Maya like pivot alignment Maya allows for fast and accurate placement of the pivot using the D key does Blender have the same?

Functionally this is similar to seting the pivot to the 3d cursor however I'm unsure of how to accurately place the 3d cursor without; Entering Edit mode, Selecting what I want, Shift > S Cursor to Selected, Entering Object Mode. Adjusting the pivot point works well like this for rotating but not so much for movement as the 3d cursor won't stay anchored when the object is moved away from it, meaning you need to repeat the process to realign the 3d cursor accurately.

Mayas method is so fast and convenient that there has to be way automate all those steps to replicate it or someone must have made an addon that does this already.
As you already noticed, the 3d Cursor is your friend. 

Either click LMB  anywhere in the viewport or set its xyz location values directly (Transform Panel N > 3D Cursor). Object Mode or Edit Mode doesn't matter so you've got the control you need. When done, open up the Toolshelf T, go to Tools > Set Orgin and select 'Origin to 3D Cursor' (in Object Mode) or use  ShiftCtrlAltC shortcut for that.



Also see: Precisely move the 3D cursor?