National Real Estate Development Manager

About the Role

The National Real Estate Development Manager serves as Ace Hardware's primary growth leader and subject matter expert for real estate strategy and development, partnering with New Business leadership, Market Development Managers, prospective and existing retailers, brokers, landlords, and developers to proactively source, evaluate, negotiate, and secure high-quality retail locations. The role exists to increase the number, quality, and velocity of qualified sites entering the New Business pipeline, improve site quality, reduce location and occupancy risk, accelerate new store growth, and help Ace retailers open better stores, in better locations, under better economic terms.

You are a strategic, results-oriented real estate leader who combines market insight, financial expertise, and strong relationships to develop, execute, and scale the Ace Real Estate Strategy, positioning Ace Hardware as a leading national retail tenant of choice. You build trust quickly, communicate clearly, and lead with integrity and teamwork to solve problems, accelerate growth, and bring Ace Helpful to neighbors in need. The position requires a combination of retail real estate expertise, market analytics, financial analysis, negotiation capability, and cross-functional influence.

Responsibilities

• Own the national strategy and execution for proactively sourcing qualified real estate opportunities that increase the number, quality, and velocity of sites available for Ace Hardware new store development.
• Lead site selection and market analysis using Market First Strategy, demographic, traffic, psychographic, competitive, retail performance, and location intelligence data to evaluate urban, suburban, rural, infill, redevelopment, and new construction opportunities.
• Partner formally with New Business leadership and Market Development Manager leadership to translate Ace growth priorities into actionable broker assignments, market searches, and real estate deployment strategies, including identifying markets where real estate availability is limiting growth and developing intervention plans.
• Establish, manage, and continuously evaluate Ace Hardware's national network of local tenant representation brokers, including broker selection, onboarding, market coverage, performance expectations, accountability, communication cadence, relationship management, and replacement of underperforming brokers.
• Develop and maintain a national real estate pipeline and inventory of potential store locations, proactively identifying second-generation retail locations, grocery-anchored centers, redevelopment projects, urban infill opportunities, new construction projects, retail vacancies, major retailer closures, bankruptcies, portfolio dispositions, and emerging development opportunities before an MDM or retailer request exists.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with New Business Leadership, Legal, Finance, Retail Operations, Sitewise, Salesforce, external brokers, and consultants to support the transition from site identification through lease execution and activation, maintain pipeline visibility and reporting accuracy, and identify bottlenecks, stalled searches, broker performance issues, landlord delays, and other barriers affecting speed-to-site. Own development and execution of corrective action plans to improve site flow and speed-to-site.
• Prepare and present financial, site, and decision-support analyses to senior leadership, MDMs, and retailers, including occupancy cost assessments, comparative site analyses, deal economics, site productivity forecasts, ROI considerations, and fact-based recommendations that help independent business owners evaluate real estate risk and investment decisions.
• Own or heavily influence national real estate process standardization for broker engagement, site submissions, market tours, comparative site analysis, LOIs, site recommendation packages, retailer decision support, and cross-functional handoffs to create consistent execution across MDMs, brokers, and priority markets.
• Support lease negotiation and deal structuring through the local tenant broker network, including LOIs, lease negotiations, renewals, purchase agreements, ground leases, and build-to-suit opportunities. Evaluate and recommend terms related to base rent, tenant improvement allowances, free rent, CAM charges, renewal options, exclusivity, signage rights, and co-tenancy provisions.
• Develop a national landlord and developer account strategy by identifying high-value national and regional ownership groups, REITs, developers, shopping center owners, and disposition firms, then creating intentional engagement plans to generate portfolio-wide and off-market opportunities, making Ace Hardware a top national retail tenant of choice.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Real Estate, Finance, Urban Planning, Economics, or a related field.
• Minimum of seven years of commercial retail real estate experience, with demonstrated experience in site selection, commercial leasing, landlord negotiations, retail development, and market analysis.
• Expertise in market analysis, retail site selection, lease negotiation, deal structuring, occupancy-cost and deal-economics analysis, comparative site analysis, financial modeling, ROI assessment, site productivity forecasts, pipeline reporting, CRM discipline, and location intelligence and reporting tools such as Sitewise and Salesforce.
• Ability to build and manage national relationships with brokers, landlords, developers, REITs, shopping center owners, and real estate disposition firms, and to influence without authority across New Business Leadership, Market Development Managers, retailers, Legal, Finance, Retail Operations, and external partners.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to prepare clear site recommendation packages and present findings to senior leadership and retailers.
• Ability to travel extensively throughout the United States, with 40–60% national travel.
• Demonstrated ability to build, manage, and measure a national real estate pipeline; establish broker- and market-level performance metrics; identify gaps and bottlenecks; and use data, accountability, and cross-functional influence to increase the quantity, quality, and velocity of qualified sites advancing toward new store development.
• Strong strategic thinking, real estate negotiation, retail site selection, business acumen, financial analysis, relationship-building, market analysis, presentation, and communication skills, with the ability to influence without authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten+ years of retail real estate experience preferred, including experience supporting multi-unit retail expansion or a background in home improvement retail, hardware retail, franchise development, commercial brokerage, or tenant representation.
• Preferred Designations: CCIM, SIOR, CPM, or a related professional designation.

Pay

$137,700 – $175,600 per year

Benefits

We live our values — W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. These represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

• Incentive opportunities based on role/grade level (company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 122% of target opportunity)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year in addition to quarterly contributions and annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met). Over the past 5 years, company contributions (matching, quarterly & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 10% of total eligible compensation
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
• 21 days of