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Alberto Sarabia - Senior CRE Analyst

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Compensation range discussed: $1,500 - $2,100

LinkedIn Profile | email: albertosarve@gmail.com | Phone: +52 55 5165 9378

Schedule Availability (EST): 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Summary

MBA Graduate from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany) and Financial Analyst with 5 years of experience, including nearly 2 years in Commercial Real Estate (CRE) at JLL. He managed an $18M+ real estate portfolio for US-based clients such as MetLife, coordinating weekly performance alignment with stakeholders in New York and modeling financial scenarios (DCF) for landlords in Puerto Rico. His expertise lies in portfolio optimization, risk assessment, and standardizing reporting workflows to align with US corporate frameworks, achieving a 10% reduction in operating expenses. Proficient in Advanced Excel and PowerPoint, he leverages these tools alongside AI (ChatGPT, Gemini) to produce structured financial reports and corporate presentations. He is currently a CFA Level I Candidate (Exam scheduled for August) with a strong background in cross-border data validation and process efficiency.

Meet Alberto

This video from our screening interview provides a look into Alberto's background and experience:

Candidate Snapshot

US-based Experience & Reporting

• US Corporate Alignment: Brings 2 years of Commercial Real Estate (CRE) experience working at JLL, a leading US-based real estate services firm.

• US Stakeholder Coordination: Managed weekly financial reporting and communication for New York-based clients, ensuring all deliverables and portfolio metrics met US corporate standards and expectations.

• US Client Portfolio: Managed an $18M+ real estate portfolio specifically for US-based clients, including major institutional players like MetLife.

• Standardization of Workflows: Successfully standardized reporting workflows to align local operations with US corporate frameworks, ensuring consistency in cross-border data validation.

Commercial Real Estate Expertise

• Financial Modeling & Valuation: Experience in modeling financial scenarios using Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis for landlords in Puerto Rico.

• Portfolio Optimization: Focused on risk assessment and portfolio optimization, resulting in a quantifiable 10% reduction in operating expenses for the managed portfolio.

• Asset Management: Oversees portfolio performance with a focus on maximizing value and minimizing operational costs through data-driven strategies.

Reporting & Presentation Development

• Corporate Presentations: Leverages PowerPoint to produce structured corporate presentations for stakeholders.

• AI-Enhanced Reporting: Utilizes AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok) alongside Advanced Excel to streamline the creation of financial reports and improve process efficiency.

Education

• CFA Level 1 Candidate | CFA Institute (Expected 2026)

• Executive Program | Northwestern University Kellogg Business School (United States) (2024)

• Master of Business Administration (MBA) | WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management (2025)

• Bachelor in Economics | Universidad Iberoamericana (2018)

Tools

• Financial & Data Analysis: Advanced Excel.

• Presentation & Design: Microsoft PowerPoint, Canva (Basic).

• AI & Productivity: Chat GPT, Gemini, Grok, internal AI lease abstraction tools.

• Power BI (Intermediate 2 years) • Python (Basic 1 year)

Key Qualifications & Highlights

• Financial & Strategic Acumen (CFA Candidate): Demonstrating a commitment to high-level investment analysis and financial rigor that goes beyond standard property management, bridging the gap between operational CRE and financial strategy.

• Proven Cost Reduction Metrics: distinct from general analysts, he brings a track record of operational improvement, having achieved a 10% reduction in operating expenses through strategic portfolio optimization and risk assessment.

• AI-Integrated Workflow: Proactively integrates Generative AI (ChatGPT, Gemini) into daily workflows to enhance the structure and speed of financial reporting and corporate presentations.

• Cross-Border Operational Fluency: Possesses specific experience bridging Latin American markets with US Headquarters (New York), validating data and formatting reports to strictly adhere to US corporate frameworks.

Screening Interview - Key Observations

• Context on Career Gap: He clarified his current employment status, noting that he returned to Mexico in December 2024 after completing his MBA in Germany, which explains the recent gap in his professional timeline as he re-enters the job market.

• Process Standardization & Proactivity: He demonstrated strong initiative by describing a major project at JLL where he "homogenized" a disorganized reporting process for MetLife. He identified that six different Latin American countries (Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brazil) were reporting data inconsistently to stakeholders in New York. He took the lead to structure this information flow, significantly reducing errors and reporting time.

• Transferable Skills vs. Direct Experience: When discussing the specific requirement for producing Offering Memorandums (OMs) and Broker Opinion of Values (BOVs), he was transparent that he has not directly created these specific documents in previous roles. However, he emphasized his "transferable skills" in structured finance and financial analysis—developed during his time at American Express and HSBC—arguing that the underlying analytical rigor required is identical.

• Specific Technical Application: He detailed a specific financial modeling project for a landlord in Puerto Rico, where he conducted a "Buy, Lease, and Extend" analysis using Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) models to determine the optimal financial decision for the asset, showcasing his ability to apply theoretical valuation concepts to real-world scenarios.

• AI Integration Habits: Beyond standard tools, he mentioned experience using a proprietary JLL internal AI tool designed for lease abstraction to summarize contract details. Currently, he actively uses Gemini and ChatGPT to optimize his study workflow for the CFA Level 1 exam and to draft proposals, viewing AI strictly as a tool to "gain efficiency and reduce time."

• Questions for the Company: He inquired about the specific logistics of the B2B contractor model, specifically asking for clarification on whether compensation would be settled in USD or local currency, and how the reporting lines function between the US headquarters and the remote team structure.