Job Description

Storage Star is hiring a Senior Associate on the Growth team (Storage Star’s term for Acquisitions and Asset Management) to lead transactions and help shape investment strategy for our next phase of growth. Working alongside our VPs of Growth, directly with our Founder/CEO, and partnering closely with our COO, you will define and execute acquisition, corporate development, and asset management initiatives instrumental to Storage Star’s success. You will be a key member of the Growth team, which sits at the epicenter of the organization’s decision making. This individual will experience and meaningfully contribute to the building of a special industry-leading business.

Storage Star is an industry-leading private equity investment platform that owns and operates more than 130 self-storage properties across the United States. We have acquired more than $1 billion of self-storage assets over the last 18 months, and in Summer 2026 we closed our second capital raise with discretionary capital commitments from blue-chip endowments and non-profits. We have the capital and scale of an established platform but still operate with the urgency and intensity of a start-up. We are in the early innings of our plan to build the best self-storage business in America.

This role is built for a dynamic, highly organized, and financially minded individual who wants the scope and visibility of a key decision maker rather than a seat on a large deal team. You will present investments to the CEO and investment committee, negotiate directly with sellers, lenders, and partners, and represent Storage Star with brokers and institutional investors. You will also lead asset-level and portfolio-wide initiatives that drive value for the platform and our investors. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable (i) managing people, complicated multi-asset financings, and complex situations, and (ii) building a robust investment model, defending it at investment committee, and negotiating the deal it supports.

You will thrive in our fast-paced environment if you hold yourself and those around you to an exacting standard, work independently once given direction, and are willing to take on any value-creating task that propels Storage Star’s growth. The ideal candidate is willing to take on asset management and fundraising tasks as needed if doing so is what’s best for the assets, portfolio, and business. Training will be provided on the company’s processes and systems. This role is probably not the right fit if you prefer to manage a process from a distance rather than stay close to the numbers, or if you need a large team and deep resources to execute projects to completion effectively.

Mentorship is integrated into the ethos of Storage Star. You will work closely with our Founder/CEO and will manage and mentor Associates on deals, helping them grow into deal leaders. A successful individual will have a clear path to expanded leadership as the company grows. This role is an excellent opportunity to gain first-hand experience in company building, private equity value creation, real estate, and operations.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership:

- Develop and implement real estate acquisition strategies in alignment with overall business objectives.

- Identify emerging market trends and investment opportunities to expand the company’s portfolio.

- Collaborate with senior leadership to establish short and long-term acquisition goals.

Deal Sourcing & Evaluation:

- Lead sourcing of single-asset and portfolio acquisitions through broker, owner, and operator relationships.

- Own underwriting, including acquisition models, market analysis, risk assessment, and due diligence.

- Write and present investment committee memos and business plans for each acquisition.

Transaction Management:

- Oversee the negotiation, structuring, and execution of complicated real estate transactions, ensuring favorable terms and alignment with company objectives.

- Manage brokers, sellers, legal counsel, and third-party advisors throughout the process.

Capital Markets & Joint Ventures:

- Lead acquisition financings and refinancings, and own lender relationships, maturities, and covenants.

- Structure joint ventures and support capital raising alongside other team members, including waterfall and fund-level return analyses

- Support the c-suite, operations, and asset management teams as needed to complete ad hoc portfolio analyses

Project Management:

- Lead cross-functional projects from inception to completion, ensuring alignment with objectives and timelines.

- Coordinate project teams, set goals, and track progress against milestones.

- Partner with Operations, Accounting/Finance, and Asset Management to build dashboards and tools for planning, forecasting, and ad hoc analysis.

Presentation Production:

- Prepare board materials, investor updates, and external presentations that make complex analysis simple.

Leadership & Development:

- Manage and mentor Associates, reviewing their models and memos for accuracy and judgment.

- Foster a collaborative, results-oriented culture of excellence.

Financial Oversight:

- Set and maintain the platform’s underwriting standards, models, and templates.

- Monitor acquired assets against underwriting and partner with Operations and Asset Management to close performance gaps.

Market Intelligence:

- Stay abreast of market conditions, regulatory changes, and competitive dynamics that may impact the company’s acquisition strategy.

- Build and maintain a network of industry contacts to enhance deal flow and market insights.

Qualifications

Required:

- Bachelor’s degree with a strong academic record

- 4–8 years in investment banking, private equity, real estate private equity, or a REIT

- Expert financial modeling: you can build and have built a model from a blank spreadsheet, can find the errors in someone else’s modeling, and are comfortable defending every assumption

- Experience negotiating with sellers, lenders, and partners, and managing counsel and third-party advisors

- Advanced Excel and PowerPoint; Power BI or other data visualization tools a plus

- Clear, persuasive writing and presentation skills, including to senior leadership, boards, or investment committees

- Exacting attention to detail, sound judgment, high integrity, and discretion with confidential information

- Experience mentoring or managing junior team members

- Commitment to a team-based, proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision-making and leadership capabilities

- Ability to adapt and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with multiple priorities

- Strong ability to use AI to improve productivity without replacing independent thought and judgment

- Demonstrated ability to take a project to the next level by thinking ahead, looking around corners, and anticipating what stakeholders will prioritize as projects progress

Preferred:

- Real estate transaction experience in acquisitions, development, debt, or at a REIT; self-storage or other operating real estate experience is a plus

- Experience structuring joint ventures or fund investments, including waterfalls and promotes

- Experience leading debt financings or refinancings

Additional Information:

1) This is a full-time position.

2) The ideal candidate is willing to live in the Bay Area, Salt Lake City, or Sacramento and is open to reporting to an office 3 days per week. Remote work may be optional for the right candidate in unique situations.

3) Competitive salary and benefits package will be offered to the successful candidate.

4) Travel required for property visits, meetings, conferences, and other business events.

5) Storage Star is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

To apply, email both Matt Garibaldi (Founder & CEO) and Alex Thompson (VP of Growth) with your resume and a brief (1 paragraph) note on a transaction or project you are proud of.

matt@storagestar.com 

athompson@storagestar.com

About Storage Star:

Storage Star is a mission-driven investor-operator of self-storage facilities across the United States. The company’s nationwide portfolio consists of over 130 self-storage properties with more than 67,000 units and 9 million rentable square feet. Storage Star is a vibrant and rapidly growing company with ambitions to be one of the nation’s leading real estate operators.

Mission:

To serve our customers with excellence and integrity

Vision:

To build the best self-storage business in the world that makes our team and loved ones proud by delivering exceptional service and support to everyone every time

Core Values:

1) Service: we focus intensely on serving our customer – we are nothing without them

2) Teamwork: we work together as partners to achieve the highest possible standard

3) Accountability: we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards

4) Respect: we treat everyone with dignity, empathy, and fairness regardless of background or position

Professional Environment:

Storage Star seeks to create a professional environment that provides stability, enjoyment, and opportunity for all. We do this by being focused, hard-working, fair, reasonable, trusting, accountable, and motivated to build something greater than ourselves as a team.

Our business is built and motivated by strong bonds of respect and partnership. We enjoy what we do, who we do it with, and we seek to create a positive impact on those around us.

Impact Goals:

To create value for all “customers” in our ecosystem – employees, investors, renters, vendors, and the environment.

To generate durable, superior investment returns for world-class investment partners who generate a positive impact and create value in the world.

www.storagestar.com 

www.storagestarholdings.com