: that's just the starting line. I'm looking for a once-in-a-generation builder to own development at brightSTAR — not just the pipeline we have today, but the bigger one we intend to build. Real autonomy. A real mandate. The freedom to build the function, the team, and the playbook the way you know it needs to be built. I'll get out of your way and back you.

If you've been waiting for this kind of seat, here it is. I want to hear from you directly.

–Brandon Schilling, CEO

About brightSTAR

brightSTAR Communities is a premier operator of Manufactured Home Communities (“MHC”) and Recreational Vehicle Resorts (“RV”) across the United States. Our mission is to create vibrant, affordable communities for working families and retirees, as well as attractive vacation destinations for RV travelers.

At brightSTAR, we empower exceptional leaders to combine institutional discipline and professionalism with a fierce entrepreneurial spirit. That approach has fueled our rapid growth, transformed ordinary “parks” into strong communities, and fulfilled our promises to our residents and investors.

We are guided by a few Core Beliefs :

• CHARACTER MATTERS
• Business should be a FORCE FOR GOOD
• We all profit most when we work for a PURPOSE GREATER THAN OURSELVES
• Every decision should maximize LONG-TERM VALUE FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS

We strive to live our Values every day:

• AUTHENTICITY - We are real, honest, and transparent.
• EXCELLENCE – We solve problems and are obsessed with greatness.
• PARTNERSHIP – We bring out the best in each other.

The Position

The under-institutionalized nature of manufactured housing, RV resorts, and marinas isn’t just an operating opportunity – it’s a development opportunity. Most ground-up MHC, RV, and marina projects are built by local operators with local relationships, no replicable playbook, and no in-house development discipline. brightSTAR has the capital, the asset base, and the conviction to build differently. What we don’t yet have is the person to own it.

The VP of Construction & Development will build that function on top of an existing operational base. Day one, the VP inherits a small team already running an active book of CapEx and home infill work across the portfolio – this is the platform to build on, not start from. This is the leader who takes brightSTAR from “we can buy and operate” to “we can build, reposition, and entitle anywhere in the country.” Site selection, feasibility, entitlements, design, permitting, vertical construction, and the major repositioning projects that turn existing assets into category-leading communities – all of it, done with a small, technology-leveraged team that punches well above its weight.

If you’ve been waiting for a real estate platform that will hand you a clean canvas, institutional capital, and the trust to run, this is it.

Position Mandate

The VP of Construction & Development owns the full life cycle of brightSTAR’s development and major capital projects across the manufactured housing, RV resort, and marina portfolios. This person will partner closely with the acquisitions team on land deals, take projects from raw dirt through stabilization, and build the in-house construction and development capability that lets brightSTAR scale ground-up and repositioning activity nationally.

Key Objectives (First 12–24 Months):

• Stand Up the Construction & Development Function: Build the brightSTAR development playbook from scratch – the underwriting standards, design standards, construction standards, vendor network, and reporting cadence that govern every project.
• Move the Existing Pipeline Forward: Take ownership of the development opportunities already in flight – including existing land parcels and parcels the acquisitions team is sourcing – and drive them through entitlement, permitting, and into construction. Set the standard for what disciplined execution looks like at brightSTAR.
• Build the Repositioning Engine: Lead the major capital improvement, expansion, and redevelopment projects required to transform recently acquired assets into top-of-market communities. Develop the standardized processes that compress timelines and protect margins on every reposition.
• Embed AI & Technology in the Function: Leverage AI, modern software, and dashboards to do the work of a much larger team.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive real estate development and construction experience, with a track record of taking projects from site acquisition through stabilization. We hire for what you’ve built, not how long you’ve been building.
• Demonstrated success owning the full development life cycle: entitlement, design management, permitting, and vertical construction delivery.
• Direct experience in MHC, RV resort, or marina development is preferred. Adjacent residential or land development experience (single-family, build-to-rent, multifamily, master-planned communities) is acceptable.
• Proven entitlement experience across multiple jurisdictions. You’ve earned approvals from planning commissions and city councils, and you know how to read a municipality.
• Self-sufficient operator with the autonomy to run projects across multiple states without daily supervision. You don’t wait to be told what to do.
• Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, or related field preferred. We weight track record over credentials.
• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel regularly to project sites across multiple states.
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States and be able to pass pre-employment background, credit checks, and drug screening. brightSTAR Communities maintains a drug-free and tobacco-free workplace.

Who You Are

• Builder-Operator: You see what needs to be done, you build the system to do it, and you execute. You don’t need a playbook handed to you – you’d rather write the playbook. Low tolerance for bureaucracy, high tolerance for ambiguity.
• Autonomous Generalist: Site selection, underwriting, entitlement strategy, design review, GC selection, draw oversight, community presentations – you’ve done it all, and you know which parts to do yourself and which to delegate.
• Stakeholder Communicator: You can hold your own in a planning commission hearing, an development update with the CEO, and a job-site walk with a superintendent – and you switch registers without losing credibility in any of them.
• Walking Quality Control: You pride yourself on working quickly and accurately, always striving to do things right the first time. Pencils sharp, drawings reviewed, scopes clear before the contractor signs.
• Tech Fluent & Builder: Technology is your first instinct, not your last resort. You reach for AI, automation, and modern construction-tech tooling before adding headcount.
• Investment Mindset: You understand how every line of the proforma connects to a real-world decision in the field. You don’t just hand off the numbers – you defend them.

Who You Are Not

This role isn’t the right fit if:

• You need a department, a playbook, or a chain of command already built before you can move. You’re building it here.
• You’re a pure construction manager looking for someone else to handle the dirt deal, the entitlements, or the proforma.
• You prefer the long-running project at a single site over the higher-velocity, multi-asset, multi-state pipeline brightSTAR is building.
• You expect entitlement battles, municipal pushback, or scope changes to be handled by someone else.
• You view technology as IT’s problem rather than yours. We expect the VP of Construction & Development to be one of the loudest voices for AI and automation in the building.
• Title and tenure matter more to you than what you build.

What We Offer

• A clear mandate to architect brightSTAR’s construction and development function from the ground up.
• Direct CEO/COO reporting and full ownership of the development life cycle across MHC, RV, and marina assets from day one.
• The autonomy to deploy the team, vendors, and tooling you need to do the job, without fighting legacy infrastructure.
• Preferred location: Cincinnati, OH headquarters. Remote or hybrid arrangements considered for exceptional candidates based elsewhere in the Midwest.
• brightSTAR Communities offers a competitive salary based upon experience and a comprehensive benefits package, including:
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance options
• HSA with a monthly Company contribution for those who elect a high-deductible health care plan
• 401(k) with a generous Company match

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