Director of Real Estate

BrightPath Kids, part of the Busy Bees global family, operates childcare centers across the United States and Canada. We are committed to providing exceptional early childhood education in safe, nurturing environments and giving children the best start in life. We are equally committed to creating a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to make a meaningful impact every day.

About the role

The Director of Real Estate is a key member of the development team, supporting the company’s expansion strategy across the United States. This role owns the full life cycle of new school centers from market research and setting market entry strategy, board presentation and compilation, developing relationships with and working closely with developers to assure sites open on budget and on time, and pursuing and negotiating sites. The Director will work closely with all internal departments to negotiate LOIs, leases, and project documents; the Construction department to facilitate design, budgets, and schedule; and the operations team to assure centers successfully open. This position remains responsible for all aspects of deals from the initial concept through construction and school opening.

Working closely with the VP of Real Estate, financial analysts, and internal stakeholders, this position helps bring structure, accuracy, and consistency to a growing pipeline of development projects. The position also provides real estate support to the M&A team.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for all aspects of the real estate transaction from initial concept through construction and school opening.
• Build and maintain a strong network of brokers and developers in your area leveraging your team to research site opportunities.
• Be a strong collaborator and leadership contributor to the financial analysis and modeling and construction teams.
• Conduct market research for proposed new sites, including demographics and competitor analysis while monitoring existing markets to understand evolving trade area trends and determine appropriateness for new development or repositioning.
• Implement and execute development processes for targeted geographies.
• Effectively negotiate with brokers, attorneys, landlords/sellers to develop letters of intent, leases, and real estate contracts for approved sites.
• Support site appraisal activities through research, data gathering, and analysis.
• Own the compilation of board-level presentation decks and supporting materials.
• Prepare reports, trackers, summaries, and other documentation to support development activity.
• Partner with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to support project progress and information flow.
• Maintain organized documentation and support efficient administrative processes across the team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required. Business or related study preferred.
• Master’s degree in Business Administration or Juris Doctorate preferred.
• 5+ years of national real estate development experience within national retail or multi-unit public company doing ground up development.
• Early Childhood Education experience strongly preferred.
• 5+ years’ experience in real estate site selection, negotiation, and closing transaction required.
• Deep familiarity with real estate and financial models is an asset.

Skills

• Excellent customer service mentality.
• Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and research skills.
• Detail-oriented, proactive, and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Comfortable working with financial, numerical, and research-based data.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, with the ability to work effectively within project tracking, reporting, and document management systems.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Benefits

• Competitive pay.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Tuition assistance.
• Childcare discounts.

We are dedicated to giving children the best start in life, and you’ll be part of that purpose every day. We offer an award-winning culture where your contributions matter and a workplace where you are truly valued.