Chief Compliance Officer - Atlanta, GA

Intro

At Cortland, you map the story of your success. We don't adhere to the status quo, we love outside industry perspective, and we thrive on exploring possibilities and reimagining solutions. As an innovative leader in multifamily, our high performance continues to drive exponential growth - and we invite you to join us on our journey towards real estate excellence. With tools and guidance to sharpen your skills, you can forge your own career path, love what you do, and let it show.

Job Overview

As the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) at Cortland, you will be the driving force behind our commitment to integrity, regulatory excellence, and risk management. Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, you will lead our compliance strategy, ensuring our day-to-day compliance operations align with all applicable laws, regulations, and internal standards. This is a high-impact role that requires a visionary leader who can anticipate challenges, mitigate risks, and build proactive compliance programs that seamlessly integrate with our investments, capital markets and investor relations teams to fuel Cortland's growth and success.

Roles You Will Play

• Architect, implement, and continuously refine a best-in-class compliance and ethics program that enhances our business operations.
• Maintain the firm's regulatory risk matrix in collaboration with the CFO, General Counsel, CTO, and external consultants, regularly assessing business and technology risks, documenting controls and reporting program effectiveness.
• Stay ahead of evolving regulatory landscapes (federal, state, and local) and proactively adapt policies to maintain full compliance.
• Act as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, providing strategic counsel on compliance-related risks and opportunities.
• Leverage broad market knowledge to be an effective and efficient business partner to our capital markets and investor relations team in assisting with capital raising and investor management.
• Lead and execute internal compliance audits, investigations, and responses to external regulatory inquiries.
• Track compliance metrics and ensure adherence to policies for employee trading, gifts, entertainment, business activities, political contributions, and certifications.
• Design and oversee dynamic compliance training programs that empower associates at all levels.
• Establish clear, data-driven reporting mechanisms to track and manage compliance risks across the organization.
• Serve as Cortland's primary liaison with regulatory agencies and key external stakeholders.
• Overtime, build, mentor, and lead a high-performing compliance team, fostering a culture of accountability and ethical excellence.
• Assist with preparation of required state and federal filings (e.g. Form ADV, Form PF) ensuring timely and accurate submissions.
• Partner with the CFO to integrate compliance into risk mitigation strategies, financial audits, and long-term business planning.
• Collaborate cross functionally to ensure compliance in all marketing materials, private placement memoranda, due diligence questionnaires, investor reports, and other external-facing documents.
• Maintain and organize all compliance records, policies, training materials, and disclosures for easy retrieval and regulatory adherence.
• Ensure robust compliance in critical areas including data privacy, anti-money laundering, fair housing, and real estate investment regulations.

Building Blocks of Success

• Bachelor's degree required; JD, MBA, or relevant master's degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in compliance, legal, or risk management roles-preferably in real estate, financial services, or highly regulated industries.
• Deep knowledge of regulatory frameworks including SEC, Fair Housing Act, ADA, GDPR, AML, and other relevant federal/state laws.
• Proven ability to lead compliance initiatives in complex, matrixed organizations.
• Exceptional communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
• Professional certifications (e.g., CCEP, CRCM, CAMS) a plus.

Outro

At Cortland, we create, reimagine, and manage apartment communities for residents nationwide. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, we have communities and regional offices all over the country, as well as overseas. From product design and procurement to general contracting and property management, we do it all - to make sure our communities are the perfect setting for living life to its fullest.

Our success is fueled by our belief in a better life - where hospitality is always a given, each detail is worth a second thought, and every open door is a new opportunity to go beyond expectations. We come to work every day to create possibilities for people - possibilities that translate into superior living spaces and experiences designed to inspire our residents, associates, and investors to live a better life focused on what matters most to them.

Cortland is an equal opportunity employer, and we're proud to support and celebrate diversity in the workplace. We are committed to equal consideration for all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you have a disability and need an accommodation or assistance with the application process and/or using our website, please email talentresources@cortland.com or call 404.965.3988.

Cortland is a drug-free workplace.

Cortland participates in e-verify to verify the employment status of

all persons hired to work in the United States.